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The Obligation of Loving the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)
Author : Dr. Mufti Lo`ai Somay`at
Date Added : 29-05-2025

Every year, our joy is renewed with the remembrance of the birth of the Guiding and Glad-Tiding Messenger, peace be upon him, whom Allah Almighty Sent as (What means): "a mercy to the worlds" [Al-Anbiya/107], and as (What means): "a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner, a caller to Allah by His permission, and an illuminating lamp" [Al-Ahzab/45-46].

It is the blessed anniversary of the birth of the beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, about whom Allah Said (What means): "There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful." [At-Tawbah/128].

Moreover, on this occasion, it is our duty to remind ourselves and our Ummah of the obligation to love the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and to follow his Sunna.

It goes without saying that every Muslim on the face of the earth loves Muhammad (peace be upon him), for loving him is a pillar of this upright religion. The evidence for this is found in the Noble Qur'an:

First: The words of Allah the Exalted (What means): "Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your clan, the wealth you have acquired, commerce you fear may decline, and dwellings you love—are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people." [At-Tawbah/24]. Al-Qadi ‘Iyad commented on this verse: "This alone is sufficient as an encouragement, a warning, clear evidence, and proof of the obligation to love the Prophet (peace be upon him), the necessity of making it binding, and the greatness of its importance. It establishes his rightful claim to this love (peace be upon him). For Allah Has Rebuked those whose wealth, family, and children are more beloved to them than Allah and His Messenger, and He threatened them with His saying: (then wait until Allah brings about His command). Then He described them at the end of the verse as defiantly disobedient and informed them that they are among those who have gone astray and whom Allah does not guide." [Ash-Shifa Bi Ta’rif Huquq Al-Mustafa/vol. 2/p.18).

Second: The words of Allah The Exalted: "The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves, and his wives are their mothers."

[Al-Ahzab/6]. In his explanation of this verse, Al-Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim said: "This verse is proof that whoever does not consider the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) closer to himself than his own soul is not truly among the believers. This closeness entails several things. The first is that he must be more beloved to the servant than the servant’s own self—because the root of this closeness is love. A person naturally loves himself more than others, yet it is obligatory that the Messenger (peace be upon him) be more beloved to him than his own self. Only then will he truly bear the title of ‘believer’. This closeness and love necessarily lead to complete submission, obedience, acceptance, and satisfaction with the Prophet’s judgments. It also entails all the natural consequences of love—such as preferring his guidance and commands over one’s own desires and choices, and submitting fully to his teachings."

As for the second aspect: It is that the servant should not have any authority or ruling over himself at all. Rather, the authority over him belongs to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). His rulings upon the servant are greater than the authority of a master over his slave or a father over his son. The servant has no right to act independently concerning himself—except in what the Messenger (peace be upon him), who is more entitled to him than his own self, has instructed. That is, through what he conveyed from Allah The Almighty, the verses he delivered, and the Sunna he established and spread. [Al-Risalah At-Tabukiyyah by Ibn Al-Qayyim/vol.1/p.29].

Thirdly: The statement of Allah, The Exalted (What means): "Say, [O Muhammad]: "If you truly love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you." [Al-Imran/31].

 In his commentary on this verse, Sheikh ‘Abdul-Rahman Ibn Nasir Al-Sa‘di said: "This verse establishes the obligation of loving Allah, its signs, its outcome, and its fruits. He said: (Say: If you love Allah)—that is, you claim this lofty status, this rank above which there is no higher rank. But mere claims are not enough. Rather, one must be truthful in this claim. And the sign of truthfulness is to follow His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in all his affairs—his words and actions, in both the fundamentals and branches of the religion, in what is outward and inward." (From: [Tayseer Al-Kareem Al-Rahman Fi Tafseer Kalaam Al-Mannaan/vol.1/p.128].

Among the evidences found in the noble Prophetic hadiths:

Firstly: The statement of the Prophet (PBUH): "None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all of mankind." [Agreed upon].

Secondly: The story of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him: "He was once with the Prophet (PBUH) and said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything except myself. The Prophet (PBUH) replied: "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you will not have true faith until I am more beloved to you than yourself." Omar then said: "By Allah, now you are more beloved to me than myself." The Prophet (PBUH) said: "Now, O Umar." [Al-Bukhari].

As for the evidence:

1. From ʿUrwah Ibn Al-Zubayr, who said: I asked ʿAbdullah Ibn ʿAmr Ibn Al-ʿĀṣ: "Tell me about the worst harm the polytheists did to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)." He said: "While the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was praying in the courtyard of the Kaaba, ʿUqbah Ibn Abī Muʿayṭ came and grabbed the Prophet by the shoulder and twisted his garment around his neck, strangling him severely. Then Abu Bakr came and took him by the shoulder and pushed him away from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and said: "Are you going to kill a man for saying: "My Lord is Allah" while clear signs have come to you from your Lord?'" [Ghafir/28] [Al-Bukhari].

 

2. When the polytheists captured Zayd Ibn Al-Dathnah — who was out on a military expedition — they took him out of the sacred precinct to kill him. A group of Quraysh gathered, including Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb. When Abu Sufyan came to kill him, he said to Zayd: "I swear by Allah, O Zayd, would you like Muhammad to be in your place now, having his neck struck, while you are safe with your family?" Zayd replied: "By Allah, I do not wish that Muhammad should be harmed by even a thorn in the place where he is, while I am sitting safely with my family!" Abu Sufyan said:

"I have never seen anyone love another as much as the companions of Muhammad love Muhammad!" [Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah, Ibn Kathir/Vol.3/p.128].

 

3. A man from the Ansar came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) and said:  "You are more beloved to me than my own self, my children, my family, and my wealth. And were it not that I come and see you, I would think I would die (from longing for you)." Then the Ansari wept. The Prophet (PBUH) asked him:" What makes you weep?" He said: "I remembered that you will die and we will die, and you will be raised (in status) with the Prophets, and if we enter Paradise, we will be in a lower level than you, and we will not see you." The Prophet (PBUH) did not reply to him until Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, revealed to His Messenger (PBUH) (What means): "And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger – they will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the Prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs, and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions." [An-Nisa/69] Then the Prophet (PBUH) said to him: "Rejoice!"

 

4. It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was arranging the rows of his companions on the day of Badr, and he had a stick (or an arrow shaft) in his hand with which he was adjusting the ranks. He passed by Sawad Ibn Ghaziyyah, an ally of Banu ‘Adi Ibn Najjar, who was slightly protruding from the line. So the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) poked him in the belly with the stick and said: Stand in line, O Sawad!" Sawad said" :O Messenger of Allah! You have hurt me, and Allah has sent you with justice, so let me retaliate!" The Prophet (PBUH) said" :Take retaliation." Sawad said" :O Messenger of Allah, you poked me while I had no shirt on !"So the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) lifted his own garment to expose his abdomen and said: "Then take your retaliation."

 

Sawad approached, embraced the Prophet (PBUH), and kissed his belly.The Prophet (PBUH) asked: What made you do this, O Sawad?" He replied: "O Messenger of Allah, you see what is before us (i.e., the battle), and I may not survive. So I wanted the last thing I touch in this world to be your skin."  Then the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) made Du‘ā’ (supplication) for him and invoked goodness upon him. "Narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in Maʿrifat Al-Ṣaḥābah and graded Hasan (authentic) by Shaykh Al-Albani in [Al-Silsilah Al-Ṣaḥīḥah].

In conclusion, as we celebrate the birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we must ask ourselves: What is the nature of our relationship with the Messenger (PBUH) and his message? Is it merely a seasonal or occasional connection? Or is it a deep, enduring love for the Prophet (PBUH)—-a love whose signs are evident in our behavior, character, and actions, just as was the case with the companions of the Prophet (PBUH)?"

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to offer mandatory prayer while sitting?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds, and may His Peace and Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Standing up is a pillar in the mandatory prayer and the prayer is not valid without it unless one cannot do it. As for Nafila (supererogatory prayer), one can perform it in the state of sitting even if he/she can stand, but his/her reward is half the reward of the person who prays while standing if he/sh has no legal excuse for such an act. And Allah Knows Best.

Is Zakah due on the orphan`s money?

Yes, Zakah is due on the money of the orphan.

 
Are the mother's maternal and paternal uncles, and the father's maternal and paternal uncles, considered among the unmarriageable kin (Maharim)?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
A mother’s maternal uncle and her paternal uncle, as well as a father’s maternal uncle and his paternal uncle, are all considered among the unmarriageable kin (Maharim). And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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