Can love without God sometimes be harmful?

Love is one of the most powerful and profound human emotions, instilled by the Almighty God within human nature. This immense force can be a source of countless blessings and happiness, or, if diverted from its true path, it can become a cause of immense harm and suffering. From the perspective of the Holy Quran, the answer to the question, 'Can love without God sometimes be harmful?' is definitively 'Yes.' The Quran repeatedly warns humanity that attaching one's heart to anything other than God, or placing the love of worldly matters or created beings in the position of divine love, can have irreparable consequences, both in this world and the hereafter. The Holy Quran explicitly states that true and unconditional love is solely worthy of the Divine Essence. God is the source and creator of all goodness and beauty, and everything in existence stems from His grace and mercy. Therefore, the primary focus of human love must be the Lord of the worlds. Any love that takes shape in a person's life, if it is aligned with divine love and for His pleasure, is not only harmless but is indeed a path to perfection and growth. However, if these loves become independent and replace the love of God, or are such that they distract a person from the remembrance and obedience of God, then they will turn into a harmful factor. One of the most important verses in this regard is Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 165, which states: “And [yet] among the people are those 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. And if only those who have wronged would see when they see the punishment that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is severe in punishment.” This verse clearly refers to the phenomenon of 'Shirk al-Mahabbah' (associating partners with God in love). It means that some people set up beings other than God as rivals or equals to Him and love them to an extent that is only due to God. This type of love is the highest degree of deviation and harm; it distances a person from the sole source of perfection and happiness and attaches them to transient and imperfect beings. The result of this type of love will be regret and punishment on the Day of Judgment, as the verse continues to state that the wrongdoers will then see that all power belongs to God alone and that He is severe in punishment. This indicates that excessive attachment to anything other than God leads to nothing but regret and torment. Another verse that clearly elucidates this concept is Surah At-Tawbah, verse 24: “Say, [O Muhammad], 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your kindred, wealth which you have gained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.'” In this verse, Allah Almighty lists all worldly attachments and beloved things such as fathers, children, brothers, spouses, relatives, acquired wealth, trade, and pleasant dwellings, and then sets the criterion: if your love for these things is greater than your love for Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause, then await Allah's command (punishment or decree). This verse is a serious warning that if a person's love for these worldly matters reaches a point where it prevents them from fulfilling divine obligations or obstructs them on the path of truth and striving for God, then that love will become a calamity and a cause of disobedience and misguidance. This does not mean that one should not have affection for family or possessions; rather, it means that these affections should not take precedence over the love of God and obedience to Him. Love for these things is only healthy and beneficial when it is within the framework of divine pleasure and subservient to His love. Furthermore, in Surah Al-Imran, verse 14, we read: “Beautified for people is the love of desires, such as women, sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, livestock, and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but with Allah is the best return.” This verse states that the love of desires and worldly pleasures such as women, children, gold, silver, horses, livestock, and cultivated land has been made appealing to people. These are the provisions and goods of worldly life. However, it immediately warns that the best return (and true happiness) is only with Allah. This means that these matters are merely tools and means for living life and should not become the ultimate goal. If a person makes them their primary goal and their love for them is such that it makes them heedless of the afterlife and devotion to God, then this love will be harmful; because it diverts them from the main purpose of creation and the path of perfection, trapping them in a fleeting world. In summary, love without God, or love that deviates from the divine orbit, is harmful in various ways: Firstly, it leads to polytheism in love and deviates from pure monotheism. Secondly, it prevents one from fulfilling divine duties and obligations, leading to disobedience and sin. Thirdly, because it relies on transient and changeable beings, it is not stable and can be a source of suffering, regret, despair, and anxiety. A person who sees all their happiness in another person or in worldly possessions will suffer spiritual collapse upon losing them. In contrast, love rooted in God is stable and brings peace, making a person resilient against the hardships of the world. Therefore, the Holy Quran teaches believers to prioritize divine love above all other loves and to define other loves within its framework, so that they may be safe from potential harm and attain true happiness.