Issues and Questions

Love of Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him

By Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet - whom they find mentioned in the in the Torah and the Gospel with them - who commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that were upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him, it is they who will prosper. (Al-A’raf 7:157)
Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that you have gained; the commerce in which you fear a decline; or the dwellings in which you delight - are dearer to you than Allah, Or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause - then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious. (al-Tawbah 9:24)
Islam is the love of Allah and His Messenger. Love of Allah and His Prophet must be in the heart of every Muslim. No one can live a true Islamic life without deep and sincere love for Allah and His Prophet Muhammad – peace and blessings be upon him. Islam is not just beliefs and rituals; Islam is the relationship of love for Allah and His Prophet. This love is part of our faith. Faith is not complete without this love. It is also the sign of our faith. The more we have this love, the more our faith will shine and bloom and fill the earth with its perfume.
Why do we love Prophet Muhammad? Prophet Muhammad was a special person. He was the Last and Final Prophet of Allah. To love Prophet Muhammad is to love Allah and to love all God’s Prophets and Messengers. Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him - was the best human being who ever lived on this earth. All the qualities that make a person loveable were in him. He was perfect in his appearance and in his character. He was perfect in his words and deeds. Many people who saw him personally said that they never saw anyone like him, neither before him nor after him. His cousin and son-in-law Syidna ‘Ali said about him, “Whosoever saw him suddenly he was overwhelmed by him, and whosoever saw him with knowledge loved him.” Allah and His angels love him. He was the Mercy of Allah to the worlds (Rahmatullil-‘alamin). He was the best role model (uswatun hasanah) for all humanity. In order to receive the love of Allah, we have to follow his way. The way to practice Islam is to love him and the way to success and salvation in this world and in the Hereafter is in the way of Prophet Muhammad.
How to love Prophet Muhammad? This is the most important question for every one of us. Muslims in general love Prophet Muhammad and hold him very dear to their hearts. Our love for the Prophet should not be only emotional; it should be serious, thoughtful and it must lead to good and proper actions. His love must be sincere and deep in our hearts, we should express it by our tongues and it must reflect in our actions. The Prophet – peace be upon him - said:
None of you shall have (complete) faith unless I become dearer to him than his parents, his children and all people. (Al-Bukhari 14)
The love of the Prophet – peace be upon him - has a joy and happiness. We can fully enjoy it and benefit from it if we follow the right course. Let us keep the following five points in our mind:
1. We must learn his Sirah and Sunnah from authentic sources. The more we learn about his life, the more we shall love him. We must follow his way and his teachings. We must do whatever he told us to do and we must avoid everything that he told us not to do. His Sunnah is not just few rituals; it is his whole lifestyle. He was the most loving, kind and charitable person. He was very caring towards his family, his friends, his followers and even to his enemies. He was the Mercy of Allah to the world; we should also try to become most merciful and kind people. Allah says:
Say: “If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Say: “Obey Allah and His Messenger”: but if they turn back, Allah loves not those who reject Faith. (Al ‘Imran 3:31-32)
2. We should increase our Salat and Salam on him. His name should be mentioned with utmost respect and love. Allah says:
?Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe! Send blessings on him, and salute him with all respect. (Al-Ahzab 33:56)
3. We should love his family (Ahl al-Bayt), and all his Companions (Sahabah) from amongst the Muhajirin and Ansar. We should give them full respect and honor and appreciate their devotion, services and sacrifices and we should try to follow their good examples.
4. Loving him means also loving his Ummah. We should care for every member of the Ummah and work for unity and harmony among them. We should never hold ill feelings towards any person, especially towards other Muslims. The Prophet – peace be upon him - said:
Anas bin Malik said, “The Prophet – peace be upon him - said to me, ‘O my son, if you can have your morning and evening in such a way that you have no ill-feeling against any one then do so.’ Then he said, ‘O my son, this is my Sunnah and whosoever love my Sunnah he loves me and whosoever loves me, he will be with me in Jannah.’”
(Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith no. 2602)

5. Loving him also means loving the whole humanity and caring for all people. Prophet Muhammad was sent by Allah to bring mercy to the worlds. Loving him means removing injustice, hunger, poverty, diseases and inequality from this world. He was sent to remove sin and corruption from this world. Loving him means working to spread righteousness in this world. He was sent to save people from Hell unto the eternal success and salvation. Loving him means spreading his message of truth and guidance to all people. We should convey without trying to convert. We should try to remove misunderstandings from the minds of people about him. We should show to the world the loving and merciful way of Prophet Muhammad – peace and mercy of Allah be upon him.
(Khutbah at ISOC – Muharram 18, 1427/ February 17, 2006)
- DrSiddiqi@aol.com

Editor: Akhtar M. Faruqui
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