Chapter 6. The Necessity To Love The Prophet

Section 1:The necessity to love the Prophet

Section 2:The reward for loving the Prophet

Section 3: The narrations of the early generations of Muslims and imams concerning their love for the Prophet and their longing for him

Section 4: The signs of loving the Prophet

Section 5: The reality and meaning of loving the Prophet

Section 6: The obligation of the delivery of advice to the Prophet when requested

 

Section 1:The necessity to love the Prophet

 

Allah says, "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your tribes, the property you have acquired, the merchandise you fear will not be sold, and the homes you love are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger and the struggling for His Way, then wait until Allah shall bring His command." 9:25. This verse demonstrates encouragement, advice, proof and indication of the necessity to love Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him). It is also sufficient to demonstrate that this duty is of tremendous proportion. It is an obligation and the right of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). You will have observed how Allah reprimands those whose love of relatives and property are dearer to them than Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him). Allah concludes His warning with the threatening words "then wait until Allah shall bring His command." And from this it is understood that those whose love is other than for Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) are astray and are not guided by Allah. Anas tells us that one day the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told his Companions, "None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father and all people."

Anas also reported, "There are three things that if someone were to seek refuge in them they would experience the sweetness of belief. They are that Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) are more beloved to him than anything else; that he loves a person only for the sake of Allah, and he loathes the notion of reverting to disbelief as much as he would loathe to be cast into the Fire." One day Umar, al-Khattab's son went to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and told him, "I love you more than anything except my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) replied, "None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul." Umar immediately replied, "By the One who sent down the Book to you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) replied, "Umar, you have reached it." Sahl warned, "If someone does not think that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) is his master in all matters or should think that he does not fall under his jurisdiction he does not taste the sweetness of his prophetic way, because he said, "None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than himself."

 

Section 2:The reward for loving the Prophet

 

Anas tells us of the occasion when a man came to the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him and asked, "When will the Last Hour come, O Messenger of Allah?" Whereupon the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) inquired, "What have you prepared for it?" The man replied, "I have neither prepared an abundance of prayer, fasting or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told him, "You will be with the one you love." Safwan, Qudama's son was told the same when he declared his love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) took hold of the hands of his grandsons al-Hassan and al-Hussayn and said, "Whosoever loves me and loves these two, their father and mother, will receive the same degree as myself on the Day of Resurrection." One day a man came to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and told him, "O Messenger of Allah, I love you more than my family and possessions. I always remember you and could not wait to come just to look at you. I bear in mind that I will die and you will die, and I know that when you enter the Garden you will be raised up with the Prophets, but when I enter it I will not see you." Shortly after Allah sent down the verse "Whosoever obeys Allah, and the Messenger, they are with those whom Allah has favored, the prophets, the sincere, the martyrs and the righteous, and these are the best company." 4:69. Having received this verse the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) called the man back and recited it to him. Another man came to visit the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and could not stop gazing at him. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) gently inquired the reason why, whereupon the man replied, "May my father and mother be your ransom! I enjoy gazing at you and on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will exalt you on account of the high esteem which He has prepared for you!" It is also said that it was then that Allah sent down the verse mentioned above. We are given the good news transmitted by Anas that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "Whosoever loves me will be with me in the Garden."

 

Section 3: The narrations of the early generations of Muslims and imams concerning their love for the Prophet and their longing for him

 

Abu Hurayra tells us that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) told his Companions, "Those in my nation whose love will be the strongest are those who come after me. Amongst them there are some who would have traded their family and wealth to have seen me." Many of the Companions, including Umar and Amr, al-As's son tell us that there is no one more beloved to them than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him). Abda, the daughter of Khalid, Ma'dan's son spoke of her father saying, "Khalid never went to bed without yearning for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) and his Emigrant (Muhajirun) and Helper (Ansar) Companions, and he would name each one of them. He would say, 'They are my root and branch, my heart longs for them, I have yearned for them for a long time, O my Lord, hasten my return to You!'" Isaac's son tells us that at during the encounter of Uhud the father, brother and husband of one of the Ansari women were killed as they fought alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him). However, despite her loss, her only concern was for the safety of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). The lady asked anxiously for news of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) whereupon she was told, 'Praise be to Allah, he is as well as you would wish," She asked, "Show him to me so that I may see him." When she caught sight of him, she exclaimed, "Now that I know you are safe, all my afflictions have become as nothing."

When Imam Ali, may Allah honour his face, was asked about his love for the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) he replied, "By Allah, we loved him more than our wealth, sons, father and our mothers, and more than cold water during times of great thirst!" The Caliph Umar went out one night and see that all was well in the community and happened to see a lighted lamp in the house of an elderly lady who was carding some wool. As she worked away she said, "The praise of the good be upon Mohammed, may the blessed bless him! I stand in tears before dawn. If only I knew when death gives us different forms whether the Abode will join me to my beloved." Upon hearing these heart-felt words Umar sat down and wept. The foot of Abdullah, Umar's son became numb and he was reminded, "Remember the most beloved of all people to you and it will go away." Abdullah cried out, "O Mohammed!" and the numbness left. As death approached Bilal, his wife called out, "O sorrow." Bilal responded, "O what joy, I will meet those I love, Mohammed and those with him!" One day a lady came to Lady Aisha, Mother of Believers, may Allah be pleased with her, and asked her to show her the tomb of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). Lady Aisha showed her the tomb whereupon the lady started to weep and continued weeping until she died.

When the Meccans took Zaid, Ad-Dathina's son out of the Sacred Precincts to martyr him, Abu Sufyan, Harb's son, said to him, "I ask you by Allah, don't you wish that Mohammed was with us now so that he would be in your place and that it would be his head that will be severed, and you were with your family?" Zaid replied, "By Allah, I would not wish that Mohammed would be in a place where even a thorn would prick him if that was the condition of me being returned to my family!" Abu Sufyan said, "I have never seen anyone who loved another in the way the Companions of Mohammed love Mohammed!" Abbas' son tells us of the time a woman from Mecca came to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in Medina. Upon her arrival the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) asked her on oath to swear that she had not left her home on account of her husband's anger, or because she wanted a change in her surroundings, and that the only reason for her leaving was because of her love of Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him). As the son of Zubair lay martyred, Umar's son stood over him and prayed for his forgiveness and said, "By Allah, according to what I know of you, you were a person who fasted, prayed and loved Allah and His Messenger" (peace and blessing be upon him).

 

Section 4: The signs of loving the Prophet

 

Someone who claims that he/she loves another will prefer that person to all others, he will also prefer what they like, if it were otherwise then he would be acting and his love would not be sincere. The following signs will be apparent in those who truly love the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him)

 

1. First: The first sign of love for the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is that he/she will follow his example, apply his prophetic way in words, deeds, obedience to his commands, avoidance of whatever he prohibited and adopt his manner in times of ease, hardship, joy and disappointment. Allah says, "Say (Prophet Mohammed, 'If you love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you." 3:31.
2. Second: The second sign is that he/she will set aside his own desires and appetite in preference to the law established and encouraged by the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). Allah says, "Those before them who had made their dwelling in the abode (City of Medina), and because of their belief love those who have emigrated to them; they do not find any (envy) in their chests for what they have been given and prefer them above themselves, even though they themselves have a need." 59:9
3. Third: The third sign is that a person's anger of others is only for the sake of seeking the pleasure of Allah. Anas, Malik's son was told by the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) "My son, if you can refrain from holding a grudge in your heart from morning to evening, then do so." He then added, "My son, that is part of my prophetic way. Whosoever revives my way has loved me, and whosoever loves me is with me in the Garden." If a person possesses this fine quality, then he/she has perfect love for Allah and His Messenger. If he is found to be slightly lacking in this quality then his love is imperfect, but not devoid of it. The proof of this is found in the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) when a person faced punishment for imbibing. As the person was about to receive his punishment a man cursed the offender, whereupon the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "Do not curse him. He loves Allah and His Messenger."
4. Fourth: The fourth sign is that one mentions the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in abundance-whosoever loves something, it is constantly upon his tongue.
5. Fifth: The fifth sign is yearning to meet the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). Every lover yearns to be with their beloved. When the tribe of Ash'arites approached Medina, they were heard chanting, "Tomorrow, we will be with those we love, Mohammed and his Companions!"
6. Sixth: The sixth sign is that as well as the remembrance of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) someone who loves him will be found praising and respecting him whenever he is mentioned and display humility, and lower himself when he hears his name. We are told by Isaac Tujibi that after the passing of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) whenever the Companions heard his name they became humble, their skin trembled and they wept. As for the other followers of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) some experienced the same out of love and yearning for him, whereas others did so out of respect and esteem.
7. Seventh: The seventh sign is the love expressed for the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and the People of his House, and his Companions-the Emirants (Muhajirun) and the Helpers (Ansar) alike for his sake. A person with this sign will be found hostile to those who hate them. Of al-Hassan and al-Hussayn (may Allah be pleased with them) the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "O Allah, I love them, so please love them." Al-Hassan said that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) also said, "O Allah, I love him, so love the one who loves him." Of his two grandsons, the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) also said, "Whosoever loves them, loves me." Then he said. Whosever loves me, loves Allah. Whosoever hates them hates me and whosoever hates me hates Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "O Allah, Allah, my Companions. Do not make them targets after me! Whosoever loves them loves them because they love me, and whosoever hates them it is through their hatred of me. Whosoever harms them, harms me. Whosoever does something to hurt me does it is as if it is hurtful to Allah. Whosoever does something that appears to be hurtful to Allah is about to be seized." Of his family, the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said referring to Lady Fatima (may Allah be satisfied with her) "She is part of me, whosoever hates her hates me." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told Lady Aisha to love Usama, Zaid's son because he loves him. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) spoke of the Helpers (Ansar) saying, "The sign of certain faith is love for the Ansar, whereas the sign of hypocrisy is hatred for them." Umar's son tells us that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) said, "Whosoever loves the (good) Arabs loves them because he loves me. Whereas whosoever hates them hates them because of their hatred of me." The fact is when someone loves another, he loves everything that person loves, and this was indeed the case with the Companions. When Anas saw the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) eating a piece of pumpkin, he said, "From that day I loved pumpkins." Al-Hassan, the grandson of the Prophet, may the peace of Allah be upon them, went with Jaafar to Salma and asked her to prepare some food the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) used to eat. Umar once saw the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) wearing a pair of yellow colored sandals, so he too wore a pair of the same color.
8. Eighth: The eighth sign is hatred of anyone who hates Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him). Such people are those who show hostility towards to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him). Believers having this sign avoid all who oppose the prophetic way, and are in opposition to those who introduce innovations into the prophetic way (that are against the spirit of Islam) and find the law he established burdensome. Allah says, "You shall find no nation believing in Allah and the Last Day loving anyone that opposes Allah and His Messenger." 58:22.
9. Ninth: The ninth sign is found in those who love the Quran which the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) brought, by which the Prophet and they were guided. When asked about the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) Lady Aisha (may Allah be satisfied with her) said, "His character was that of the Quran." Part of the love of the Quran is listening to its recitation, acting according to it, understanding it, keeping within its bounds and the love of Prophet Mohammed's way. Sahl, Abdullah's son spoke of this sign saying, "The sign of loving Allah is love of the Quran. The sign of loving the Quran is the love of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). The sign of loving the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is love of his prophetic way. The sign of loving the prophetic way is the love of the Hereafter. The sign of loving the Hereafter is hatred for this world. The sign of hatred for this world is that you do not amass any of it except for provisions and what you need to arrive safely with in the Hereafter." Masood's son said, "No one needs to ask himself about anything other than the Quran, if he loves the Quran then he loves Allah and His Messenger" praise and peace be upon him.
10. Tenth: The tenth sign of love for the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is to have mercy on his nation by advising them well, striving for the betterment of their interest and removing anything that is harmful from them in the same way that the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) was "gentle and merciful to the believers." 9:128.
11. Eleventh: The eleventh sign of perfect love is found in whosoever restricts himself through self-denial, preferring poverty to the attractions of the world. The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told Abu Said al-Khudri, "Poverty for those of you who love me flows quicker than a flood from a mountain's peak to its base." A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I love you." The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) warned, "Be careful of what you say." The man repeated his love for him thrice, whereupon the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) told him, "If you love me prepare yourself quickly for poverty."

 

Section 5: The reality and meaning of loving the Prophet

 

There are integrated opinions in what constitutes love of Allah and His Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and many things have been said about it, however the reality is that each differing party refers to different states. Sufyan said, and perhaps he was thinking of the words of Allah that say, "If you love Allah, follow me." 3:31 "Love consists of following the Messenger of Allah" praise and peace be upon him. Scholars have said: "Love of the Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) is to believe in his victory, to protect and obey his prophetic way, and being fearful of opposition to it." "Love is the constant remembrance of the beloved." "It is preferring the beloved." "Love is the heart that follows the will of its master, he loves what he loves and hates what he hates." "Love is the harmonious inclination of the heart to the beloved." Most of these opinions indicate to the fruits of love rather than the reality of love.

The reality of love is the inclination to what one finds agreeable and harmonious either by:

1. the pleasure of its perfection, such as the love of beautiful appearances, melodic tones, delicious food and beverages, all of which one inclines naturally to because they are agreeable.
2. finding pleasure in the perfection of noble inner qualities which is experienced by the intellect as well as the heart, such as the love of scholars of Islam, people with upright natures whose lives and deeds are exemplary. It is natural for a person to incline to a passionate form of love for such things almost to the extreme.
3. a person can love something on account of finding it agreeable to him by reason of receiving its benefit and blessings. It is a natural disposition to love what one finds to be good. Once these three approaches have been understood, relate these three causes to the love of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) and discover that these three things inspiring love are also applicable to him. The beauty of his physic, external appearance and his perfect character have already been discussed so there is no necessity to mention them again.

 

We have already mentioned the benefits and blessings the nation of Prophet Mohammed (peace and blessing be upon him) receives. And we have also mentioned the attributes of Allah with which he was blessed and through which mankind benefits such as the compassion he has for his nation, his mercy towards us, his guidance, tenderness towards us and his struggle to save us from the Fire. Allah described His Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) saying, "We have not sent you (Prophet Mohammed) except as a mercy to all the worlds." 24:107, and "O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, and to bear warning; a caller to Allah by His permission and as a light shedding lamp." 33:45-46. And, "It is He who has raised among the illiterate (Arabs), a Messenger from themselves, to recite to them His verses, to purify them and to teach them the Book and the Wisdom.” 62:2. Also, "and guides them to a Straight Path," 5:16. There cannot be any goodness worthier or of greater importance than the goodness found in the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) for believers. There is no other favor that could be more universally beneficial and of greater advantage than his blessing to all Muslims because he is our path to guidance. He is the one who rescues us from the error of our blindness. He is the one who calls us to success and honour! He is our path to our Lord and our intercessor. He is the one who will speak on our behalf and bear witness for us and bring us, Allah willing, to the Everlasting Life with its happiness!

It should now be clear to you dear reader, that the love of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) is obligatory on account of the authentic quotations we have brought to you in which we related the nature of his overflowing goodness and universal beauty. If a person can love a person on account of his generosity towards him once or twice during his life, or that he saves him from danger or harm even once-and bear in mind that such are only of a temporal nature-then what of a person who gives him unending happiness and protects him for the everlasting punishment of Hell? That person deserves greater love! A king is loved when his conduct is good and a ruler is loved when his conduct is upright. Even if a knowledgeable person or a person of noble character lives far away he will be loved on this account. But when someone possess all the perfection of these qualities, that person is more entitled to be loved and more deserving of attachment! Imam Ali (may Allah be satisfied with him) described the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) saying, "Whosoever came across him suddenly became timorous of him. Whosoever kept company with him loved him." You will no doubt recall the story we related of one of the Companions who simply could not take his eyes away from him because of the love he had for the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him).

 

Section 6: The obligation of the delivery of advice to the Prophet when requested

 

Allah says, "There is no fault for the weak, the sick, and those lacking the means to spend (to stay behind), if they are true to Allah and His Messenger." 9:91. Commentators say that if people are sincerely true to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessing be upon him) then they are sincere Muslims secretly and openly. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) stressed three times, "The religion is active advice." His Companions asked, "To whom, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "To Allah and His Book, His Messenger and Muslim leaders, and the ordinary man." An imam commented that this is an obligation. Imam Abu Sulayman al-Busti said, "Advice is a word used to designate the desire for the object of what is good. It is not possible to explain it with just a single word capable of containing all its meanings. Linguistically, it is based on sincere care." Abu Bakr, Abi Isaac's son explained, "Advice is delivering the outcome of the advice of something that is righteous and harmonious."

Advice is the delivery of sincere care, its benefit is conveyed and carried from one to another as follows: Advice in reference to Allah and for His Sake is to deliver firm belief in His Oneness, describing Allah in the way in which Allah describes Himself, and disconnecting Allah from His attributes as described in the dictionary of human behaviour. It is the desire for what Allah loves, avoidance of what Allah hates and sincerity in worshipping Allah. Advice in reference to the Book of Allah is to deliver belief in it, act in accordance to it, its fine recitation, humility on account of it, and esteem for it. It is also its understanding and seeking jurisprudence therein as well as protecting it from the misinterpretation of extremists and the assault of heretics. Advice in reference to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him) is the delivery of the affirmation of his prophethood and obedience to him in whatever he commands or forbids. Abu Sulayman and Abu Bakr both said, "It is to support, help and protect the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) in both life and after death. It is to revive his prophetic way by seeking, protecting and spreading it and adopting his noble characteristics and manners.

Of the obligations of the heart, Ahmed, Mohammed's son said that it is one of the obligations of the heart to deliver advice for the sake of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessing be upon him). During the life time of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) the delivery of the advice of his Companions was to help him, protect him, oppose his enemies, obey him and spend their lives and property striving to serve him, and this is found in the Words of Allah, "Among the believers there are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah." 33:23. ”You shall believe in Allah and His Messenger and struggle for His Way with your possessions and yourselves." 61:11. The delivery of advice of Muslims for the sake of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) after his death is to ensure that his esteem is maintained, to show respect and great love for him. Strive to learn from his prophetic way, understand his jurisprudence, love his family and Companions. Avoid whatsoever he disliked and hate whatever deviates from his prophetic way and being watchful for its occurrence. It is to have mercy for his nation, the seeking of knowledge of his character, his life and ethics, and being steadfast in its application.

From this one realizes that the delivery of advice is one of the fruits of love of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) as well as being amongst its signs. Imam Abu'l Kasim al-Qushayri said that Amr, al-Layth's son, who was one of the Kings of Khurasan, famous for his heroism and known as Saffar, was seen in a vision and asked, "What has Allah done with you?" He replied, "He has forgiven me." Amr was then asked on what account had Allah forgiven him to which he replied, "One day I climbed to the peak of a mountain and looked down upon my armies and its vast number pleased me. Then I wished I could have been with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah praise and venerate him and grant him peace, so that I might come to his assistance and help him. It was because of this that Allah forgave me."

To Muslims the delivery of advice is to obey their imams when they order with truth. It is also to help them, remind them of the truth in the best manner, draw their attention to matters they overlook and also to the affairs of Muslims of which they are unaware. One should neither attack them nor cause them trouble, or bring about dissension amongst the people, or alienate them from people. Advice for the sake of the ordinary Muslim is to deliver it for their best interest and guide them to it. It is to assist them in matters of their religion and this world not only by speech but through action. It is to warn those who are heedless, inform the ignorant, and give to the needy. It is the concealment of their faults, and repelling what would harm them and bring to them benefit.

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