disdains His worship and grows arrogant—He will gather them all to Himself.”

“As for those who believe and do righteous deeds, He will give them their rewards in full and increase them out of His bounty. But those who disdain and grow arrogant, He will punish with a painful punishment, and they will find no protector or helper besides Allah.”

Love for the sake of someone other than Allah is exemplified by the Christians’ love for the Messiah, the Jews’ love for Moses, the Rāfidah’s love for ʿAlī, and the extremists’ love for their shaykhs and imams. Such is the case of someone who gives his allegiance to one shaykh or imam but recoils from another of similar or equal standing. This resembles the conduct of those People of the Book who believed in some messengers and disbelieved in others; of the Rāfidah, who give their allegiance to some Companions and show hostility towards others; and of partisans among those affiliated with jurisprudence and asceticism, who give their allegiance to some shaykhs and imams but not others. The true believer, however, gives his allegiance to all the people of faith. Allah Most High says:

“The believers are but brothers.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“One believer to another is like a building, each part strengthening the other.”

And he interlaced his fingers. He also said:

“The believers, in their mutual love and compassion, are like a body: when one limb suffers, the rest of the body responds with fever and sleeplessness.”

And he, peace be upon him, said:

“Do not sever ties with one another or turn your backs on one another. Be brothers, O servants of Allah.”

The distinction between love for Allah’s sake and love for the sake of someone other than Allah is further illustrated by the fact that Abū Bakr loved the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, sincerely for Allah’s sake, whereas his uncle Abū Tālib loved and supported him out of his own inclination, not for Allah’s sake. Allah therefore accepted Abū Bakr’s deeds and revealed concerning him:

“But the most God-fearing will be kept away from it—he who