Allah does not leave us to guess how to love Him. He sent Muhammad ﷺ as the living embodiment of divine love. Allah says in Surah Aal-Imran (3:31): "Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you.'" The litmus test of your love for Allah is your adherence to the Sunnah in small things (eating, sleeping, speaking) and big things (charity, justice, prayer).

This verse draws a sharp, critical contrast between two types of love:

The verse is strategically placed after the Battle of Badr in the Quranic chronology. The believers had just faced an army three times their size. They had lost wealth, family, and security. Yet, their love for Allah did not waver. The mushrikeen (polytheists) loved their idols only when the idols gave them victory or wealth. The believers loved Allah even in hunger, fear, and loss.