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The question

Is it considered polytheism (shirk) to detest something for its own sake, by analogy with Ibn Taymiyyah's statement that loving something for its own sake is polytheism because God alone is to be loved for His own sake?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Nothing should be loved for its own sake except Allah Almighty, because loving anything for its own sake other than Allah is a form of polytheism (shirk). Allah is the One deserving of love for His essence, and every beloved thing besides Him must be loved for Allah's sake or for the sake of what Allah loves. Love is divided into four types: love for Allah, love for what Allah loves, love for Allah and in Him, and polytheistic love alongside Allah. There is also natural love, which is not blameworthy unless it distracts from the remembrance of Allah. As for detested things, they are not detested for their own sake, but rather because they are detested by Allah or do not suit human nature, unlike love. It cannot be said: "Whoever detests something for its own sake has committed shirk."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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