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)?"
