Loving the Prophet (SAW)

Mohammad the son of AbdAllah ﷺ was the seal of the prophets, their leader and role model. He ﷺ was a guiding mercy for the worlds as Allah said:
AlAnbiya 107: And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.

He ﷺ is a mercy to the worlds. He ﷺ is a testimony for the wayfarers and for all of creation. He ﷺ conveyed the message, fulfilled the covenant, advised the people and strived in the way of Allah until he ﷺ departed this world.

There was no good except that he ﷺ guided to it. And no evil except that he ﷺ warned against it. So Allah through his ﷺ message opened blind eyes, closed hearts and deaf ears. Allah granted through him ﷺ insight to the ignorant, guidance to the blind, unity to the previously disunited, guidance to those who were lost and in darkness.

He ﷺ is a great blessing and a tremendous grace bestowed by Allah the Exalted upon his servants. The Prophet ﷺ took upon us a covenant in believing in him and loving him. And defending his sunnah. In the Hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) he stated: the messenger of Allah ﷺ said:.
None of you believes until I am dearer to him than his son, his father and all the people [Muslim]

So let us be like the criterion of this ummah – Omar bin al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) when he said to the prophet ﷺ:
Oh Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than anything else except myself. The Prophet ﷺ responded: No, by The One in Whose Hand is my soul (your Iman (faith) will not be complete), until I more beloved to you than your own self.” So Omar replied: Now by Allah you are more beloved to me than myself. The Prophet responded: “Now, Oh Omar (you have said what is required to complete the Iman)” [Bukhari]

So manifest his ﷺ fragrant biography and his pure, noble character. Beware of the imminent danger affecting the ummah in the attacks on their Prophet ﷺ.

Allah said in the Quran:
Al Ahzab (33) 57: Indeed, those who offend Allah and His Messenger – Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment.

The way of Allah has passed for the adversaries of the Prophet ﷺ and the adversaries of the prophets before him, who used to mock and ridicule them, that they received great torment in this life before the afterlife. And ponder this in the words of Allah:
Ar-Rad (13) 31-32: (31) And those who disbelieve will continue to be afflicted because of their misdeeds by calamity or it (the calamity) will settle close to their homes, until the Promise of Allah comes to pass. Certainly, Allah does not fail in His Promise. (32) And already were [other] messengers ridiculed before you, and I extended the time (granted respite) of those who disbelieved; then I seized them, and how [terrible] was My penalty.

So let us defend the religion and our Prophet ﷺ otherwise the Hadith related by Thawbaan will apply to us. Thawbaan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stated:
The people will soon summon one another to attack you as those eating summon one another to the platter. Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be foam like the foam of a torrent, and Allah will take fear of you from the chest of your enemy and place weariness into your hearts. Someone asked: What is weariness. Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied: Love of the world and dislike of death. [Sunan Abi Dawood 4297]

Shaikh Al Islam ibn Taymiyyah said: It is mandatory to love and praise the Prophet ﷺ more than anyone else because the greatest good in this world and the next is attained by believing in him and following him ﷺ.

That is one will not be saved from the punishment of Allah and attain the mercy of Allah except through the intercession of the Messenger ﷺwhich is earned through believing in him, loving him, supporting him and following him ﷺ.

`Urwa bin Az-Zubair asked `Abdullah bin `Amr bin Al Aas: what was the worst thing that the disbelievers did to Allah’s Messenger. He replied: “While Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was praying in the courtyard of the Ka`ba, `Uqba bin Abi Mu’ayt came and seized Allah’s Messenger ﷺ by the shoulder and twisted his garment round his neck and chocked him violently. Abu Bakr came and seized `Uqba’s shoulder and threw him away from the Messenger of Allah and said, “Would you kill a man because he says: ‘My Lord is Allah,’ and has come to you with clear Signs from your Lord?” [al-Bukhari 4815]

Also in al-Bukahri `Abdullah bin Mas`ud narrated that the Prophet ﷺ was offering prayers at the Ka`ba. Abu Jahl was sitting with some of his companions. One of them said to the others, “Who among you will bring the abdominal contents (intestines, etc.) of the camel slaughtered by so and so tribe and put it on the back of Muhammad, when he prostrates?” The most miserable of them got up and brought it. He waited till the Prophet ﷺ prostrated and then placed it on his back between his shoulders. I was watching but could not do anything. I wish I was able to prevent it. They started laughing and falling on one another. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was in prostration and he did not lift his head up till Fatima (his daughter) came and pushed it (camel’s abdominal contents) from his back. [al-Bukhari 240]

Oh Muslims: Many Muslims claim to love the Messenger ﷺ and only a few sincerely love him ﷺ. And this love has signs and indications. From among the signs of loving him ﷺ are:

First, supporting him ﷺ in his life and upholding his sunnah after his ﷺdeath. As far as supporting him ﷺ in his life, this is what Allah the Exalted singled out in his ﷺ companions. They did what Allah Almighty had enjoined upon them to support our Prophet ﷺ. This is one of the greatest proofs of their sincerity in loving the Prophet ﷺ . We Muslims today have a duty to support his religion and his Sunnah and what he brought of laws and rulings.

The Second, indication of loving him ﷺ is obeying his ﷺ commands. It does not make sense to claim loving him ﷺ and not having any share from his Sunnah, guidance and way. The true love is marked by following his ﷺ sunnah, approach, example and way.

The Third indication of loving him ﷺ is being diligent in propagating his ﷺ sunnah and inviting to it. Therefore, those who are sincere in their love of the Prophet ﷺ spend their lives in calling to his ﷺ Sunnah and informing people about it. And writing in defense of it. And responding to those who attack it.

The Fourth indication of loving him ﷺ is being dissatisfied with those who offend his ﷺ sunnah.

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