“By Allaah, if I fasted all day without eating, prayed all night without sleeping, spent all of my wealth in the Path of Allah, died the day I died, but had no love in my heart for those who obey Allaah and no hatred in my heart for those who disobey Allaah, none of this would benefit me in the least.” Abdullaah Ibn ‘Umar (radiallahu anhuma)

Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
“The declaration of ‘laa ilaaha illallaah’ requires not to love and hate, except for the sake of Allaah; neither should there be any walaa and baraa, except for the sake of Allaah; and that one should love and hate that which Allaah loves and hates.”

Linguistically the word walaa’ implies: love, help and drawing close. And baraa’ is its opposite. Another term that is frequently used for baraa’ is the term ‘adaa (enmity).

The technical meaning of walaa and baraa:

Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullaah, said:
“Wilaayah (closeness) is the opposite of ‘adaawah (enmity). The root of wilaayah is love and intimacy, and the root of ‘adaawah is enmity and being distant.”

Shaykh ‘Abdul-Lateef aalush-Shaykh, rahimahullaah, said:
“The root of walaa is love and the root of ‘adaa is enmity. From them both spring actions of the hearts and the limbs. Those [actions] that enter into the reality of walaa and baraa include: the giving of help, socialising, co-operation, jihaad, migrating, and their like.”

So walaa and baraa are necessary consequences of the kalimah – as is proven from the Book and the Sunnah. Some of the evidences from the Book of Allaah include:-

“Let not the Believers take the unbelievers as intimate friends and helpers (awliyaa) in preference to the Believers. Whoever does so will never be helped by Allaah in any way; unless you fear a danger from them. And Allaah warns you against punishment from Himself. And to Allaah is the final return.” [Soorah Aal-'Imraan 3:28].

“Say: If you do love Allaah, follow me. Allaah will love you; forgive you your sins. Allaah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Say: Obey Allaah and the Messenger, but if they turn away, then know that Allaah does not love the unbelievers.” [Soorah Aal-'Imraan 3:31-32].

“They desire that you reject faith and disbelieve; as they have rejected faith, and thus that you all become equal and like one another. So do not take intimate friends from amongst them, until they believe and migrate in the Path of Allaah.” [Soorah an-Nisaa 4:89].

“O you who Believe! Do not take the jews and the christians as friends and protectors; they are friends and protectors one to another. Whoever takes them as friends is one of them. Indeed, Allaah does not guide a wrong-doing people.” [Soorah al-Maa'idah 5:51].

“O you who Believe! Whoever turns back from his Religion; know that in his place Allaah will bring a people whom He loves and who love Him; humble towards the Believers, and stern against the unbelievers, fighting in the Path of Allaah and not fearing the blame of the blamers.” [Soorah al-Maa'idah 5:54].

The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said:

“Be sincere to every Muslim, and dissociate from the unbelievers.”

“The strongest hand-hold of faith is to love and hate for the sake of Allaah.”

“The strongest hand-hold of faith is to have allegience and closeness (walaa) and enmity and dissociation (‘adaa) for the sake of Allaah; and to love and hate for the sake of Allaah.”

Ibn ‘Abbaas radiallaahu ‘anhuma said:
“Whoever loves for Allaah’s sake and hates for Allaah’s sake; has walaa for Allaah’s sake and ‘adaa for Allaah’s sake will recieve, because of this, Allaah’s allegience and closeness (wilaayah). A person will not experience the taste of faith – even if he prays and fasts in abundance – until he is like this. Today the people in general base their friendships upon worldy affairs, but this will not benefit them at all [i.e. in the Hereafter].”

Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Hasan said about the above saying:
“It will not benefit them, rather it will actually harm them; just as Allaah, the Exalted, said:
“Friends on that day will be enemies one to another; except the pious.” [Soorah az-Zukhruf 25:67].

Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn ‘Abdullaah, rahimahullaah, also commented:
“His saying: ‘has walaa for Allaah’s sake’ explains the necessity of loving for the sake of Allaah, which means: expressing allegience. It also indicates that mere love alone is not sufficient. Rather, it is essential that along with this love, there should be allegience, which is a necessary consequence of this love. This entails assisting, honouring, respecting and being with those whom you love inwardly and outwardly. His saying: ‘and ‘adaa for Alaah’s sake’ explains the necessity of hating for the sake of Allaah, which means: displayig enmity by actions such as jihaad against the enemies of Allaah; dissociation from them; and being far from them, both inwardly and outwardly. It indicates to the fact that mere hatred in the heart does not suffice. Rather it is essential, that along with this, there should be a manifestation of its requirements; just as Allaah, the Most High, said:
“Indeed there is for you an excellent example in the Prophet Ibraaheem and those with him, when they said to their people: Indeed we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allaah; we have rejected you, and there has arisen between us and you enmity and hatred, until you believe and worship Allaah alone.” [Soorah al-Mumtahanah 60:4].”

Walaa’ and Baraa’ and the Creed of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jammah

Ibn Taymiyyah, rahimahullaah, said: “It is upon the Believer to have enmity for Allaah’s sake and allegience for Allaah’s sake. If the person is a Believer, then it is upon him to show allegience to him; even if he is wronged by him. This is because wrong-doing does not cut-off the allegience [which is required] by faith (al-mawaalaatul-eemaaniyya)
h). Allaah, the Most High, said:

“And if two parties from amongst the Believers fight each other, then make peace and reconciliation between them.” [Soorah al-Hujuraat 49:9]. So they are considered to be brothers, along with the fact of them fighting and transgressing against each other; and the order is given to make reconciliation between them. So the Believer should consider: That it is obligatory to show allegiance to a Believer, even if he wrongs you and over-steps the limits concerning you. Whereas it is obligatory to shoe enmity to the unbeliever, even if he gives you things and shows kindness to you. Indeed Allaah sent the Messengers, and revealed the Books so that the whole way of life would be for Allaah; so that His awliyaa would be loved, His enemies would be hated, and that honour and reward would be for His awliyaa, and dishonour and punishment would be for His enemies.

If a person combines in him both good and evil; obedience and disobedience; righteousness and wickedness; Sunnah and bid’ah; then he is deserving of allegiance and reward in proportion to what he has of good, and he is deserving of enmity and punishment in proportion to what he has of evil. So it may be that a person possess what warrants both honour and dishonour, and he possess some of this and some of that. This is just like a thief that is poor; whose hand is cut off for what he has stolen, but he is given what wll satisfy his needs from the storage of charity. So this is a fundamental principle that is agreed upon by Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah; but is opposed by the Khawaarij, the Mu’tazilah, and those that agree with them.”

The people are of three catagories with regards to walaa and baraa:-

[1]: Those whom we should sincerely love and have allegience for; showing no enmity towards them whatsoever: The people of this catagory are the true Believers; the Prophets, the truthful ones, the martyrs, and the righteous.

[2]: Those whom we should purely hate and have enmity for, without showing love and allegience to them: In this catagory fall the unbelievers, the mushriks, the hypocrites, the apostates and the athiests. And this is the case, even if such people are closely related:

“You will not find any people who believe in Allaah and the Last day loving those who resist Allaah and His Messenger; even though they were their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or their relatives.” [Soorah al-Mujaadalah 58:22].

“O you who believe! Do not take as intimate friends and protectors your fathers and your brothers, if they love unbelief over faith. And if any do so, then they are the wrong doers.” [Soorah at-Tawbah 9:23].

However, this does not negate being just to them, nor treating them kindly when possible, nor giving to them their rights, nor desiring guidance for them. Rather, these things are prescribed, either as obligations or recommendations.

[3]: Those who are to be loved and shown allegiance to from one angle, but are to be hated and shown enmity to from another angle: In this category fall the sinful and disobedient ones from amongst the Muslims. So we should love due to what they possess of faith (eemaan), and hate them for what they have of sins and disobedience to Allaah; providing such sins are not the greater type of unbelief (kufr) or shirk. Loving them requires sincerely advising them; as well as commanding them with good and forbidding them from evil.

Summing up the creed of Ahlus-Sunnah in this matter:

Shaykhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said:
“As for praise and censure, love and hate, allegiance and enmity – these are things for which Allaah sent down His proof; and His proof is His Book. So whosoever is a Believer (mu’min), then it is obligatory to show allegiance to him; whatever group he is from. But whosoever is an unbeliever (kaafir), then it is obligatory to show enmity to him; whatever group he is from … Whoever has in him both faith and wickedness; he is given allegiance in proportion to his faith, and shown enmity to in proportion to his wickedness. He is not expelled from [the fold] of faith in totality merely because of committing sins and acts of disobedience; as is the view of the Khawaarij and the Mu’tazilah.”

Taken from facebook, Jazakallaah khairan to the sister who gathered all this together and may Allaah (swt) raise her status in the next life and this one, ameen.

Source: http://theislamicstandard.wordpress.com/2011/04/18/al-wala-wal-bara-according-to-the-understanding-of-ahlus-sunnah/