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God's love attaches to deeds, not to persons

محبة الله للعمل لا للذات

Sha'rawi reads the verse that God loves the God-conscious people who keep their covenant as tying love to the deed and the attribute, not to the person. No one may assume that divine love is fixed to him by his person. He draws on the story of Noah's son to say that persons do not descend from lineage and that worth lies in righteous deeds 12.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

CreedEthics and character

Summary

Sha'rawi considers the verse that makes God's love go to whoever keeps his covenant and is conscious of God (Al Imran 76). He holds that the love attaches to the deed, not to the person 1.

Love for the attribute, not the person

Sha'rawi says that someone who reads the verse as meaning God loves the worshipper's person might think the love is fixed to him and stop working. In his reading, the love is for the presence of the attribute, so a person should strive to keep the attribute, to remain loved by God 12.

Lineage and deeds

Sha'rawi says persons are not multiplied from one origin by descent in God's sight. Lineage has no worth, and worth lies in righteous deeds. He cites the story of Noah and his son: when Noah asked for his son to be saved, he was told the son was not of his family because his deeds were not righteous 12.

Note on this entry

This is Sha'rawi's reading alone, taken from a scanned copy whose edition is not yet verified, and it is presented under his name. No account from the theologians or the hadith scholars on divine love for the servant has been added yet (needs_source). See also Inheritance of prophethood by deeds, Trust and Noah.

People and things also explored

Reason and heart· God's sovereignty and human ownership (al-mulk wal-tamalluk)· Major sins (kaba'ir)· La ilaha illa Allah· Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)· Ada' al-shahada (performing testimony: the duty on request, the excused witness, and the wording)· Manners of the Qur'an bearer· Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)

Sources

  1. Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1550
  2. Sha'rawi's Khawatir around the Holy Quran, volume one (scan copy) , p.1551
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “God's love attaches to deeds, not to persons”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/love-of-deeds/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Reason and heart

Wajdi holds that a person must balance reason and heart together. Reason discerns truth from falsehood, while the heart gives the sensitivity that restrains a person from wrongdoing even when he knows its harm. He argues that scientific progress alone did not prevent wars, and that Islam educates both reason and heart and calls to reflection on the world and the self. This is the author's analysis, not the museum's verdict.