Is there a contradiction between your fatwa no. 2647589, which states that loving the essence of a created being is not shirk, and the saying of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: "Rather, nothing in existence may be loved for its essence except Him, glory be to Him and with His praise. For every beloved thing in the world, it is only permissible to love it for the sake of something else, not for its essence. And the Lord, the Exalted, is He who must be loved for His own sake. This is one of the meanings of His divinity. And {had there been in them gods besides Allah, they would surely have been in disorder} [21:22]. Indeed, loving a thing for its essence is shirk! So nothing is loved for its essence except Allah; for that is among the characteristics of His divinity"? And what is the meaning of a thing being loved for its essence?
There is no contradiction between the words of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and the aforementioned fatwa. What he means by his words is that the love of Allah is the origin of all love, and that He alone, glorified be He, deserves to be loved for His own sake, and the love of all else is subordinate to His love. Many Sharia texts have been narrated indicating the permissibility of loving creation, but this love is for the sake of Allah and in Allah, and not for the sake of the creature itself. So, the love of Allah is worship, humility, and submission, whereas the love of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and the Companions, relatives, and others, is a love subordinate to the love of Allah.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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