Love towards non believers

Question

There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah . We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone" except for the saying of Abraham to his father, "I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah . Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination. (Surah 60:4)

Here, can anyone please explain these phrase: "there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone"?

Answer 1

That phrase demonstrates the Islamic principle of "Al Wala Wal Bara" which is where the person who loves Allah (ﷻ) is loyal to what Allah (ﷻ) loves and disavows what Allah (ﷻ) hates.

Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) is speaking to his own people and through that portion of the phrase you quoted, he is basically saying that he has no love for non-believers. This is not for personal reasons, it is for the sole religious reason that they disbelieve, which is displeasing to Allah (ﷻ).

قل أطيعوا الله والرسول فإن تولوا فإن الله لا يحب الكافرين (Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers) - Qur'an 3:32.

So those who say that Islam says to love everyone is mistaken and need to study this verse. Islam says to treat others kindly, but it doesn't say you are to love everyone. People in general love those who they approve of (their actions, words and beliefs) and a Muslim in particular cannot approve of disbelief in any sense.

The "love everyone" concept is a very modern innovated concept to justify allowing people to sin/do evil. Even the Bible does not agree with that principle of loving everyone.

"I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked" (Psalm 26:5).