Some of our Christian brothers must not misinterpret the love of God. In genuine faith, love of God is experienced together with fear of God.

The basis of all righteousreligions is love. Some people who appear in
the name of God and strive to manipulate religion sometimes promote
terror, war, massacres and lovelessness in the name of religion. No
matter what religion they advocate, these people are definitely
ignorant and imposters because God does not desire any wrongdoing,
rather He desires love, brotherhood, and peace for His servants.
The purpose of this information here is the following: some Christians
introduce their religion as a religion of love while they consider
Judaism, and especially Islam, as areligion based on fear. However
this is a seriouserror. All three major religions, Islam, Judaism,and
Christianity preach love, friendship, and calls people to peace and
brotherhood, for these are what God demands from us. The essence, and
basis of religion is love.
Surely our Christian brothers are right in believing in the purity
oflove. However some of them interpret the concept of love in a
desperate and erroneous way. Some of our Christian brother depart from
the concept that fear and awe of Allah can be reconciled with the love
of Allah, thus they pay no heed tofear of Allah. This attitude is
indeed quite dangerous.
The actual meaning of fear of God
Before explaining the kinds of peril that could result from
misconceptions of this subject, it is of great importance to
understand the definition of what the fear of God is. The majority of
people misunderstand the meaning of the fear of God, and also claim
that fear brings about involuntary faith, which would render that
faith invalid. The fact is however that this is not true. The fear of
God is to submit to God with awe, with a fear that is derived from
respect. Meanwhile, one should avoid an attitude or thought with which
God will not be pleased solelydue to one's deep love of God.
The love of God and fear of God are a whole. A person who loves God
very much deeply fears an act that will offend God or one that will
cause being deprived of His good pleasure. This isactually the fear of
God that a person who loves God experiences. A person who really loves
God remains loyal to Himwith passion, affection, and love no matter
under which conditions he may be or how hard of trials he may undergo.
None of the conditions, occurrences, or hardship can overshadow it or
prevent it. Avoidance of any act that would displease God is a
consequence of profound love of God. Indeed the fear constantly
motivates a person who experiences the love of God. It gives him joy.
It is impossible for such a person to be careless in performing his
acts of worship, intentionally have any flaws in his servanthood or
recklessly engaging inunlawful ( haram ) deeds. Throughout his life, a
person of such sincere faith would do his best to please God.
The necessity of God's wrath upon unbelievers
Al-Muntaqim (the One Who takes revenge), oneof the beautiful names of
God is misinterpreted by some people or it is intentionally distorted.
The wrath of God is only upon mean people, hypocrites, those
committing forgery in the name of God and unbelievers. To believers,
on the other hand, God gives a sense of full security and ease. In one
verse of the Qur'an, God gives the news that there will be no fear for
those who believe, including Christians:
Those who have faith and those who are Jews and the Sabaeans and the
Christians, all who have faith in God and the Last Day and act rightly
will feel no fear and will know no sorrow. (Surat Al-Ma'ida, 69)
Because a person of genuine faith knows God and appreciates Himwith
due measure; he remains distant to God's wrath as long as he serves
God and strives toearn His good pleasure. God takes revenge only from
those who are cruel. This is the law of God. A human being fears God's
wrath only when he wrongs. However when he engages in good deeds and
strives to earn God's good pleasure, he trusts in God and his
conscience remains at ease.
The al-Muntaqim attribute of God is a great blessing for believers.
For instance, seeing that a person who oppresses a little girl and
then murders her is punished in the Hereafter and thus seeing the
manifestationof God's justice is a greatblessing for a believer. This
repayment a cruel person receives in the Hereafter is also a great
blessing for the child who is oppressed. That iswhy just as how
Paradise is a blessing forbelievers so is the Hell where cruel people
are punished. Both Paradise and Hell are the places where God's
infinite justice is manifested in the Hereafter. Those who strive to
oppress prophets, those who betray the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), murder
innocentchildren and human beings have been and will be repaid by our
Lord as a requisite of His beautiful name, al-Muntaqim . The
opportunity of repentance is surely available to each one of them in
this world. However repayment to those who are arrogant and do not
repent is a relief for those who are exposed to cruelty and those who
watch them. Consequently the al-Muntaqim name of God brings joy to a
person of faith who has a conscience.
Fear of God is essential in order to be a good servant of God and to
deserve Paradise
What is explained above are great facts that motivate a person of
faith. The outlook of a person who really loves God and thus severely
fears of having a flaw in his servanthood to God is totally different
from other people. Such a person does not commit unlawful deeds, does
not ignore his acts of worship and remain heedless to the voice of his
conscience. In brief he remains extraordinarily meticulous in
everythinghe strives to earn God's good pleasure. Such a person is
scrupulous, notegotistical and until the end of his life he remains a
self-sacrificingand compassionate person. Such a person never gives
harm to others and fears a lot from doing something for which he will
not be able to give an account to God. He lives every moment of his
life awarethat he will account for them to God and that God watches
him every second. Aware that the real life is not in this world but in
the Hereafter, he feels the joy and fervor of loving God. This
fervency in no way abates until the endof his life.
In the Gospel fear of Godis described with the following words and
thus Christians are calledto fear of God:
… live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear . (1 Peter, 1:17)
Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord , we try to
persuadeothers. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also
plain to your conscience. (2 Corinthians 5:11)
… your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and
for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere
your name , both great and small—and fordestroying those who destroy
the earth." (Revelation 11:18)
… let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and
awe. (Hebrews 12:28)
If a person is not in awe of being a good servant to God, and he
claims to have love of God but does very few things to earn God's good
pleasure, and despite all of these asserts that his love of God
suffices for deliverance in the Hereafter, then this is not the
sincerity God asks from a person. Sucha person apparently lacks the
most basic element –that is fear of God- that will encouragehim for
being a better servant to God. Without being in a spiritual state
between fear and hope, that is not giving a thought to whether his
deeds for God are sufficient or not, a person will believe that his
love of God is enough to deserve Paradise. This is the stateof some
Christians who reject the importance of having fear of God, and simply
believe and advocate that the love ofGod is sufficient. Consequently
these Christian brothers need to ponder once again over the meaning of
the fear of God in the form itis described above and abide by the call
of the Gospel, that is, " [to] worship God acceptably with reverence
and awe." (Hebrews, 12:28)

Allah is everywhere, unfettered by time and space

... Allah, there is no god but Him, the Living, the Self-Sustaining.
He is notsubject to drowsiness or sleep. Everything in the heavens and
Earth belongs to Him . Who canintercede with Him except with His
permission? He knows what is before them andwhat is behind them, but
they cannot grasp any of His knowledge, except for what He wills. His
Footstool encompasses the heavens and Earth , and their preservation
does not tire Him. He is the Most High, the Magnificent. (Surat al-
Baqara, 255 )
Or (their likeness is) that of a storm-cloud in the sky, full of
darkness, thunder and lightning. They put their fingers in their ears
against the thunderclaps, fearful of death. Allah encompasses the
unbelievers . (Surat al- Baqara, 19 )
Do they not know that Allah knows what they keep secret and what they
make public? ( Suratal-Baqara, 77 )
If My servants ask you about Me, I am near . I answer the call of the
caller when he calls on Me. ( Surat al-Baqara, 186 )
Everything in the heavens and everything in the earth belongs to Allah
. Whether you divulge what is in yourselves or keep it hidden, Allah
will still callyou to account for it. He forgives whoever He wills and
He punishes whoever He wills… (Suratal-Baqara, 284)
Allah – Him from Whom nothing is hidden, eitheron earth or in heaven .
(Surah Al 'Imran, 5 )
… But if you are steadfast and guard against evil, their scheming will
not harm you in any way. Allah encompasses what they do . ( Surah Al
'Imran, 120 )
They try to conceal themselves from people, but they cannot conceal
themselves from Allah. He is with them when they spend the night
saying things which are not pleasing to Him. Allah encompasses
everything they do. (Surat an- Nisa', 108 )
What is in the heavens and in the earth belongsto Allah. Allah
encompasses all things. (Surat an- Nisa', 126 )
What is in the heavens and in the earth belongsto Allah. Allah
suffices as a Guardian. (Surat an- Nisa', 132 )
… Allah knows what the heart contains. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 7 )
He is Allah in the heavens and in the earth. He knows what you keep
secret and what you make public and He knows what you earn. (Surat
al-An'am, 3 )
The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them but
Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls without
His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth, and
nothing moist or drywhich is not in a Clear Book. (Surat al-An'am, 59
)
Eyesight cannot perceiveHim but He perceives eyesight. He is the
All-Penetrating, the All-Aware. ( Surat al-An'am , 103 )
Do they not know that Allah knows their secretsand their private talk
, and that Allah is the Knower of all unseen things? ( Surat at-Tawba,
78 )
You do not engage in any matter or recite any of the Qur'an or do any
action without Our witnessing you while you are occupied with it. Not
even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on earth or in
heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is
not in a Clear Book . (Surah Yunus, 61 )
… No, indeed! When theywrap their garments round themselves, He knows
what they keep secret and what they make public. He knows what their
hearts contain. ( Surah Hud, 5 )
He said, "My people! Do you esteem my clan more than you do Allah? You
have made Him into something to cast disdainfully behind your backs!
But my Lord encompasses everything that you do!" (Surah Hud,92 )
[He is] the Knower of theUnseen and the Visible, the Most Great, the
High-Exalted. (Surat ar-Ra'd , 9 )
It makes no difference whether you keep secretwhat you say or voice it
out loud, whether you hide in the night or go out in the day. ( Surat
ar-Ra'd, 10 )
[Abraham said,] "Our Lord! You know what wekeep hidden and what we
divulge. Nothing is hidden from Allah either on the earth or in
heaven." (Surah I brahim, 38 )
When We said to you, " Surely your Lord encompasses the people with
His knowledge ." We only appointed the vision We showed you and the
Accursed Tree in the Qur'an as a trial and temptation for the people…
(Surat al-Isra' , 60 )

Why should one love Allah (SWT)? (Love in Islam)

According to Islam, one (1) reason for loving God, as said before lies
in the fact that God is the most precious, absolute perfection and
eternal beauty, that a man can ever conceive and therefore, man out of
his nature that aspires to values, beauty and perfection loves God.
The second (2) reason forloving God, men by nature love whoever does
good to them, and they appreciate such favour and benevolence, as Imam
Ali (as), said:"Generosity and magnanimity enslave men."
Now, as God is the sourceof all being, of all generosity and
benevolence, man, by virtue of his nature, lovesGod. Prophet
Muhammad(saw), said: "Love Allah (SWT) because He has done good to you
and Hehas bestowed favours upon you."
A believer who has started his spiritual journey towards God
firstcomes to recognize God'sblessings upon him in providing him with
lots of supports and helps that enabled him to act. Having continued
his journey and been equipped with a mystical view of the world, he
willrealize that every good thing, indeed, comes from God himself. We
read in the Noble Qur'an:"Whatever benefit comesto you (O man!), it is
fromGod, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself"
(Surah An-Nisa, 4:79)
Aside from the fact that one who loves God is loved by Him (5:54), a
real love for God promptsone to perform the best of deeds. Reason and
nature dictate that if someone really loves God, he would act in a
manner that is pleasing to God. In this regard, theNoble Qur'an says:
Say: "If you love Allah, then follow me, and Allahwill love you and
forgive you your sins," and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Surah
Al-E-Imran, 3:31)
This ayah indicates the interrelation between love, as an inner state,
and emulating Prophet Muhammad (saw), which is an outward action.
Moreover, it implies that no one may neglect his religious obligations
under the pretext of love for God. Love for Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Love is the Sole Purpose of our Creation (Love in Islam)

There is a famous divinesaying (HadithQudsi) which can probably be
found in all books written about the goal ofcreation in Islam.
According to this Hadith Qudsi, Allah (SWT) says: "I was a hidden
treasure; I loved to be known. Hence I created the worldso that I
would be known."
Allah (SWT) has created the world out of love. Thus, a question
arises: why did Allah (SWT) love to be known? Certainly, Allah (SWT)
has no desire for fame. The purpose behind His love to be known is
understandableby considering the fact that Allah (SWT) who is the
Wise, the Compassionate and the Merciful creates the universe and
particularly human beings to give them the maximum graceand perfection
that they have the capacity for receiving. Of course, the perfection
of any kind of being is decided by the degree of its similarity or
closeness to Allah (SWT), and the most important factors in this are
love of Allah (SWT), and prior to that knowledge of Allah (SWT), since
there can be no love without knowingthe beloved.
It is narrated in another Hadith Qudsi that when God loves someone, He
becomes his ears, his eyes, his tongue, and his hands: "When I love
him, then I shall be his ears with which he listens, his eyes with
which he sees, his tongue with which hespeaks, and his hands with
which he holds; if he calls Me, I shall answerhim, and if he asks Me,
I shall give him."
Similarly the way man has physical needs in life which he strives and
struggles to fulfill, the soul too has needs that must be satisfied.
These spiritual needs and urgeshave been placed by the hands of the
creator in the depths of the creation's soul. Man has anatural
inclination to find love and love in any form towards any object has
no valid reality except when it is for the sake of Allah (SWT). All
love directly or indirectly in some way, shape, or form is a man's
hope to be in reach of the ultimate perfection, which can be nobody
butAllah (SWT) - the Almighty.
God's love for the world in general and human beings in particular is
unanimously believed and emphasized by all Muslims. Indeed, one of the
God's names is al-Wadud, He who loves. Some non Muslims allege that
God in Islam is very strict and cruel God who demands to be obeyed
fully. He is not loving and kind. Nothing can be farther from truth
than this allegation. It is enough to know that, with the exception of
one, each of the 114 chapters of the Noble Qur'an begins with the
verse: "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate."
In one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) we are told that,"God
is more loving and kinder than a mother to her dear child."
A young man came before Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with a carpet and
said, "O prophet of Allah! I passedthrough a jungle and heard the
voices of young birds; and I took and put them into my carpet; and
their mother came fluttering around my head, and I uncovered the
young, and the mother fell downupon them, then I wrapped them up in my
carpet; and there are the young which I have."
Then Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said,"Put them down." And when he did so,
their mother joined them: and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, "Do you
wonder at the affection of the mother towards her young? I swear by
Him who hath sent me, verily God is more loving to His creatures than
the mother to these young birds. Return them to the place from which
you took them, and let their mother be with them.