and ‘Alī and others—loving them is among the firmest bonds of faith and the greatest good deeds of the pious. Even if someone loves a man because of the goodness he sees in him, which Allah and His Messenger love, Allah will reward him for loving what Allah and His Messenger love, even though he does not know that man’s true inward state. The foundation is love of Allah and love of what Allah loves. Whoever loves Allah and loves what Allah loves is among Allah’s close friends.
Many people claim such love without truly living up to it. Allah Most High says:
“Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.’”
One of the early generations said: “Some people during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, claimed that they loved Allah, so Allah revealed this verse.”
Loving Allah, His Messenger, and His pious servants requires doing what Allah loves and abandoning what He dislikes. People differ greatly in this: whoever has a greater share of it has a higher rank with Allah.
As for someone who loves another out of personal desire—for some worldly benefit he obtains from him, a need that person fulfils for him, money he gains through him, partisan attachment to him, or similar things—this is not love for Allah’s sake. Rather, it is love driven by one’s own desires. It is this love that leads those who harbour it into disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience.
How many people claim to love shaykhs for Allah’s sake! If they truly loved them for Allah’s sake, they would obey Allah, the One