What is Shirk in Love?

Could you please explain the 165. verse of Surah al Baqara? I wonder which love is meant to be shirk?

To love anything as if loving God is a kind of shirk in love

“Yet of mankind are some who take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only) - those who believe are stauncher in their love for Allah - Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!” (Surah al Baqara, 165)

“Yet there be people who take to themselves compeers, idols, besides God, that is, other than God, loving them, by magnifying them and being subservient to them, as God is loved, that is, as their love of Him; but those who believe love God more ardently, than those who love their compeers, because the former never reject God, whereas the latter when faced with hardship soon abandon those [compeers] for God.” (Tafseer al Jalalayn)

The Tafseer scholar Elmalili Hamdi Yazir interprets the 165. Verse of Surah al Baqara in his interpretation called “Haq Dini Quran Dili” and says that the real love is the love towards Allah (swt) and no worldly love should exceed the love of Allah (swt). Here is the interpretation of the aforementioned verse in tafseer “Haq Dini Quran Dili”:

“Even though the unity, oneness and the infinite might of Allah (swt) is so obvious with His verses in the Holy Quran and in the universe; there are some of people who take to themselves compeers, partners, besides God and love them as if loving God. They obey and submit their orders, prohibitions, wills; not God’s and they rebel against Allah (swt) to obey them.

Doubtlessly, such love -whether believing God or not- is to associate them partners to God. Some people commit polytheism explicitly as the believers of Pharaoh, Nimrod. Their believers do not hesitate to call them as “God” explicitly. They call them “Our Lord, Our God.” However, some others commit it implicitly. They love some objects or people so much that they give them as much love as they should feel for the Creator of all worlds, Allah (swt) only. They accept the love of their lovers as the determiner factor for their actions. They acknowledge them as the source of bliss and prosperity of their life. They try to gain the consent and love of their lovers not considering Allah’s consent. Regardless of rebellion against Allah (swt), they endeavor to gain the love, acceptance and consent of them. They obey them even if it is a rebellion against Allah (swt).

To love and obey people loved by Allah (swt) is not sin or shirk. On the contrary, it is a proof of our love towards Allah (swt). However, this love should never rival or exceed the love of Allah (swt) as the Christians do; they love Jesus by regarding him as God that is an obvious shirk.

This verse also shows us that God is who is loved the most. So, when we love anything other than God excessively, we take for worship others besides God; because, love brings with it obedience. For every people, his most beloved is his starting point and his determiner factor for his decisions and his intentions.

Those who are loved besides Allah, as equal (with Allah) may be so various; a stone, a plant, sun, moon, angels, souls and so on. It is stated in Tafseer Ibn Abbas that:

“It is also said that this verse was revealed about the hypocrites who buried their gold and silver or hid it in caves; and it is also said that this means: they took their leaders as gods (-that those who do evil had but known) if only the idolaters knew, (when they behold the doom) on the Day of Judgement, (that power) and might and invincibility (belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!) in the Hereafter-if they knew this, they would certainly have believed in this world.” (Tafseer Ibn Abbas)

Thus, other interpreters explain the word “andâd” that means “equal, like” as “Leaders, heads who are obeyed to rebel against Allah (swt)”. Actually, they neither believe in God nor in prophet. They take for worship others besides God, love them as they should love Allah (swt) and believe in them as they should have faith in God. They rebel against Allah (swt) in order to obey them. The expression in the verse “… take unto themselves (objects of worship which they set as) rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah (only)” depicts all these. Besides, those who love prophets and saints are included in the meaning of this verse.

So, while loving the blessed servants of Allah (swt) such as prophets, saints and angels, we should be careful about the limitation and balance of the verse and avoid exceeding our love towards Allah (swt). We should know the difference between “to love for Allah (swt)” and “to love as if loving Allah(swt)”. Those who love Allah also love His blessed servants, but it is not loving them in place of Allah or rivaling them to Allah; believers love those blessed people for Allah and they obey them with this love. “Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (Surah al Al-I Imran, 31)

We find its best example in kalima al shahadah which is the key of faith. While a Muslim recites kalima shahadah  that means “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammad is Allah's servant and His Messenger”, he opposes all gods except Allah (swt), accepts the prophethood of the Blessed Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) and declares his witness to this fact for the sake of Allah (swt). In kalima shahadah, there is a declaration of love first towards Allah (swt) and then towards His Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Faith is completed with this love. (Haq Dini Quran Dili)