Bismillah. As salam mu alikoom
Ibn Al Qayyim said: “The heart on its journey towards Allah the Exalted is like that of a bird. Love is its head, and fear and hope are its two wings. When the head is healthy, then the two wings will fly well. When the head is cut off, the bird will die. When either of two wings is damaged, the bird becomes vulnerable to every hunter and predator.”
Source: Madarij As-Salikeen
So in reality, A Muslim must have in their heart a combination of three things regarding Allah: love, fear and hope
Without these a person's relationship with Allah would be unstable.
However, see how Ibn Al Qayyim said that the "head" of the bird (the believer) was love - this makes it clear cut essential to know that love for Allah is the driving point of a believer. With which, if absent, the believer would not do good deeds for the sake of Allah or because Allah loves that deed. So really, love for Allah is the most essential thing for a believer - and it is the most essential thing in any relationship for it to thrive.
The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) said: “He who loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him; and he who dislikes to meet Allah, Allah abhors to meet him.” [Muslim]
However, although love is the most important, fear and hope are also very important. For example, let's take a child and his mother. This child loves his mother very much (and is very hopeful of his mother). However, the child often wrongs his mother but then consoles himself that "my mother will forgive me I can do what I want." So in reality, the fact that more people talk about fearing Allah is because people abuse Allah's mercy and think that they can continue their evil acts and it will be all fine and dandy.
So a Muslim must be balanced in their relationship.
If a Muslim loves and fears Allah then they would do things out of the Love they have for Allah and then would try to refrain from wronging Allah by doing wrong (and opposing the commandments of Allah.)
BUT why hope then?
" Imam Ahmad ibn ‘Aasim may Allah have mercy upon him was asked, “What is the sign of a person having real hope?” He may Allah have mercy upon him replied, “(It is) that a person is grateful whenever Allah bestows a favor upon him or enables him to do good, thereby hoping to attain more favors in this life, the perfect bounty of the Hereafter, and expecting forgiveness in the Hereafter.
Which one of the two types of hope is better: the hope of the obedient person who hopes for reward, or that of the repenting, disobedient one, who hopes for forgiveness? Scholars have differed on this matter, but the point to note is that both are praised types; one should have both and must not feel that one would suffice him, because the believer always fluctuates between the two conditions: virtues, for which he hopes for reward, and sin, for which he hopes for forgiveness.
The more one acquaints himself with the Names and Attributes of Allah The Almighty, the stronger his hope becomes, and had it not been for hope, then the heart would have not been able to practice servitude towards Allah The Almighty, and thus the limbs would not have acted in accordance with his conviction.
Hope is dependent on one's love for Allah The Almighty. Thus, the more one loves Allah The Almighty, the more he would hope for His reward and fear His wrath. The greater one's love for Allah The Almighty, the more he has hope and fear.
The saying of the Prophet sallalahu alaihi wa sallam
“A believer will be brought close to his Lord on the Day of Resurrection and (He will) envelop him in His Mercy, He will make him confess to his sins saying: `Do you remember (doing) this sin and that sin?' He will reply: ‘My Lord, I remember.’ Then He will say: ‘I covered it up for you in the worldly life, and I forgive you for it today.’ Then the record of his good deeds will be handed to him.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. "
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Let us note, however, that fear alone of Allah deprived of our love and/or hope for Allah is also not healthy. This is because if you fear Allah only you would keep believing that Allah would not forgive you. When Allah tells us that he is Ar-Rahman (The most Beneficient, Compassionate and Gracious)and Ar-Rahim (the Extremely Merciful)
“And who despairs of the Mercy of his Lord except for those astray?"
[Qur'an: al-Hijr: 56]
Scholars have said:
"Whosoever worships Allah by according Him reverent love only is a Sufi, and whosoever worships Him by according Him extreme awe only is, thus retaining the belief of the Kharijites'. Similarly, he is a Murji` whosoever worships Allah by only retaining hope in His mercy. As for he who combines love, fear and hope, he is certainly a true believer as depicted in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an,
"Those whom they invoke seek means of access to their Lord, [striving as to] which of them would be nearest, and they hope for His Mercy and fear His Punishment.”
[Qur'an: al-Israa`: 57]
other websites for more info:
Let us remember however, that the way we can only truly love Allah by knowing Allah. And how can we know Allah? We can Know Allah by the learning attributes of Allah and by remembering them,etc.
May Allah grant us knowledge of him so that we can know him and love, fear and hope that we will be among those who are in the highest ranks in Jannah as abstain from evil and do good with our knowledge.
Ameen
And to wrap things up - we should not love Allah just because of Love or just because of fear. Rather it should be a combination of both and hope.
So we should love Allah (because of his innumerable favours to us, etc), fear Allah (because his punishment is severe) and have hope of Allah (because Allah is the most merciful and doesn't wrong his creation in any way)
Hope that helped Insha'allah.