The Hanbali scholar Ibn Rajab, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: "Loving the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, is divided into two levels:

The first level: Obligatory love: It is the love that requires accepting all what the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, came with from Allah, The Almighty, and receiving it with all love, acceptation, glorification, submissiveness and not seeking guidance from a way other than his way, then rightfully following what he, peace and blessings be upon him, transmitted from his Lord by believing in whatever he, peace and blessings be upon him, told and fulfilling whatever he, peace and blessings be upon him, enjoined and abstaining from whatever he, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade and supporting his religion and fighting whoever opposed him (according to the degree of ability). Such level of love is necessary and faith would not be complete without it.

The second level: Supererogatory love: It is the love that requires applying his model exactly and following his Sunnah, behaviors, manners, supererogatory acts, voluntary deeds, the way of his eating, the way of his drinking, the style of his clothes and the etiquettes of his dealing with his wives along with all his perfect etiquettes and pure manners."

Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalaani, may Allaah have mercy upon him, reported from some scholars saying: "Loving Allah, The Almighty, is of two kinds: Obligatory and supererogatory one. The obligatory love is what motivates one to observe His commandments, avoid His prohibitions, and to be content with His decree. To commit a sin such as doing a prohibited matter or neglecting something obligatory, then this is due to one's negligence in loving Allah, The Almighty, where one gave precedence to his desires. Negligence sometimes may be due to letting oneself go in consuming too much of lawful matters. This in turn leads one to negligence that requires excessiveness of thinking good of Allah, The Almighty, the thing that makes one commits sins or the negligence will go on and thus one falls down.

The same thing applies to the matter of loving the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. It is divided into two types as what was stated above and it can be added: One should not accept any command or prohibition except from the guidance of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and never follow a way except his, be content with all what he, peace and blessings be upon him, enjoined until find within oneself no discomfort from what he has judged. One should adopt his noble morals regarding generosity, unselfishness, forbearing, humility and the like."  

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