After the flowers fade

By Hatmah Nalugwa Ssekaaya

Assalam alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day.

For many, valentine’s comes wrapped in roses, messages, reservations, and expectations. It is a day that places love under a spotlight — measured by effort, gestures, and how visible affection feels.

And yet, quietly, some couples wake up to such a day feeling pressure rather than joy. Others feel content but understated. Some feel loved deeply, though nothing extravagant is planned. And a few may feel forgotten, even while surrounded by symbols of romance.

Perhaps this is why Valentine’s Day offers us a unique pause — not just to celebrate love, but to reflect on it. Because love, in Islam, was never meant to peak on one day.

The Prophet (PBUH) did not attach affection to dates or occasions. His love was steady. Present. Reliable. He was kind on ordinary days, attentive in routine moments, and gentle even when life was heavy. His romance lived in consistency, not calendar reminders.

So today, as flowers are exchanged and messages sent, it may be worth asking a softer question: What happens to love tomorrow?

Because after today passes — after the dinner plates are cleared and the flowers begin to fade — love returns to its truest form.

It becomes about: How we speak when emotions are low. How we show up when there is no occasion. How we treat each other when life feels repetitive, and how safe our spouse feels with us on an ordinary day. This is the love that sustains marriages.

Valentine’s Day can be beautiful — when it is not burdened with comparison. When it is not forced into performance. When it is simply an opportunity to express appreciation, without measuring worth.

Islam does not reject romance. It refines it. It reminds us that love is not proven by spending, posting, or spectacle — but by mercy, intention, and consistency. A sincere word. A thoughtful check-in. A gentle presence. A quiet du’a for one another. These acts may never trend, but they carry weight with Allah.

So if today looks grand for you, receive it with gratitude. If it looks simple, receive it with peace. If it looks quiet, know that quiet does not mean unloved.

Sometimes, the strongest love is the one that does not need to announce itself. And when the flowers fade — as they always do — what remains is what truly matters. The habits. The patience. The kindness that continues long after the day has passed. That is the love worth building.

RECITE THIS DU’A FOR LOVE BEYOND TODAY

Ya Allah, bless our love today and every day after. Protect us from comparison and empty expectations. Teach us to show affection with mercy, consistency, and sincerity. Let our love grow deeper after the celebrations fade, and make our homes places of peace, reassurance, and barakah. Ameen.

Next week, we shall continue with yet another article of the Love Chronicles, where we shall look at “Loving on Tired Days” — when love is tested not by distance, but by exhaustion and everyday life… in shaa Allah.