A Pretence of Love, Not True Love

Imām Ibn Taimiyyah, may Allāh have mercy on him, said:

Souls were created with a natural inclination to love those who do good to them, but this, in reality, is only loving the good being done [to them], not the doers of [that] good themselves. If [that doing of good] were to be cut off, that love would fade away and maybe [even] leave behind hatred. That, then, is not [love] for Allāh’s sake ….

Whoever says that he loves for Allāh’s sake someone who’s giving him [something or the other], then that’s a lie, an impossibility, and fraudulent misrepresentation through speech.

Majmūʿ Al-Fatāwá, vol. 10, p. 609, as quoted by Shaikh ʿAbdullāh Al-Bukhārī.

Source: @dr_albukhary. 8 Jan 22. 19:54 GMT+3.