IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
INTRODUCTION
Showing our love for prophet Muhammad SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam does not mean we celebrate his birthday once a year. The ones who love prophet Muhammad SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam the most must be the sahabi, but none of them ever celebrated his birthday. Dressing like him (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) like wearing a turban and a thobe also does NOT indocate your love to him.
“The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves,…” 33: 6
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
[Allaah] knew how compassionate His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was towards his ummah, and how sincere he was towards them, so He made him closer to them than their own selves, and decreed that his judgement among them should take precedence over their own preferences. (6/380).
Shaykh Ibn Sa’di (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Allaah tells the believers something by which they may understand the position and status of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, so that they might interact with him appropriately. So He said: “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves”, the closest that he could be to a person, and closer than his own self. So the Messenger is closer to him than his own self, because he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was so kind and sincere and compassionate towards them. He was the kindest and most merciful of mankind. The Messenger of Allaah did the greatest of favours to all of mankind. Not the slightest good came to them and not the slightest harm was warded off from them except through him. Hence if there is a conflict between what a person himself wants or what other people want, and what the Messenger wants, then what the Messenger wants must take precedence. What the Messenger says cannot be overridden by what any person says, no matter who he is. They should sacrifice their selves, their wealth and their children, and put love for him before their love for all others.
What the scholars have said may be summed up by noting that the wrath of Allaah and the Fire of Hell are the things that we fear the most, and we cannot be saved from them except at the hands of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). The pleasure of Allaah and the garden of Paradise are the things that we want the most, but we cannot attain them except at the hands of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) referred to the former when he said: “The likeness of me and you is that of a man who lit a fire and grasshoppers and moths started falling into it, and he tried to push them away. I am seizing your waistbands and trying to pull you away from the Fire but you are trying to get away from me.”
(Muslim, 2285, from the hadeeth of Jaabir; a similar hadeeth was narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3427 from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah).
What is meant by this hadeeth is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) likened the way in which the ignorant and disobedient rush to fall into the Fire of the Hereafter by means of their sins and whims and desires to the Fire, and their keenness to fall into that Fire, even though he is trying hard to prevent them from doing so to the way in which moths and other insects are fatally attracted to the fire. Both of them are keen to destroy themselves because of their ignorance of the consequences.
(Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi)
The latter was referred to by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he said: “All of my ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, who would refuse?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me has refused.”
Al-Bukhaari, 7280, from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah.
It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No one of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his son, his own self and all the people.”
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 15; Muslim, 44.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Hishaam said: We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was holding the hand of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab. ‘Umar said to him: “O Messenger of Allaah, you are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “No, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, not until I am dearer to you than your own self.” ‘Umar said to him: “Now, by Allaah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Now (you are a true believer), O ‘Umar.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6257.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason why it is obligatory to love the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and venerate him more than any other person is that we cannot attain the greatest good in this world or in the Hereafter except at the hands of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), by believing in him and following him. That is because no one can be saved from the punishment of Allaah, and the mercy of Allaah cannot reach him except by means of the Prophet, by believing in him, loving him, being loyal to him and following him. This is the means by which Allaah will save him from punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. This is the means by which he will attain what is good in this world and in the Hereafter. The greatest blessing is the blessing of faith, which can only be attained through him, and which is more beneficial than his own self and his wealth. He is the one by means of whom Allaah brings people forth from darkness into light, and there is no other way to Allaah. As for a person’s self and family, they will not avail him anything before Allaah… Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 27/246.
———————————-
And why should we love him?
For starters, our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) loved us and cared for us. Even though he went through so much hardship during his life, he always kept longing and praying for us, his Ummah.
Yes, he prayed for YOU!
In a number of narrations we learn that he spoke about us to his Companions:
“Surely, I wish to be with my brothers.” Whereupon his Companions said: Are we not your brothers? He answered: “You are my companions. After me, there will also come those who believe in me though they did not see me.” (Imam Ahmad)
Do you see how much love the Prophet (peace be upon him) had for us?
Loving The Prophet is to Obey Him and Follow His Example
Understand that your faith as a Muslim is not complete until you love the Prophet (peace be upon him). And to love him is to obey him and follow his example.
He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad ), has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad ) as a watcher over them. 4: 80
He embodied what it meant to be a Muslim.
In a hadith narrated by ‘Aishah about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) character, she said:
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed, he would stand for so long that his feet became swollen. ‘Aishah said: O Messenger of Allah, are you doing this when Allah has forgiven your past and future sins? He said, “O ‘Aisha, should I not be a thankful slave?”(Bukhair Muslim)
If you truly love someone, you will be thinking about them on a daily basis. You will follow them and try to be like them. If we truly love the Prophet (peace be upon him), we must think about him and remember him constantly. We must also accept and follow his Sunnah.
Everything he did was a lesson for us to follow and learn from. We should not overlook any command the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave us. He only commanded us to do that which would be beneficial to us.
31. Say (O Muhammad to mankind): “If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur’an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”
32. Say (O Muhammad ): “Obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad ).” But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.
3: 31-32
Malik ibn Anas reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “I have left among you two matters which will never lead you astray as long as you hold to them: the Book of Allah and the tradition (sunnah) of His Prophet.”
Source: al-Muwaṭṭa 1661
تَرَكْتُ فِيكُمْ أَمْرَيْنِ لَنْ تَضِلُّوا مَا تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَسُنَّةَ نَبِيِّهِ
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Ibn Abdul Barr
Also, implement the first 3 things that was revealed to him (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam)
Realise the Status that Allah has Given Him
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “I will be the leader of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, the first whose grave will be opened, the first to intercede and the first to be asked to intercede.” (Muslim, 2278)
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) was given a status that no man before him or after him will ever attain.
And We have sent you (O Muhammad ) not but as a mercy for the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). 21: 107
He was the final Messenger, he was given the final revelation and Allah praised him as ‘a mercy to mankind’.
He is a mercy to the world because mankind would know their Creator through the Prophet and the revelation that was given to him. We cannot give justice to the blessings and miracles given to him by Allah in this short blog post. That is why we encourage you to study the Seerah, the story of the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Learn about the Seerah
Appreciate what the Prophet (peace be upon him) has done to deliver the message of Islam to you and I. One of the best ways to show your appreciation is to learn about the Seerah
Learn about the many difficulties he faced to deliver the message. When he started to preach his message he faced persecution from everyone, even from his own tribe. That period of time was so bad that it was known as the period of oppression. Yet during this time he received support from his family and Companions, and there were two special people who supported him physically and financially. His uncle Abu Talib was one. Even though he was not a Muslim he supported Muhammad (peace be upon him), his nephew, from the ill-treatment of his tribe. The second person was the most beloved human to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his wife Khadijah.
Learn about the success the Muslims achieved during his years of Prophethood. There were many famous battles such as the battle of Badr and Uhud. There was the expansion of the Muslim Ummah throughout Arabia. The religion began to spread and thousands began to accept the message of Islam. These moments in our proud history among many others deserve to be studied.
Learn about his loss of family. In the year 619 CE, the Prophet (peace be upon him) suffered a great loss as his wife Khadijah passed away, and shortly after his uncle Abu Talib also passed away. This year was such a devastating time for the Prophet (peace be upon him) that it became known as the “Year of Sorrow”. This instance was one of many losses for the Prophet (peace be upon him) throughout his lifetime.
Learn about the evil plots his enemies devised against him. The security and assistance which Muhammad (peace be upon him) enjoyed for so long was no longer there after his uncle passed away. Once his enemies learned that he no longer had the protection that he once had, they increased their plots. They tried to assassinate him. Little did they know that Allah – the Most Powerful, Most Magnificent – was protecting him.
Learn as much as you can about the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him) from the day he was born until the day he died.
Send Your Salah upon the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Allah Almighty tells us in the Qur’an:
Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad ) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad ), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu ‘Alaikum).
During our daily prayers we must also send our salutation upon him. We say these words in the second part of the tashahud:
Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed. Allaahumma baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama baarakta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed
“O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.”
We should take it upon ourselves to send peace and salutations upon the Prophet (peace be upon him) as often as we can. Allah has commanded those that believe to make this prayer and remember the Prophet (peace be upon him). Doing so will give us ajr (reward), and it will also help us remember what kind of struggles and hardships he faced in order to bring the message of Islam to us.
Sending prayers should also give us hope, and assure us that in times of hardship we can always rely on Allah.
Conclusion
We can show our love of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through our actions. In this post we covered just a few ways.
The importance of the status that Allah has given him. He was given a position no other human being will ever occupy. Understand that your faith as a Muslim is not complete until you love the Prophet (peace be upon him) more than any other human being, including yourself. To love him is to obey him and follow his example.
Appreciate what the Prophet has done to deliver the message of Islam to you and I. We can further our appreciation by committing time to learn about the Seerah. Finally, make it a habit to send your prayers upon the Prophet (peace be upon him).
