THE NECESSITY OF LOVING THE PROPHET

 

Allah says:

 

"Say: if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your tribe and your possessions you have earned, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love - if these are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and to struggle in His way, then wait until Allah brings His command." (9:25)

 

This is enough encouragement, advice, proof and indication of the necessity of loving him and is sufficient to show that this duty is an immensely important obligation, which is the Prophet's right. Allah censures those whose property, families and children are dearer to them than Allah and His Messenger. He threatens them by adding, "Wait until Allah brings His command." At the end of the verse He considers such people as having done wrong and informs them they are amongst those who are astray and not guided by Allah.

 

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah said, "None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father and all people." (AI-Bukhari, Muslim and an-Nasa’i)

 

There is something similar from Abu Hurayra.

 

Anas reported that the Prophet said, "There are three things which cause anyone who takes refuge in them to experience the sweetness of belief:

 

1.     That Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else

2.     That he loves a man only for Allah

3.     That he dislikes the thought of reverting to disbelief as much as he would dislike being cast into the Fire."

 (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

 

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab said to the Prophet, "I love you more than anything except my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet replied, "None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul." 'Umar said, "By the One who sent down the Book on you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet said, "'Umar, now you have it!" (AI-Bukhari).

 

Sahl said, "Whoever does not think that the Messenger is his master in all states or thinks that he is under the dominion of the Prophet does not taste the sweetness of his sunna because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than himself."

 

 

THE REWARD FOR LOVING THE PROPHET

 

Anas said that a man came to the Prophet and asked, "When will the Last Hour come, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "What have you prepared for it?" He said, “I have not prepared a lot of prayer or fasting or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet said, "You will be with the one you love.” (Al-Bukhari)

 

Safwan ibn Qudama said, “I did hijra (left his home land) to the Prophet and went to him and said, 'Messenger of Allah, give me your hand.' So he gave me his hand. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, I love you.' He said, “A man is with the one he loves.”' (At-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'I)

 

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and Anas related this statement from the Prophet, and Abu Dharr also has something to the same effect.

 

Hazrat Ali said that the Prophet took Hasan and Husayn by the hand and said, "Whoever loves me and loves these two and their father and mother will have the same degree as me on the Day of Rising." (At-Tirmidhi)

 

It is related that a man came to the Prophet and said, "Messenger of Allah, I love you more than my family and my possessions. I remember you and I cannot wait until I can come and look at you. I remember 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. When I enter it, I will not see you." Allah then revealed,

 

"Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, those are with those whom Allah has blessed among the Prophets, the true ones, the martyrs and the right doers. They are the best of Companions." (4:68)

 

The Prophet called the man and recited the verses to him. (At-Tabarani)

 

In another hadith we find, "A man was with the Prophet, looking at him without turning away. The Prophet asked, "What is wrong with you?" He replied, “My father and mother be your ransom! I enjoy looking at you”. The prophet said, “On the Day of Rising, Allah will raise you up because of His high estimation of you!"”

 

Allah then sent down the ayat mentioned above.

 

In the hadith of Anas, the Prophet said, "Whoever loves me will be with me in the Garden."

(Al-Isfahani)

 

 

 

 

RESPECT AND ESTEEM FOR THE PROPHET AFTER HIS PASSING AWAY FROM THIS WORLD

 

It is just as necessary to have esteem and respect for our beloved Prophet after his passing away, as it was when he was alive. This means to show it whenever the Prophet, his hadith or sunna are mentioned, when anyone hears his name or anything about his life or how his family and relatives behaved. It includes respect for the People of his House (ahl al-bayt) and his Companions.

 

Abu Ibrahim at-Tujibi said, "It is obligatory for every believer to be humble, fearful, show respect and be still when they mention the Prophet or the Prophet is mentioned in their presence. They should be as respectful as they would have been if they had actually been in his presence taking on the adab which Allah taught us." That is the way our right-acting Salaf and past Imams behaved.

 

Abu Humayd said, "Abu Ja'far, the Amir al-Mu'minin, had a dispute with Imam Malik in the Prophet's mosque. Imam Malik said to him, 'Amir al-Mu'minin, do not raise your voice in this mosque. Allah taught the people how to behave by saying,

 

“Do not raise your voices above the Prophet.” (49:2)

 

He praises people with the words,

 

“Those who lower their voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah.” (49:3)

 

*Abu Ja'far was humbled by this. He asked Imam Malik (radiallah anhu):

 

“Abu 'Abdullah, do you face the Qibla when you supplicate (make dua) or do you face the Messenger of Allah?' He replied, 'Why would you turn your face from him when he is your means and the means of your father, Adam, to Allah on the Day of Rising? I face him and ask him to intercede and Allah will grant his intercession. Allah says,

 

 

When he was asked about Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani, Malik said, "I have not reported from anyone without Ayyub being better than him." He went on, "I went on hajj twice and watched him. Whenever the Messenger of Allah was mentioned, he wept until his eyes were red. When I saw him do that and the respect he had for the Prophet, I wrote down things from him."

 

 

Mus'ab ibn 'Abdullah said, "When the Prophet was mentioned, Imam Malik would grow pale so that it distressed those with him. One day he was asked about this. He said,

 

“If you had seen what I have seen, you would not be surprised at what you see me do. I used to see Muhammad ibn Munkadir, the master of the Qur'an reciters. Almost every time he was asked about a hadith he wept until his eyes were red. I saw Ja'far ibn Muhammad who joked and laughed a lot, but when the Prophet was mentioned in his presence, he grew pale. I never saw him relate a hadith of the Messenger of Allah except in a state of purity. I spent time with him for a while and only saw him doing one of three things - praying, fasting or reciting Qur'an. He only spoke about what concerned him. He was one of the men of knowledge and those who fear Allah”.

 

“Whenever 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn al-Qasim mentioned the Prophet, his face seemed as if the blood had drained from it and his tongue went dry out of awe of the Messenger of Allah. I used to go to 'Amir ibn 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr. ' When the Prophet was mentioned in his presence, he wept until he had no more tears to weep. I saw az-Zuhri who was one of the most easy-going and, friendly of people. When the Prophet was mentioned in his presence, it was as if he did not recognise anyone and I did not recognise him. I used to come to Safwan ibn Sulayman who was one of those who were assiduous in their worship and did night prayers. When the Prophet was mentioned, he wept and did not stop weeping so that the people got up and left him”.

 

It is related that when Qatada heard a hadith he began to sob and became very agitated.

 

When there were many people around Imam Malik, he was asked, "If only you would appoint someone to whom you could dictate and then he could make the people hear." He replied,

 

“Allah said,

 

‘O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet.’ (49:2)

 

The respect due to him when he is dead is the same when he was alive”.

 

Ibn Sirin used to laugh at times but when the hadiths of the Prophet were mentioned in his presence he became humble. When a hadith of the Prophet was recited, 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn Mahdi commanded them to be silent, saying, "Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet." He interpreted the above ayat as meaning that people must be silent when the Prophet's hatiiths are recited, just as if they were listening to him speaking.