What is the authenticity of the hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a man who had embraced Islam: “I find myself reluctant.” He said: “Embrace Islam, even if you are reluctant”?

Question:
Some people cite a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to a man who had embraced Islam: “I find myself reluctant.” He said: “Embrace Islam, even if you are reluctant.” They use this to argue that love is not a condition of the word of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and that the Islam of one who dislikes Islam is valid. How should one respond to this doubt?

Answer:
Yes, this is not a doubt. In reality, a person may be reluctant at first, and then faith takes hold of his heart, and Islam becomes dearer to him than everything. This reluctance is only at the beginning. Then, when he tastes the flavor of faith and the sweetness of faith, this reluctance disappears from his heart.
For this reason, some of the Companions said: “Muhammad was the most hated of people to me, but he kept giving me and giving me and giving me, until he became the most beloved of people to me.” And some said: “If one of us embraced Islam, he did not want anything but the worldly life, but he would not reach the evening without Islam being dearer to him than everything in the world and what is in it.” Yes.