Allegiance and Disownment

Islam established loyalty and disavowal based on a sublime meaning, not just earthly satisfaction. It is based on slavery to Allah, and slavery is the perfection of love with the perfection of submission.

- Love for Allah is an inherent instinct deeply rooted in the human soul, every soul regardless of its color, race, or place on earth.

- Islam addressed this instinct with preserved divine inspiration, thus becoming a rope hanging from the sky to unite people in a meaningful value and gather them together after earthly loyalties and disavowals tore them apart: "And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not separate. And remember the favor of Allah upon you - when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers."

- With an instinct of love for Allah and preserved divine inspiration, Islam establishes a bond of loyalty, which means support and love on the common meaning, which is the love of Allah, his worship, and his reverence.

Why do we say that this love is a true value unlike other values that people adhere to and fight over?

Why should it be rational for our love, hatred, loyalty, and disavowal to be based on the love of Allah?

- Because Allah should be loved for His essence and eternal attributes. So, just as Allah is eternal in His attributes, His worship is His right on you even before He blesses you with His favors. It is His right that you worship Him with love and submit to Him through His beautiful names and attributes. When this meaning is understood, worship of Allah remains constant regardless of whether He blesses you or tests you.

If one fails to realize that Allah should be loved for His essence and attributes before bestowing His blessings upon His slaves, then when tested, one may panic and disbelieve. However, when you love Allah for His essence, you stand firm and survive because you know that He deserves your love and worship under all circumstances. How, when Allah has created you and blessed you with various blessings, and then you return to Him to determine your fate and guide you to what will bring you eternal happiness?

- This is the love of worship, love of Allah for His essence and eternal attributes, and for His blessings. No one in existence deserves this love except Allah, because these attributes do not exist in a father, son, spouse, wealth, or anything else. It is not rational to make love of anything rival the love of Allah, preventing you from fulfilling His right of obedience or leading you into disobedience. Rather, it is rational for your absolute allegiance to be to Allah alone: "Allah, who created you and provided for you, then will cause your death, and then will give you life. Is there any of your 'partners' who does anything of that? Exalted is He and high above what they associate with Him."

- However, for the love of Allah to be a source of salvation, we must love Allah in the way He wants, not in the way we want. This is done by dedicating love for worship as mentioned, and by loving what Allah loves and hating what Allah hates. This leads to love for Allah's religion, His messengers, the believers in Allah, love for obedience, and hatred for disbelief, disbelievers, and disobedience to Allah. This leads us to loyalty to faith and its people, and disassociation from disbelief and its people, within certain boundaries.

- Where did the other nations go astray? Aren't there among the Jews, Christians, and people of other religions those who also love Allah? Yes, but they did not love Him in the way that He, glorified be He, has approved for Himself:

1. They attributed to Allah qualities that are not befitting His attributes, as is evident in their corrupted scriptures.

2. They associated others with Allah in the love of servitude that implies humiliation, submission, glorification, and perfect obedience, which is only befitting to Allah.

3. They did not love what Allah loves and hated what Allah hates. They rejected messengers, opposed believers, and loved sins that Allah hates. Thus, the saying of Allah Almighty is fulfilled in them: "And of the people are some who take other than Allah as equals [to Him]. They love them as they [should] love Allah. But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah." Quran: (2:165)

Note that Allah Almighty did not deny that they love Him, but their love is rejected as long as they do not single Him out, glorified be He, with it.

Even the monotheistic believers, if they want Allah to reciprocate their love with His love, must have actions, not just beliefs and actions of the heart alone: "Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you.'" So, the love of Allah as Allah loves is the distinguishing mark of the Muslim from others of the religions.