In our faith, the love of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a fundamental duty. Allah, the Almighty, says {what means}: "Say, 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, the wealth which you have obtained, the commerce in which you fear decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.'" (At-Tawbah, 24). Furthermore, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "None of you truly believes until he loves me more than his father, his son, and all of mankind." (Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim).
The love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not merely words sung by poets or sermons recited by speakers from pulpits. Instead, it is a divine inspiration and a matter of faith in which competitors strive, and to which the dedicated direct their efforts. It is not enough to claim love for him merely with the tongue; rather, this love must manifest in a life lived according to his teachings and as a guiding principle to follow.
Indeed, Allah says {what means}: "Say, 'If you love Allah, then follow me, so Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.'" (Aal-Imran, 31).
Thus, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) translated their love for him into practical actions. They offered their lives, blood, and wealth willingly in the path of Allah and in obedience to the Prophet. They said to him:
"O Messenger of Allah, our wealth is at your disposal; take from it what you wish and leave what you wish. What you take from it is more beloved to us than what you leave. And our lives are also in your hands; if you were to lead us to cross the sea, we would not hesitate to do so. None of us would stay behind. Indeed, we are patient in battle and truthful when facing the enemy. So lead us, O Messenger of Allah, wherever Allah commands you." (As recorded in Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyya, Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 320).
When Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) asked how was your love for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? He said: "By Allah, he was more beloved to us than our wealth, our children, our parents, and even more beloved than cold water on a thirsty day." (Recorded in Rawdat al-Muhibbin wa Nuzhat al-Mushtaqin, Vol. 1, p. 418). He spoke the truth, may Allah be pleased with him, and he demonstrated this practically when he slept in the bed of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the night of the Hijrah (migration), knowing that the youth of Quraysh who had come to kill the Prophet might reach him at any moment. Nevertheless, he put his own life at risk as a sacrifice for the Prophet (peace be upon him).
In addition, when Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) for permission to migrate, and he said to him: 'Do not rush; perhaps Allah will grant you a companion.' When Allah, the Exalted, permitted His Prophet to migrate, he went to Abu Bakr to inform him of the matter. Abu Bakr said: 'Companionship, O Messenger of Allah.' He replied: 'Companionship.' Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: 'By Allah, I never felt before that day that anyone could cry from joy until I saw Abu Bakr crying that day.'" (Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyya, Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 245).
On the way, Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) walked in front of the Prophet (peace be upon him) for a while, then behind him, then to his right, and then to his left. The Prophet asked him the reason for this, and he said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I remember the pursuit, so I walk behind you, and I remember the watch, so I walk in front of you.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked him: 'Would you like to be killed in my defense?' He replied: 'Yes, by the One who sent you with the truth.'"
The love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not limited to the senior companions alone, but it extended beyond that limit; all the Sahaba and Sahabiyat (The Sahabiyat are the exalted ladies who propagated Islam with the Prophet Mohammad), young and old, loved him:
Among the remarkable examples of obedience to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and preferring him to oneself, family, and tribe: One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) called Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy and said to him: ‘Do you not realize what your father is saying?’ He replied, ‘What is he saying, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you?’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘He says: If we return to Al-Madinah, indeed the more honorable will expel therefrom the meaner.’ Abdullah responded, ‘Indeed, he has spoken the truth, O Messenger of Allah. You are indeed the honorable one, and he is the meaner one. By Allah, I have come to Al-Madinah (Yathrib), and its people know that there is no one more righteous than I. If it pleases Allah and His Messenger for me to bring his head to them, I would do so.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘No.’ When they arrived in Al-Madinah, Abdullah ibn Abdullah ibn Ubayy stood at its gate with a sword to confront his father and said, ‘Are you the one who said: If we return to Al-Madinah, the more honorable will surely drive out the meaner? By Allah, you will know whether honor belongs to you or to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). By Allah, no shade will shelter you, nor will anyone take you in, except by the permission of Allah and His Messenger.’ His father cried out, ‘O Banu Khazraj, my son is preventing me from entering my home! O Banu Khazraj, my son is preventing me from entering my home!’ Abdullah replied, ‘By Allah, he will not be sheltered except by His permission.’ Then some men gathered around him and spoke to him, and he said, ‘By Allah, he will not enter except by the permission of Allah and His Messenger.’ They went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and informed him, and he said, ‘Go to him and tell him: Let him be and allow him to enter.’ They went to him and said, ‘If the order of the Prophet (peace be upon him) comes, then yes’” (Al-Sira Al-Nabawiyya, Ibn Hisham, Vol. 1, p. 537).
Even the young boys loved the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is narrated in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim by the hadith of Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf, who said: 'While I was standing in the row on the Day of Badr, I looked to my right and to my left and saw two young boys from the Ansar. One of them nudged me secretly and said: "O Uncle, do you know Abu Jahl?" I replied: "Yes, and what do you want with Abu Jahl, my nephew?" He said: "I have heard that he insults the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and I have sworn to Allah that if I see him, I will kill him or die trying." Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf said: "I was amazed by this!"
Then the other boy nudged me secretly and said: "O Uncle, do you know Abu Jahl?" I said: "Yes, and what do you want with Abu Jahl?" He said: "I have heard that he insults the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and I have sworn to Allah that if I see him, I will kill him or die trying." I said: "I was astonished! By Allah, I was pleased by these two boys acting like men."
I looked among the people and saw Abu Jahl moving about. I said to them: "Do you see that?" They said: "Yes." I said: "That is the one you are asking about." So they pounced on him like two falcons and killed him! Each of them ran to the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying: "O Messenger of Allah, I killed him," while the other said: "No, I am the one who killed Abu Jahl."
The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: "Did you wipe your swords?" They said: "No." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Give me your sword." He looked at the two swords and found the blood of Abu Jahl on both. He turned to them and said: "Both of you killed him!"
Thus, our righteous predecessors translated their love for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) into a love that they prioritized over themselves, their families, their wealth, and all of humanity. So where do we stand in comparison to that? Ask yourself, dear brother: Do you really love the Messenger of Allah? Do you truly prioritize the commands of Allah and His Messenger over your own desires? Do you genuinely long for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? Do you sincerely wish to be resurrected with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on the Day of Judgment? If so, I have good news for you. It has been narrated that a man came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and asked: 'When is the Hour, O Messenger of Allah?' The Prophet replied: 'What have you prepared for it?' He said: 'I have not prepared much in the way of prayer, fasting, or charity, but I love Allah and His Messenger.' The Prophet said: 'You will be with whom you love.' The narrator of the hadith said: 'We have not been happier with anything after Islam than we were with the Prophet's saying: 'You will be with whom you love' (Narrated by Bukhari).
We ask Allah, the Exalted, to grant us to be with our beloved, the Chosen One (peace be upon him), on the Day of Judgment, for we bear witness to Allah and His Messenger and to the entire world that we love Allah and we love the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).
