As a believer, the main source of our pride is our love of Allah's Messenger (SAWW) and our faith in him.
But it is very important to understand that the love, which is “only a lip service” or “just expressed verbally” isn’t the real love, but real and genuine love is shown by all our actions and deeds. We all claim to love the Prophet (SAWW) verbally, but how much our appearance, behaviour, character, dealings and actions are in accordance with those of the Prophet(SAWW)?
l Dhun Al Misri said, “From the signs of one’s love for Allah, is following His beloved prophet(SAWW)’s actions, manners, commands and recommendations.”
“Yes, Off course I love him!”
this is the answer of any believer when asked, “Do you love the Prophet (SAWW)?
Here we must take a pause and ask some questions from ourselves. (Sincerity is necessary, as we are answering to ourselves.) When we say, Yes, I love him, do we really love him? Do we hold the Prophet(SAWW) so dear that we can sacrifice our beloved things for him? Can we sacrifice our comfort, honour, time, energies, life and wealth on the line in order to safeguard his honour?
When his Sunnah is ridiculed or denied, or someone mock him, how upset do we feel? Do we spread his message to others?
Are we as worried for the cause of Islam as we are for our children and family? Can we give up our desires in order to obey the Prophet(SAWW)?
How much do we love our Prophet? How many Sunnan we practice regularly? How many sunnan have we lost in our daily life? Have we strive to revive them back in our life? Do we refrain from doing something because the Prophet did not liked it or forbade it?
Do we love him more than our society and our forefathers? And give his Sunnah preference over their customs, norms and traditions?
Do we desire to be with the Prophet(SAWW) in Paradise? and what efforts are we doing to attain that level?
One who claims to love the Prophet(SAWW) must know if his claim of love is genuine. A true and genuine love has always some signs.
Following signs will be apparent in those who truly love the Prophet (SAWW):
1: A strong desire to see the Prophet(SAWW) and to be with him:
The first sign is yearning to meet the Prophet(SAWW). One feels an utmost desire to attain his company in this world and hereafter.
2: Follow Prophet(SAWW)’s footsteps:
The 2nd sign of love for the Prophet (SAWW) is that one will follow his footsteps, take his example and prefer his Sunnah in every manner of life, adopt his prophetic way in words and actions and try to emulate him.
Allah says in The Quran; ”Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.”(Surah Aal Imran: 31)
3: Obey his commands:
If one loves the Nobel Prophet(SAWW), he feels an intense desire to obey him. In this obedience, he obtains immense pleasure. He makes his best effort to carry out the Prophet’s order. Remember, this submission to Prophet’s commands is always willingly, like his companions, who used to say:
" Sami'Na Wa'Ata'Na - سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا "
(We hear and we obey), on Prophet(SAWW)’s all instructions.
4: Being ready at all the times to sacrifice for him:
In true love, one is always ready to sacrifice his wealth, resources, fame, desires, time, belongings and even his own-self for the sake of his beloved. One who truly loves Prophet(SAWW) has no difference then this and always prepared to sacrifice himself and his belongings for the sake of Prophet’s love. In this manner, he is not afraid of any worldly loses. Prophet(SAWW)’s companions have set the extraordinary and unforgettable examples of self-sacrifice for the Prophet (SAWW).
It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (SAWW) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people.”
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 15; Muslim, 44)
5: Adopt Prophet(SAWW)’s likes and dislikes:
Fifth sign of love is, one starts loving and adopting (consciously or unconsciously) everything whatever his beloved one likes. Similarly, he also avoids whatever his beloved one dislikes.
A person who truly loves the Prophet(SAWW), will love everything he loves and he will leave everything whatever he dislikes, in short, a believer will prefer his Prophet’s likes and dislikes all over the world.
This was indeed the case with his Companions.
When Hazrat Anas saw the Prophet (SAWW) eating a piece of pumpkin, he said, " I have loved pumpkins from that day." [Al Shifa bi Ta'reefi Huqooq al-Mustafa, Vol. 2, Page 34]
6: Love Prophet(SAWW)’s loved ones:
One who loves the Prophet (SAWW), also loves and respects his family and his companions.
Of his family, the Prophet(SAWW), said referring to Hadrat Fatima, “May Allah be pleased with her, ”She is part of me, whosoever hates her hates me.”
(Sahih al Bukhari, Kitab al Manaqib, Vol. 5, Page 24 and Sahih Muslim, 1654)
The Prophet(SAWW) said about his grandson Hadrat Hassan, that, “O Allah, I love him,so You love him too and so love the one who loves him.” (Al Muslim, 1653)
At another occasion The Prophet (SAWW) said about his both grandsons(Hassan and Hussain),, “Whosoever loves them, loves me and whosoever loves me, loves Allah. Whosoever hates them hates me and whosoever hates me hates Allah.”
(Sunan Ibn Maja, Vol.1, Page 51)
“They (Hassan and Hussain) are my two sweet basils in this world( Al Muslim 1549)
About his companions, the Prophet (SAWW), said, ”Do not make my companions targets after me! Whosoever loves them loves me, it is because they love me, and whosoever hates them it is through their hatred of me. Whosoever harms them, harms me. Whosoever does something to hurt me does it is as if it is hurtful to Allah. Whosoever does something that appears to be hurtful to Allah is about to be seized.”
(Sunan Tirmidhi, Kitab al Manaqib, Vol.5, Page 358 and Musnad Ahmad, Vol.5, Page 54)
7: Defending Prophet(SAWW)’s honour:
Seventh sign of love is, one can not listen to anything insulting or ridiculous about his loved one. He cannot tolerate when someone hurts or harms his beloved one, He does not even let anyone to laugh at or point a finger at his beloved.
Similarly, a believer who loves Prophet(SAWW) feels offended when someone abuses or insult his Prophet (SAWW).
Muhammad (SAWW) defended human rights, regardless of social status. Now, this is his right over every Muslim to support him and to defend his honour.
Allah says in the Quran:
"So the successful ones are certainly those who believe in him, honour him, assist him (support him), and follow the light(the Quran) revealed with him."
[Surah A’raaf 7:157]
He who loves him has to defend him wisely against the accusations being made against him.
8: Sending Blessings upon him:
Eight sign of love is one’s attention is focused upon his beloved all the time, he can not stop himself thinking and imagining about his beloved, whose name is constantly upon his tongue. As much as he remembers his beloved one, his love keeps getting deeper and deeper in his heart.
So one who loves the Prophet(SAWW) truly, mentions the Prophet (SAWW) in abundance, day and night. There are multiple rewards of sending blessings and Salaams upon the Prophet(SAWW) but this is one of the best and noblest acts of worship by means of which one may draw closer to Allah and His prophet(SAWW).
A believer who loves his Prophet(SAWW) will be found praising and respecting him whenever he is mentioned. He will display humility, and lower himself when he hears his Prophet(SAWW)’s name.
We are told by Isaac At -Tujibi that, "after the passing of the Prophet (SAWW), whenever the Companions heard his name they became humble, their body trembled and they wept”.
9: Stay connected to the Quran:
The ninth sign is found in those who love “The Book” which Allah gave the Prophet (SAWW) for the guidance of all mankind.
Hadrat Ibn Masood said, "No one needs to ask himself about anything other than the Qur'an, if he loves the Qur'an then he loves Allah and His Messenger" praise and peace be upon him. [Bayhaqi fil Aadaab, Page 522]
When asked about the Prophet (SAWW), Hadrat Ayesha, (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "His character was that of the Qur'an." Part of the love of the Qur'an is listening to its recitation, acting according to it, understanding it, keeping within its bounds and the love of Prophet Muhammad's way. [Al Shifa bi Ta'reefi Huqooq al-Mustafa, Vol. 2, Page 35]
Hadrat Sahl, bin Abdullah spoke of this sign saying, “The sign of loving Allah is the love of the Qur’an. The sign of loving the Qur’an is the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The sign of loving the Prophet (SAWW), is the love of his prophetic way. The sign of loving the prophetic way is the love of the Hereafter. The sign of loving the Hereafter is hatred for this world. The sign of hatred for this world is that you do not amass any of it except for provisions and what you need to arrive safely within the Hereafter.” [Al Shifa bi Ta'reefi Huqooq al-Mustafa, Vol. 2, Page 35]
10: Carrying out his mission:
it is natural that if someone has found something very good and beneficial for himself then he wants to extend the goodness of that thing to his loved ones for their well-being so they can take advantage too. Similarly, if he finds something evil or harmful, he will warn his loved ones and will try to save them from that evil.
The second thing is if one’s loved one has a goal or a mission, he always helps him to achieve that goal and supports him to full fill his mission. He is ever ready to sacrifice even his life and property for his beloved one’s mission which is a matter of pride for him.
Our Prophet(SAWW) was sent down on earth with a Nobel mission (basically all of the Prophets had the same mission). And his mission was to liberate mankind from the darkness of ignorance and polytheism to the light of Tawheed through the torch of Quran. He was sent down as a leader, as a guide to the right path. He was a “Basheer”(messenger of good news) and “Nazeer” (A Warner).
In short, Prophet(SAWW) was final and universal Prophet of Allah, with a final and universal message, and final and universal Shari’ah.
He struggled all of his life for the supremacy of true religion and for the welfare of mankind. Now this our duty to uphold his sunnah, defend his Shari’ah and carry on his Nobel mission just like his companions, who followed his footsteps in this regard and spent all of their resources, energies, wealth and lives to establish the true religion.
So, it is one of the basic criteria for every Muslims to continue his mission by “Amir bil marrof and nahi unil munkar”(Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil). I.e, instruct fellow human beings towards basic Islamic wisdom about the difference between right and wrong.
Allah says in the Holy Quran :
“You (Believers) are the best community which has been raised for the guidance of mankind. You enjoin what is right, forbid what is evil, and you all believe in Allah Alone.”
(Surah Aal Imran, 3- 110)
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One who finds these signs in himself should thank Allah Subhan Wa Ta’ala, that He filled his heart with the love of His beloved Prophet(SAWW). And he should also pray to Allah to maintain and increase this treasure of love.
But, one who does not find all or some of these signs in himself, should hold himself accountable before the day of final accountability. He should take some time out of his busy life and think about it before it will be too late…
Prophet(SAWW) was the best man walked ever on the earth. How can one not love him?
This is the right time to organise our lives according to Sunnah and to change our preferences and our actions in the way as Allah and His Prophet(SAWW) like.
Allah says in the Quran:
“Say if you really love Allah then follow me(Prophet Muhammad) and Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” ( Al Imran, 3:31)
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Masha Allah
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