that they were among Allah’s allies, when in fact the opposite was true. The root of this is that they worshipped through what their own selves loved. As for worshipping through what Allah loves and is pleased with, they neither love it nor desire it alone. They believe that worshipping Allah as He and His messengers have commanded would lower them from the station of being His allies. Thus they cultivate intense love, devotion, worship, longing, and renunciation, but these contain polytheism and religious innovation.

Love grounded in “monotheism,” however, is directed to Allah alone, in accordance with following His Messenger. As the Most High says:

“Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”

For this reason, those who follow the Messenger combine their love with striving and intention: they love for Allah’s sake and hate for His sake. They follow the faith of Abraham and those with him:

“When they said to their people: We disavow you and whatever you worship besides Allah. We reject you, and enmity and hatred have arisen between us and you forever, until you believe in Allah alone.”

Those others, however, mix their love with polytheism; they neither follow the Messenger nor strive in Allah’s cause. Their love is therefore not the love of pure devotion, for such love is inseparable from monotheism. This is why Abū Tālib al-Makkī entitled his book “Nourishment of the Hearts: Dealing with the Beloved and Describing the Seeker’s Path to the Station of Monotheism.”

And Allah, glorified is He, knows best.