Will those who love God enter Hell while there are disbelievers—like Jews and Christians—and corrupt Muslims who love God?
Ibn Al-Qayyim distinguished between four types of love, confusing which leads to misguidance: love of Allah, love of what Allah loves (which is the basis for entering Islam), love for Allah and in Him (which is concomitant with loving what Allah loves), and love with Allah (which is a polytheistic love).
He also mentioned a fifth type, which is natural love (such as love for food and water), and this is not blameworthy unless it distracts one from the remembrance of Allah.
The difference between love for the sake of Allah (fi Allah) and love alongside Allah (ma' Allah): Love for the sake of Allah is the perfection of faith, while love alongside Allah is pure shirk (polytheism). The one who loves for the sake of Allah follows Allah's love, loving what He loves and hating what He hates. As for love alongside Allah, it is of two types: shirk that expels one from Islam (like the love of polytheists for their idols), and a type that diminishes the perfection of sincerity but does not expel one from Islam (like the love of worldly adornments).
The love of worldly adornments (women, sons, wealth): If it is for Allah and used as an aid to His obedience, then it is among the love for Allah. If it is due to natural inclination and does not affect the love of Allah, then it is permissible. And if it is the primary objective and given precedence over the love of Allah, then it is an injustice to oneself. These three types represent the love of the foremost [in faith], the moderate, and the unjust, respectively.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/24182