IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL
HOW TO BE WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SALLALLAAHU ‘ALAYHI WA SALLAM) IN JANNAH
We thank Allah for bringing to us the very best prophet.
Imam al Jawzi – Loving Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) is Hoob Fitri – a natural inclination.
But loving Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) is Hoob Ikhtiari – Love that must be gained, acquired and practised. We have to read about him, follow him, etc in order to love him (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam).
There are certain types of love we must have for him.
The companions live in like a Jannah on the earth – where prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) was around. He was around to lead the salah, he was the one who give talks and lectures. Everyone craves his company.
From the moment prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) came home and until he went out of the house, people are waiting outside his house. During Qiyam, they lined up outside the house to pray behind him. His privacy has been intruded so much, that Allah revealed in surah Hujurat.
Ibn Mas’id and Ibn Abbas waiting for him in the morning to spend the day with him. And he (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) treated everyone as if they are his best friend. He has a way of making you feel special as if you are the best friend. Amr bin Asl (RA) only embraced Islam before conquest of makkah, but he felt as if he was so special. “Man ahabbunnasi ilayk” – Who is the most beloved person to him? Amr was so sure it was him. He (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said Aisha. Amr said – no, among the men. He (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam ) answered – “her father”.
Abu Musa al Ashr hadith – prophet was missing – and he (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) was in a garden dangling his leg in a well. He asked Abu Musa to guard the gate. Then the companions came in perfect order – naturally – Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman. Their hearts always find our prophet (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam).
So, imagine after all the love the companions showed, the prophet (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) passed away. How painful it was. When they were around with him, everything went well…they always think of akhirah – everything was about Allah. But when they went home, they were not in the same level of iman. They complained to prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) and he answered – if they are always in the same level of iman, the angels will salute them and greet them in the street – as if in jannah.
We missed this opportunity. But prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) knew this and he felt bad for us.
Bedouin man asked Allah to take away his eyesight after the prophet died.
Bilal couldn’t say wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan rasulullah – and stopped giving adhan and he couldn’t live in Madinah.
Abu Bakar and Umar visited Umm Aiman – “my mother after my mother”. The woman who delivered prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) and spent all her life with the prophet. They saw her crying. Umm Aiman said she is not crying because she missed him, but because the revelations ceased to be revealed. The primary reason for loving rasulullah SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam is that the message of Islam is being passed.
The good characters of prophet Muhammad SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam
The key factor that brings reverence and respect to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in both the Islamic and the non-Islamic circles is His character. He was the best in character and He also said about in one of His hadiths in the following way:
“God has sent me to perfect good manners and to do good deeds.” (Bukhari)
The lines below discuss some major character traits of Prophet (PBUH) that every Muslim should spread as much as possible.
1. All For The Sake Of Allah:
Prophet (PBUH) as selfless as a person could be in life. All his undertakings and motives were just to fulfill the order of Allah and He did not undertake any action out of His personal desire and will. He lived everyday of His life for the sake of Allah and everything which He did was for the Almighty. The extent of His selflessness can be seen from the example of His preaching in the valley of Taif, where people lead naughty children to throw stones at Him while He was preaching. He had to run for His life and He was all covered in blood. But still He did not complain to Allah about Him, rather one of His companions narrates:
“The Prophet (PBUH) resembled a Prophet who was harmed by His people. He wiped the blood from His face and said: ‘O God! Forgive my people, for they know not!” (Bukhari)
Such is the selflessness in His character and every moment of His life was for the sake of Allah and spreading His message.
2. Mannerism:
Prophet (PBUH) was the epitome of good manners. Every action that He undertook in life represented the highest morals and manners that a person could exhibit. He was an Ideal being in terms of manners and ethics, the likes of which the world has not seen. As one of His companions notes about His manners:
“The Prophet (PBUH) did not swear at anyone, nor was He rude, nor did He curse anyone. If He desired to reprimand someone, He would say: ‘What is wrong with him, may dust be cast in his face!” (Bukhari)
Thus if a Muslim is to give an example of the manners of someone, there would be none more suitable than Muhammad (PBUH).
3. Humor:
People think that being a religious leader of Islam, Prophet (PBUH) had nothing to do with humor, rather He was all strictness and stringency. This perception is wrong, as Prophet (PBUH) was the one with the finest sense of humor, the likes of which again cannot be seen in anyone. His sense of humor was not vulgar in any sense or anything that would debase or make fun of someone, rather it was fine. Anas (RA) reports such an example by saying:
“Once a man asked Muhammad (PBUH) for an animal to ride. He replied that He would give him the baby of a she-camel to ride on. The man asked ‘What would he do with a she-camel baby?’ Muhammad (PBUH) replied, ‘Is there any camel which is not born of a she-camel?’”
4. Peace Lover:
The general notion regarding Islam and Prophet (PBUH) is that they both encouraged violence in people and were and are not in favor of peace. It is totally baseless, because the religion Islam itself is peace and Prophet (PBUH) was a lover of peace. He wanted people to live in harmony and always encouraged people resolve their differences by opting for peace, instead of going for violence. In one of His hadith Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Let us go to resolve the situation and make peace between them.” (Bukhari)
Thus, Muslims should spread His message of peace by giving examples out of the actions He undertook to ensure peace.
5. Kind To The Kids:
Prophet (PBUH) always treated kids with kindness and mercy. He always enjoyed their company and played with them to make them happy. One such example can be seen from His life when He used to say to kids:
“I’ll give such and such (i.e. gift or so) to the one who comes to me first.”
So they used to race and fall on His back and chest. (Ahmad)
This shows His treatment towards kids and there are countless other examples in His lifetime where He commanded parents to be loving and caring towards their children.
6. Generosity:
Generosity is another hallmark of the personality of Muhammad (PBUH). He was the most generous person there could ever be. He preferred others over Himself and always fulfilled the needs of anyone who came to Him to ask for something. One of His companions notes:
“The Prophet (PBUH) did not refuse to give anything which He had to someone if he asked for it.” (Bukhari)
His generosity is something that Muslims should aspire to and spread the examples of His generosity to other people as well so that the world could become a better place.
7. Caring Of Women:
Another allegation against Islam is that it is a religion that oppresses women, therefore, being the bringer of the religion, Muhammad (PBUH) is also attributed with women oppressing attributes. This perception is also wrong, because Prophet (PBUH) was very caring of the rights of the women and commended His followers to give special treatment to women by giving them respect and equal rights that they ought to have. In one of His hadiths He said:
“Whoever (brings up) two girls till they come of age, will be in the next world along with me, like my two fingers joining each other.” (Abu Dawud)
If He were an oppressor of women, He could have simply mentioned male orphan children, however, He gave preference to raising up of female children. This shows the care He had for women and their rights.
8. Pleasantness:
Another misconception is that Prophet (PBUH) would be someone who would always be harsh and strict on the people He interacted with. It is also a wrong perception because Prophet (PBUH) was the most pleasant person. He would greet everyone with a smile and always spoke to people with gentleness. His companion said about Him:
“I have never seen a man who smiled as much as the Messenger of Allah.” (Tirmidhi)
This shows that the personality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was pleasant and gentle. A person who would smile most of the times ought to leave a good impression on people, and wherever He would go He ought to have spread love and pleasantness.
9. Concerned About Orphans:
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not just love who were around Him, nor did He only loved those who were related to Him, rather He considered the entire society. In society, He was especially considerate of orphans and would commend His followers to take special care of the orphans as they did not have parents to look after them. In one of His hadiths, He said:
“The best house among the Muslims is one where an orphan is well treated, and the worst house among the Muslims is one where an orphan is badly treated.” (Ibn Majah)
Muslims must take a leaf out of His treatment of orphans and treat the orphans fairly and wherever one sees the orphans being oppressed, a Muslim should raise voice for it and stop it from happening.
10. Cooperation:
Prophet (PBUH) is the best and the highest among people, however, whilst all the greatness and grandeur, He was cooperative towards people and helped others in doing the chores in any way He could help them. He never treated Himself as someone special, rather He would mix with common people and cooperate with them in any way He could. As one of His companion narrates regarding the battle of Trench:
“I saw the Messenger of Allah on the Day of the Trench carrying dirt (that was dug from the trench) until His chest was covered with dirt.” (Bukhari)
Thus, a Muslim must also not value status or rank, rather be helping towards people and give his or her fair share in the efforts that all of the people are putting.
11. Animal Rights Activist:
Perhaps Muhammad (PBUH) was the first animal rights activist on the face of this earth who raised voice for the fair treatment of animal. He told people that animals were also creation of Allah and they deserved to be treated fairly, instead of being harsh, strict and ignorant towards them. Hazrat Aisha (RA) narrated:
“I once found difficulty in riding a horse, so I kept reining it in repeatedly. The Prophet (PBUH) then said, ‘You must have gentleness.’” (Muslim)
Ergo, Muslims should learn from His treatment of animals and should try being as gentle and as considerate towards animals as possible and treat them fairly.
12. Disassociation From Worldly Possessions:
A person who is so selfless that He would give anything that He had to anyone who asked for it and would do everything for the sake of Allah, it is quite natural that person has little or no concern with the worldly possessions. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not want anything of this world, rather whatever He had He spent it on other people and helped them solve their material problems and issues. Regarding this attribute of His personality, one of His companions notes:
“The Messenger of Allah did not leave any gold or silver currency, or a slave, male or female, after his death. He only left behind his white mule, his weapons and a piece of land which He declared as charity.” (Bukhari)
Prophet (PBUH) was the Prophet of Allah, the leader of Islam however, when He passed away all He left was nothing as mentioned in the above hadith. Therefore, one can realize the disconcert He had for the worldly possessions and material things.
13. Modesty:
Another striking personality attribute of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is His modesty. He was the modest of all and never encouraged any kind of vulgarity, rather He was bashful and strongly encouraged modesty in His followers. In one of His hadiths, He said:
“Modesty is a part of teachings of the previous Prophets and anyone who lacks it is most likely to do whatever he likes.” (Reported by Abdullah ibn Maslamah)
Thus, modesty is imperative to Islam and Prophet (PBUH) being a living and breathing Islam ascertains that He was modest in every respect.
14. Considerate:
Whether it be animals, women, children, orphans, enemies, fellow Muslims, followers, elders, or it be anyone in the society, for everyone of them Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was considerate. He would love children and orphans, He would treat animals fairly, He would give women their rights, He would respect the elders, He would provide what people asked of Him, thus He was considerate to everyone without any discrimination. Prophet (PBUH) said in a hadith:
“I stand up for prayer intending to prolong it. In the meantime I hear the wailing of a baby and I have to shorten my prayer, being apprehensive lest my recitation of a long verse may tell upon the baby’s mother.” (Bukhari)
15. General Appearance:
In His general appearance , Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as beautiful, pure, simple, gentle and yet so common as any other person could be. His general appearance is detailed by one of His companions in the following way:
“The Prophet (PBUH) was a person of average height. His shoulder were wide. His hair reached his earlobes. Once I saw Him adorned in a red garment; I never saw anything more beautiful than Him.” (Bukhari)
In a nutshell, no matter whichever walk of life it is, whatever situation of life it is, a Muslim is to turn towards the personality of Muhammad (PBUH) and find that particular piece of guidance from it. Muslims must spread the life of Prophet (PBUH) because it is not only good for Muslims, rather the goodwill that comes from it has a universal appeal and will help make the world a better place.
HOW PROPHET MUHAMMAD SALLALLAHU ‘ALAYHI WA SALLAM CARED ABOUT THOSE WHO HAVE NOT MET HIM YET (US)
“Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) is anxious over you; for the believers (he صلى الله عليه وسلم is) full of pity, kind, and merciful”
[al-Tawbah 9:128]
He loved his ummah a great deal, and was very concerned about their salvation on the Day of Resurrection, hoping that Allaah would honour them with His Paradise. He would weep because of the depth of his fear for them and his compassion towards them.
It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the verse about Ibraaheem (peace be upon him), “O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he verily, is of me” [Ibraaheem 14:36], and the verse in which ‘Eesa said, “If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise” [al-Maa’idah 5:118]. Then he raised his hands and said: “O Allaah, my ummah, my ummah.” Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, said: “O Jibreel, go to Muhammad, although your Lord knows best, and ask him why he is weeping.” So Jibreel (peace be upon him) went to him and asked him, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told him what he said, although He knows best. Allaah said: “O Jibreel, go to Muhammad and say: “I will make you pleased concerning your ummah and not displeased.”
Narrated by Muslim (202).
This hadeeth includes a number of things that we learn from it, such as: the Prophet’s complete compassion towards his ummah; his concern about their interests and his care for them; the great glad tidings for this ummah – may Allaah increase it in honour – of what Allaah has promised it, as He said: “I will make you pleased concerning your ummah and not displeased.” This hadeeth represents one of the greatest hopes for this ummah. End quote.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed for all of his ummah, and he sought the help of Allaah, praying that He would make it a nation that would be honoured and shown mercy, until Allaah answered his prayer and said that half of the people of Paradise, or more, would be from his ummah, and they would be blessed with his intercession on the Day of Resurrection.
Secondly:
One sign of his compassion and love towards his ummah was that he prayed for more blessing and goodness especially for those who believed in him and followed him without seeing him.
It was narrated from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Glad tidings to the one who believed in me and saw me, and sevenfold glad tidings to the one who believed in me but did not see me.”
Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad (3/155). The scholars said: it is hasan li ghayrihi (hasan because of corroborating evidence). It was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah (1241), A similar hadeeth was narrated from a number of the Sahaabah.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Muslim (2/176):
With regard to the meaning of glad tidings (tooba): the mufassireen differed concerning the meaning of the words of Allaah “Tooba (all kinds of happiness or name of a tree in Paradise) is for them and a beautiful place of (final) return” [al-Ra’d 13:29].
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that what it means is joy and delight. ‘Ikrimah said: Joy that will be theirs. Al-Dahhaak said: Bliss that will be theirs. Qataadah said: Goodness that will be theirs. It was also narrated from Qataadah that it means that they will attain goodness. Ibraaheem said: Goodness and honour that will be theirs. Ibn ‘Ajlaan said: Eternal goodness. And it was said: Paradise, or a tree in Paradise. All of these meanings may be applied to the hadeeth. And Allaah knows best. End quote.
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave glad tidings to the believers who came after him and did not see him, that they would see him at the Cistern (al-hawd):
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out to the graveyard and said:
“Peace be upon the abode of believing people, and if Allaah wills we will join you soon. Would that I could see our brothers.” They said: Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “You are my companions. Our brothers are those who have not come yet. I will reach the Cistern before them.” They said: O Messenger of Allaah, how will you recognize those of your ummah who came after you? He said: “Do you not see that if a man has a horse that has a white blaze and white feet among horses that are all black, will he not recognize his horse?” They said: Of course. He said: “They will come to me with bright faces and limbs (like the white markings of a horse) because of the traces of wudoo’, and I will reach the Cistern before them.”
Narrated by Muslim (249), al-Nasaa’i (150), and this is his version. See also al-Silsilah al-Saheehah(2888).
Whoever wants to attain this virtue must adhere to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and adhere to his Sunnah, so that he may win his companionship in Paradise.
HOW TO BE CLOSE TO PROPHET MUHAMMAD SALLALLAHU ‘ALAYHI WA SALLAM IN JANNAH
In many ahadith, the Prophet ﷺ mentions ways that we can be near to him by doing certain deeds. How can we achieve nearness to him ﷺ?
1. Sending salawaat on him ﷺ.
Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The people who will be nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who supplicate Allah more often for me.” (Tirmidhi)
“Nearest to me’” signifies “those who are most entitled to my intercession,” according to Imam Nawawi. Thus, this hadith has also an inducement for very frequent recitation of salat on the Prophet ﷺ.
The best day to send salawat is on Friday. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Among the best of your days is Friday; so supplicate Allah more often for me in it, for your supplications will be displayed to me.” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah! How will our blessings be displayed to you when your decayed body will have mixed with the earth?” He ﷺ replied, “Allah has prohibited the earth from consuming the bodies of the Prophets.” (Abu Dawood)
How do you send salawat? The Prophet ﷺ taught us this also: “Say: `Allahumma salli `ala Muhammadin, wa `ala `ali Muhammadin, kama sallaita `ala `ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum Majid. Allahumma barik `ala Muhammadin, wa `ala `ali Muhammadin, kama barakta `ala `ali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidun Majid. O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you exalted the family of Ibrahim. You are Praised and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are Praised and Glorious.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
2. Helping the orphans
Sahl bin Sa`d (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I will be like this in Jannah with the person who takes care of an orphan.” Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his forefinger and middle finger by way of illustration. (Bukhari)
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “He who takes care of an orphan, whether he is his relative or a stranger, will be in Jannah with me like these two.” The narrator, Malik bin Anas raised his forefinger and middle finger for illustration. (Muslim)
3. Supporting two girls until maturity
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever supports two girls till they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ joined his fingers illustrating this. (Muslim)
4. Increasing your prostrations
Rabi`ah bin Ka`b Al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him, a servant of the Messenger of Allah and also one of the people of As-Suffah) said: I used to spend my night in the company of Messenger of Allah ﷺ and used to put up water for his ablutions. One day he said to me, “Ask something of me.” I said: “I request for your companionship in Jannah.” He inquired, “Is there anything else?” I said, “That is all.” He said, “Then help me in your request by multiplying your prostrations.” (Muslim)
According to Imam Nawawi,this Hadith evidently shows the importance of good actions and faithful following of the Prophet’s ﷺ practices. In the absence of these two things, even those people who used to be with the Prophet ﷺ all the time will not be close to the Prophet ﷺ in Jannah. It is not difficult to visualize the fate of those who neither perform good deeds nor follow in the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ.
5. Following his ﷺ sunnah
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went to the cemetery and said, “May you be secured from punishment, O dwellers of abode of the believers! We, if Allah wills, will follow you. I wish we see my brothers.” The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! Are not we your brothers?” He ﷺ said, “You are my Companions, but my brothers are those who have not come into the world yet.” They said; “O Messenger of Allah! How will you recognize those of your Ummah who are not born yet?” He ﷺ said, “Say, if a man has white-footed horses with white foreheads among horses which are pure black, will he not recognize his own horses?” They said; “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah!” He ﷺ said, “They (my followers) will come with bright faces and white limbs because of Wudu’; and I will arrive at the Haud (the Fountain of Al-Kauthar) ahead of them.” (Muslim)
6. Having good character
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Those who are most beloved to me, and the closest to me in the Hereafter, are those who have the best akhlaq (character) amongst you.” These are the people that will have the “closest seats to me.” (Hasan by Albani)
7. Loving him ﷺ
If there is one narration that gives us hope, it should be this one:
‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated: A man came to Allah’s Apostle and said, “O Allah’s Apostle! What do you say about a man who loves some people but cannot catch up with their good deeds?” Allah’s Apostle said, “Everyone will be with those whom he loves.” (Bukhari)
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) mentions in relation to this hadith: “There was nothing which made us (the Sahabah) happier in this world than to hear this (because of their love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ).” (Muslim)
