A Heartfelt Plea
Signs of Loving the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
Mawlana Muhammad Imran Attari
Chairperson of Dawat-e-Islami’s Central Executive Committee
Although we have duties towards our parents, neighbours, and children, no one has more rights over us than our master, the final Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . Our duties towards him take precedence over all other duties. One such right is that we love and cherish him more than anything and anyone else. His love is the foundation of faith and the golden key to Allah’s pleasure. The faithful, recognising this essential truth, embrace this love and submit to its dictates. However, claiming to love him and actually loving him are two very distinct matters. As with all states and feelings, love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is not without signs, hallmarks, and vivid impacts that can be seen in the person who really loves him.
Signs of Loving the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
1. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq al-Dihlawī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه states:
A sign of faith for a true believer is that he loves and respects the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم more than everyone and everything. He gives precedence to fulfilling the rights of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . Likewise, the believer observes the teachings of Islam, adopts the Sunna, and reveres the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . He gives priority to pleasing the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم over his family, parents, relatives, and wealth. He prefers losing his life to breaching the rights of Allah’s beloved صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .[1]
2. Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Naeemi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه notes:
A sign of loving the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is to love his commands, his behaviour, his Sunna, the Quran, his words, and the dust of his city. Those who claim to love him but fail to offer daily prayers and observe fasts are untrue in this claim because obedience is a sign of love...[2] The most blessed person is he who draws close to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم on the Day of Judgement. To gain this proximity, you must love the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . To reach his love, you must adopt the Sunna, invoke abundant blessings on him, study his life, and accompany those who love him. This company is the most effective elixir…Every worship is derived from love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . However, obedience must complement love. You do not receive food at a wedding just by wearing good attire; you must have a relationship with the groom. If you wish to gain something from Allah, foster a relationship with the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .[3]
3. Shaykh ʿAbd al-Muṣtafā Azamī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes:
There are many people who claim to love the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . There are signs which reveal the radiant light of love for the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in the claimant’s heart. They include:
* Adhering to the Prophet’s behaviour and hadith, adopting his Sunna, and observing his commands and prohibitions. In other words, thoroughly follow the teachings of Islam.
* Remembering him in abundance, invoking blessings on him abundantly, and taking part in gatherings of his remembrance such as mawlid functions and other religious gatherings.
* Loving and respecting everyone and everything that is associated with the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم . For example, the noble companions, the pure wives, the Ahl al-Bayt رضوان الله علیہم اجمعین , the city of Madinah, his blessed grave, al-Masjid al-Nabawi, blessed monuments and relics connected to him, and the Quran and Hadith.
* Befriending the friends of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and holding animosity for his enemies.
* Being detached to material possessions and considering poverty superior to affluence. This is because the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Poverty reaches the people who love me quicker than a flood reaches its destination.”[4]
This is my request to all sincere followers of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم : loving him is the essence of faith; the more you love him, the more faith will shine in your heart. Work to embody the signs of loving him by observing the teachings of the Quran and Sunna. Come to know him by carefully and avidly studying his glorious life, for you cannot love the one you do not know. To help you, Maktaba tul Madina offers these three publications:
1. Seerat e Mustafa
2. The Sublime Biography of the Final Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
3. 550 Sunnatain aur Aadaab
Respect everyone and everything that is associated with the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ; send prayers on him in abundance, and hold onto his teachings until your final breath. May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to truly fulfil the rights of His final and beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم .
اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلہٖ وَسَلَّم
Comments