On the authority of Anas: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “None of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his son, his father, and all people.” (1) Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

None of you truly believes: that is, he does not possess perfect faith.

until I am dearer to him: grammatically, aḥabba is in the accusative as the predicate of akūn.

and all people: an instance of adding the general to the specific.

Overall meaning of the ḥadith: The Prophet ﷺ informs us that no one attains the fullness of faith that clears his responsibility and entitles him to enter Paradise until he prefers love for the Messenger ﷺ over love for his closest relatives and indeed over love for every created being. Through him ﷺ eternal life is obtained and humanity is delivered from misguidance to guidance. Loving him ﷺ therefore requires obeying him, following what he commands, and preferring his statement over the statement of any other.

Relevance of the ḥadith to this chapter: It provides proof that one must place love for the Messenger ﷺ above love for every creature, and that the realization of faith is conditional upon this.

Lessons derived from the ḥadith:
1- The obligation to love the Messenger ﷺ and to give that love precedence over love for every creature.
2- Deeds are part of faith, for love is an action of the heart, and faith is negated for anyone in whom love for the Messenger ﷺ is not paramount.
3- Negating faith does not necessarily mean leaving Islam.
4- Genuine faith must inevitably show its effects in the believer’s conduct.