How do I know if God loves me? Is the contentment of my parents and their smiling at me an indication of God's contentment with me? And should I balance between the love of God and the love of the Messenger, may God's prayers and peace be upon him?

Satisfying one's parents is one of the greatest means of attaining Allah's pleasure and love. So continue in this, seeking Allah's reward. The love of Allah and His Messenger is one of the most important pillars of faith. The love of Allah is the foundation, for He alone is loved for His own sake, and the love of anything else is subservient to His love, Exalted be He. Sheikh al-Islam said: "There is no love for creation greater or more perfect than the love of believers for their Lord, and there is nothing in existence that deserves to be loved for its own sake except Allah Almighty. Everything else that is loved, its love is secondary to His love." This is confirmed by numerous legal texts, such as the verse: "Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you,'" and the Hadith: "None of you believes until I am more beloved to him than his child, his father, and all people." So the love of Allah is the origin of all love.