are called upon; they themselves seek the means of nearness to their Lord, each striving to be nearer, and they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment.”1 Seeking the means of nearness to Him means drawing near to Him by loving Him and doing what He loves. He then says, “And they hope for His mercy and fear His punishment,” thereby mentioning love, fear, and hope2. The same is found in His words, “They used to hasten to good deeds and call upon Us with hope and fear, and they were humbly submissive to Us.”3

Therefore, in his worship and remembrance of Allah, the servant must combine these three pillars: love, fear, and hope. It is impermissible for him to worship Allah through one of them to the exclusion of the others—for example, by worshipping Allah through love alone, without fear and hope; through hope alone; or through fear alone. Hence, some scholars said, “Whoever worships Allah through love alone is a heretic; whoever worships Him through fear alone is a Kharijite; whoever worships Him through hope alone is a Murji’ite; and whoever worships Him through love, fear, and hope is a believing monotheist.”4

The greatest and most exalted of these three pillars is love: love of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. It is the foundation of Islam and the axis upon which it turns. Love is a noble spiritual station for which competitors vie and toward which those racing ahead exert themselves. It is the sustenance of hearts, the nourishment of souls, the delight of the eyes, and the spirit of faith and righteous deeds. Whoever fails to attain it in this life will find his entire life filled with misery and pain.