أحبك في الله
Uhibbuka fi Allah
The phrase "i love you for the sake of Allah" in Arabic is أحبك في الله (Uhibbuka fi Allah).
This phrase is used to express platonic, spiritual affection between Muslims, rather than romantic love.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to I love you in Allah, where the preposition fi (in) denotes the reason or the spiritual context of the love.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase changes depending on whom you are addressing. To say I love you to a female, the suffix changes from -ka to -ki, as in أحبكِ في الله.
How do you pronounce it?
Uhibbuka fi Allah
Did you know?
- If a person says أحبك في الله to you, the traditional and religiously appropriate response is to reply أحبك الذي أحبك له, meaning 'May He, for whose sake I love you, love you'.
- While the verb أحب is used for 'love', it is part of a language that possesses dozens of different words for various stages and intensities of affection.
- The word الله shares a common linguistic ancestor with the Hebrew word אֱלוֹהַּ (Eloah), meaning 'God'.
Examples in context
- أحبك في الله يا أخي.uhibbuka fi llahi ya akhi.I love you for the sake of Allah, my brother.
- أحبك في الله يا أختي.uhibbuki fi llahi ya ukhti.I love you for the sake of Allah, my sister.
- أحبك في الله دائماً.uhibbuka fi llahi da'iman.I love you for the sake of Allah always.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking after a prayer.
- يوسف Youssefيا نور، أحبك في الله.Ya Nur, uhibbuki fi Allahi.Nur, I love you for the sake of Allah.
- نور Nourأحبك الذي أحببتني له.Uhibbuka alladhi ahbabtani lahu.I love the One for whose sake you love me.
- يوسف Youssefبارك الله فيكِ يا صديقتي.Barak Allahu fiki ya sadiqati.May Allah bless you, my friend.
- نور Nourوفيك بارك الله يا يوسف.Wa fika barak Allah ya Yusuf.And may Allah bless you too, Yusuf.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries أحبك, الله, في, CC BY-SA 4.0.
