What is the ruling on a man loving a non-Muslim woman, and does the ruling differ if he intends to marry her?

The criterion for forbidden affection towards disbelievers is prioritizing their love over the love of Allah and His Messenger. Merely loving a disbelieving woman does not constitute alliance with them, nor is it ruled as forbidden or disliked in itself, because one may be overcome by such a feeling and unable to repel it. However, if the person engaged in a forbidden act that led to the development of such love, then he is sinful for that. Natural love for someone from among the disbelievers is not forbidden in itself, but it must be accompanied by detestation of them in matters of religion and disavowal of their disbelief. As for marrying a chaste woman from the People of the Book, there is no objection to it, though marrying a Muslim woman is preferred due to the concerns associated with marrying a woman from the People of the Book, especially in our current era.