Chapter: The words of Allah, Most High: “And among the people are those who take rivals apart from Allah, loving them as they should love Allah…”
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Complete verse (Qur’an 2:165): “And among the people are those who take other than Allah as equals to Him; they love them as they should love Allah. But those who believe are firmer in their love for Allah. If only the wrongdoers could see—when they behold the punishment—that all power belongs to Allah entirely, and that Allah is severe in punishment.”

Relevance of this chapter to the Book of Tawḥīd (monotheism): Because loving Allah is the very foundation of the religion of Islam—its perfection perfects one’s faith, and any deficiency in it diminishes one’s monotheism—the author highlights the matter in this chapter.

Lexical notes
• andād (sing. nidd): peers, rivals, equals.
• “They love them as they should love Allah”: i.e., they equate those rivals with Allah in love and veneration.
• “But those who believe are firmer in their love for Allah”: meaning, firmer than the love the people of rivals claim to have for Allah; it is also said: firmer than the love the people of rivals have for their rivals.

Overall meaning of the verse: Allah exposes the state of the polytheists in this world and the punishment awaiting them in the Hereafter. They have appointed for Allah peers from His creation, equating them with Him in love and glorification. In contrast, the believers devote their love exclusively to Allah, just as they single Him out in every other act of worship.

Lessons derived from the verse
1- Whoever takes a rival whose love equals his love for Allah is a polytheist guilty of major shirk.
2- Some polytheists may indeed love Allah intensely, yet that love is of no benefit unless they devote it exclusively to Him.