If Someone Does Not Feel Love for Allah and the Prophet Above All, Is This Disbelief or Shirk?
Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Question
A Muslim does not feel they love Allah and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) more than themselves or others. Does this constitute disbelief or shirk?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health. Thank you for your question — and please be at ease.
No. Not feeling strong emotional love for Allah and the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) is not disbelief or shirk.
The classical scholars drew a careful distinction.
The Two Loves
Required love is chosen love. It is belief, reverence, submission — and putting Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) ahead of one’s ego, desires, and worldly attachments.
This is what conditions faith (iman).
Felt love is different. It is warmth, tears, longing, sweetness — a higher spiritual fruit that rises and falls.
Its absence is not, by itself, disbelief (kufr) or shirk.
Allah Most High says:
“Say, ‘If you all love Allah, then faithfully follow me, and Allah will greatly love you, and forgive you your sins.’” [Quran 3:31; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
The sign of love is following the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) — not the constant presence of an emotional state.
Imam Nawawi and Ibn Hajar on the Hadith of Preference
Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) explains the hadith, “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all of mankind.”
Quoting Khattabi, he writes that what is meant is chosen love, not merely natural emotional love. Instinctive self-love lies outside one’s direct control.
The meaning is to prefer the Prophet’s obedience and pleasure over one’s own desires [al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim]
Ibn Hajar (Allah have mercy on him) reads the required love the same way. Citing al-Qurtubi, he notes that every believer carries some share of it, though believers differ greatly. Some carry the fullest share. Others, overcome by heedlessness or desire, carry a weaker one [Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari]
The Sweetness of Faith Is a Realized Taste, Not a Threshold
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“There are three qualities by which one finds the sweetness of faith: that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than all else…” [Bukhari; Muslim] The wording is “sweetness of faith” — a realized taste of iman.
What is understood by the scholars is crucial: a person may have iman without yet tasting its full sweetness.
This is a call to rise in the degrees of faith, certitude, and love.
Ibn Rajab on the Two Degrees of Love of Allah
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (Allah have mercy on him) draws the same line. The first degree of love of Allah is obligatory:
“That one loves Allah with a love that entails loving what Allah has obligated, hating what He has prohibited, loving His Messenger who conveys His command and prohibition, giving precedence to his love over oneself and one’s family, being pleased with what he conveyed from Allah of the religion, and receiving it with acceptance and submission.
This measure is necessary for the completion of obligatory faith. Whoever falls short in any of it has diminished his obligatory faith accordingly.” [Ibn Rajab, Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
He summarizes: “Obligatory love entails doing the obligations and leaving the prohibitions.” [Ibn Rajab, Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
The second degree is higher — and not the threshold of belief:
“The degree of the foremost brought-near ones (al-sabiqun al-muqarrabun): that love rises to what Allah loves of supererogatory acts, to disliking subtle disliked matters, and to being content with what He decrees of painful trials.
This is a recommended virtue.” [Ibn Rajab, Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
This is the perfection of faith, not its threshold. Do not measure yourself by it when you are struggling.
Ibn Rajab on the Two Degrees of Love of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace)
The same distinction applies to love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The first degree is obligatory:
“The love that entails accepting what the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) brought from Allah; receiving it with love, contentment, reverence, and submission; not seeking guidance from any path other than his; believing everything he informed of; obeying what he commanded of obligations; and refraining from what he prohibited.
This measure is necessary, and faith is not complete without it.” [Ibn Rajab, Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
The second degree is virtue, not a requirement:
“The love that entails excellent imitation of him, actualizing adherence to his Sunna in his character, manners, and supererogatory acts; care in knowing his life and days; the heart stirring at his mention; and abundant sending of blessings upon him because of the love and reverence settled in the heart.” [Ibn Rajab, Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
If your heart does not stir at his mention, the answer is not, “You are outside Islam.”
Preserve the obligatory foundation. Refuse compulsive self-judgment. Cultivate love through its causes — gently.
The Signs of Love — Aspiration, Not a Checklist for Self-Takfir
The general signs of love show up in following the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in the basics, accepting Allah’s commands without resentment, avoiding clear prohibitions, wanting to improve, feeling remorse after sin, and preferring faith over disbelief.
Ibn Rajab cites Sahl al-Tustari (Allah have mercy on him):
“Among the signs of love of Allah is love of the Quran. The sign of love of Allah and love of the Quran is love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). The sign of love of the Prophet is love of the Sunna.
The sign of love of the Sunna is love of the Hereafter. The sign of love of the Hereafter is dislike of worldliness. The sign of dislike of worldliness is that one takes from it only the provision that conveys one to the Hereafter.” [Ibn Rajab, Jami‘ al-‘Ulum wa al-Hikam]
This is an aspiration. It is not a checklist for self-takfir.
What Would Actually Be Disbelief or Shirk
Disbelief would be to reject Allah, reject the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), knowingly deny what is necessarily known to be from Islam, mock Allah or His Messenger, or believe that another way is superior to his guidance.
Shirk would be to give a created being the love of worship or godlike devotion that belongs to Allah alone.
But thinking, “I do not feel the love I should feel,” or “I am more emotionally attached to family or worldly things,” is neither.
Natural emotional attachment is not the same as religious allegiance.
The Theology of Required Love
The classical theologians make the same distinction with greater precision. Required love is the will’s submission and the heart’s acceptance—not a feeling.
Love is heartfelt submission (khudu‘). Shaykhi Zada writes: “Faith consists of knowledge, submission (khudu‘), and love within the heart.” [Shaykhi Zada, Matali‘ Nihayat al-Idrak]
The love required for basic faith is the heart’s welcoming of the truth of Allah’s Lordship — not a stirred emotion.
Love is also an inclination (mayl) toward conformity. He writes again: “The root of love is the inclination toward what conforms to the wishes of the beloved.” [Shaykhi Zada, Matali‘ Nihayat al-Idrak]
The condition is met when one’s will is no longer in rebellion against Allah. A person may “believe” yet hate Allah’s laws or His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) — that person’s iman is technically deficient or void, because it lacks this inclination.
Love of the Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the visible proof of love of Allah. Sayyidi Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi (Allah have mercy on him) writes that Allah “made following them — the Prophets — the sign (aya) of their love and the sign of Allah’s love for them.” [Nabulusi, Ra’ihat al-Janna Sharh Ida’at al-Dujunna]
The proof of love is following, not feeling.
Ibn al-Ghars adds the converse: “If love is sincere, the burdensome conditions of religious obligation are lifted and replaced by the joy of service.” [Ibn al-Ghars, Hashiyat Sharh al-Aqa’id]
Sincerity itself eases what feels heavy now.
A Direct Closing Word
You are not a disbeliever for not feeling strong emotional love.
Faith is not measured by intrusive thoughts or emotional intensity. The required love is that you accept Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace), believe they deserve precedence over all else, and try to obey.
If you are distressed by your lack of feeling, the distress itself is a good sign. Do not argue with the thought.
Renew your shahada calmly. Send blessings upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Ask Allah for love. Continue with your obligations.
A du’a from the prophetic tradition is fitting:
”اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ، وَالْعَمَلَ الَّذِي يُبَلِّغُنِي حُبَّكَ“
(Allahumma inni as’aluka hubbaka, wa hubba man yuhibbuka, wa al-‘amal alladhi yuballighuni hubbaka.)
“O Allah, I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the action that will bring me to Your love.” [Tirmidhi]
Iman Is What You Choose, Not What You Feel
The tradition repeats this with one voice. Required love is the will’s submission and the heart’s acceptance — not a feeling, not an emotional weather.
Felt love is what worship plants and the path waters.
Allah Most High says:
“While those who believe are greatest in love for Allah.” [Quran 2:165; Keller, The Quran Beheld]
This is what we cultivate: intensity of love.
And Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani
Related Answers
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- What Does It Mean to Love Allah — Friday Reminder Series
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.
Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.
In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.
Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.
Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School,” published by White Thread Press in 2004, which is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.
His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.
Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.
