(31) “Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’”

This verse establishes the obligation to love Allah and explains its signs, its outcome, and its fruits. Allah says, “Say, ‘If you love Allah’”—that is, if you claim this lofty station, above which there is no higher rank, a mere claim is not enough. Rather, it must be sincere, and the sign of sincerity is following His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in all his circumstances: in his words and deeds, in the fundamentals and subsidiary matters of religion, and both outwardly and inwardly.

Whoever follows the Messenger thereby demonstrates the sincerity of his claim to love Allah Most High. Allah will love him, forgive his sins, have mercy on him, and guide him aright in all his movements and moments of stillness. Whoever does not follow the Messenger does not love Allah Most High, for love of Allah necessarily entails following His Messenger. When such following is absent, this proves that love is absent and that anyone claiming it is lying. Even if such love were assumed to exist, it would be of no benefit without its requisite condition.

By this verse all people are measured: their faith and love for Allah are commensurate with the extent to which they follow the Messenger, and whatever is lacking in that following entails a corresponding deficiency.