Love has always been the center of Arab heritage. From the tender verses of pre-Islamic poetry to the profound insights of Sufi mysticism, the way that Arabs have expressed love shows that love is more than an emotion, but rather a philosophy.

The 30th edition of the International Book and Publishing Fair “SIEL” had taken that into consideration and opened its wide arms to host a roundtable about the manifestations of love in Arab heritage. This roundtable brought together prominent voices from the Arab intellectual and literary scene, including Aziz El Haddadi, Fatima El Husseini, and Abdelaziz Aamar. Together, they offered diverse perspectives on how love has been expressed and viewed by Arab culture.

In his words, Abdelaziz Aamar, a professor of higher education and author of several philosophical works, focused on the theme of Sufi love as a powerful affirmation that Islam is also a religion of love. Drawing on the legacy of Ibn Arabi, Aamar highlighted how Sufism elevated love to a cosmic principle. Ibn Arabi, he explained, placed divine love at the heart of Islamic thought, intertwining it with human love-particularly love for woman. For Ibn Arabi, woman becomes a mirror of the divine, and to love her is to love God. In this vision, the entire universe becomes a reflection and object of love.

On the other hand, Fatima El Husseini highlighted the book "Love in Islamic Lands Through Heritage Texts", based on the work of Fatima Mernissi. Though originally written in French, she proposed reading it in Arabic to better connect Arab readers -especially women- with the rich legacy of love in Arab heritage. She described the book as presenting over fifty terms for love, not as synonyms, but as varying degrees and expressions of love in human experience. El Husseini emphasized Mernissi’s vision of love as a universal, humanistic concept that goes beyond the romantic bond between man and woman, drawing from poetry, Sufi texts, and classical literature.

This roundtable served as a vibrant reminder that love, in Arab heritage, is far from a trivial sentiment, it is a profound force that shapes philosophy, spirituality, and literature. Through the voices of scholars and thinkers, the event rekindled interest in a cultural legacy where love is not only celebrated but deeply contemplated. These timeless expressions bear witness to a tradition in which love stands as a transformative and unifying principle, deeply rooted at the heart of Arab thought.