Since love for Him is the essence and inner reality of servitude to Him, it is realized only by obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions. It is through obeying His commands and avoiding His prohibitions that the reality of servitude and love becomes evident. For this reason, Allah Most High made following His Messenger a sign of this love and evidence for anyone who claims it. He says:
3: 31 “Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.’”
He thus made following His Messenger contingent upon their love for Allah, and a condition of Allah’s love for them. What is conditional cannot exist without its condition, and is realized when that condition is realized. It is therefore clear that love is absent when following is absent. Failure to follow His Messenger necessarily entails the absence of their love for Allah, and also entails the absence of Allah’s love for them. It is therefore impossible for their love for Allah, or Allah’s love for them, to exist without their following His Messenger.
This also shows that following the Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—consists in loving Allah and His Messenger and obeying His command. Yet this is not sufficient for servitude until Allah and His Messenger are dearer to the servant than everything else. Nothing should be dearer to him than Allah and His Messenger. Whenever something is dearer to him than they are, this is the association of partners with Allah that He will never forgive its perpetrator, nor will He guide him. Allah Most High says:
9: 24 “Say, ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your clan, the wealth you have acquired, the trade whose decline you fear, and the homes you delight in are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His command. Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.’”
Thus, whoever gives precedence to obeying any of these over obeying Allah and His Messenger; to anyone’s word over the word of Allah and His Messenger; to pleasing anyone over pleasing Allah and His Messenger; to fearing, placing hope in, and relying upon anyone over fearing, placing hope in, and relying upon Allah; or to his dealings with anyone over his dealings with Allah—is someone to whom Allah and His Messenger are not dearer than everything else. Even if he claims that they are, he is lying and saying what contradicts his actual state. The same applies to anyone who gives precedence to someone’s judgment over the judgment of Allah and His Messenger. Whoever he gives precedence to is dearer to him than Allah and His Messenger. Yet the matter may be unclear to someone who gives precedence to another person’s statement, judgment, or