Concerning the rights which people owe the Profet
salla-Allahu
`aleyhi wa sallam
Chapter II On the necessity to love the Prophet,
salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam
Section II The
signs of love of the Prophet,
salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam:
Know that
someone who loves a person prefers them and prefers what they like.
Otherwise, he is a pretender, insincere in his love.
Someone who
has true love of the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, will manifest
the following signs.
1) The
first sign is that he will emulate him, apply his Sunna, follow
his words and deeds, obey his commands and avoid his prohibitions and
take on his adab in ease and hardship, joy and despair. Allah testifies
to that, "Say: if you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love
you." (3:31)
2) He
will prefer what the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, has laid
down as law and encouraged, over his own passions and appetites. Allah
ta`ala said, "Those who were already settled in the abode, and in
belief, before they came, love those who have emigrated to them and do
not find in their breasts any need for what they have been given and
prefer them to themselves even if they themselves are in want." (59:9)
3) His
anger against people will only be for the sake of the pleasure of Allah
ta`ala. Anas ibn Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah said to me, 'My
son, if you can be without any grudge in your heart against anyone in
the morning and evening, be like that.' Then he added, 'My son, that
is part of my Sunna. Whoever gives life to my sunna has loved
me and whoever loves me is with me in the Garden.'" (at-Tirmidhi)
4) Another
of the signs of love for the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam,
is to mention him often. Whoever loves something mentions it a
lot.
5) Another
is great yearning to meet him, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam. Every
lover yearns for their beloved.
6) One
of its signs is that as well as mentioning him often, someone who loves
him will exalt and respect him when he mentions him and display humility
and abasement when he hears his name. Ishaq at-Tujibi said,
"Whenever
the Companions of the Prophet , salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, heard
his name after he died, they were humble, their skins trembled and they
wept. It was the same with many of the Followers. Some of them act like
that out of love and yearning for him, others out of respect and
esteem."
7) Another
sign is love for those who love the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, and the people of his house and his
Companions, both of the
Muhajirun and Ansar, for his sake. Such a person will also be hostile
to those who hate them and curse them. Whoever loves anyone, loves those
he loves.
The Prophet,
salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, said about al-Hasan and al-Husayn, "O
Allah, I love them, so love them." In al-Hasan's variant, "O Allah,
I love him, so love the one who loves him." He also said,
"Whoever loves
them loves me. Whoever loves me loves Allah. Whoever hates them hates me. Whoever hates me hates Allah."
(al-Bukhari)
8) Another
sign is hatred for anyone who hates Allah ta`ala and His Messenger,
salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, having enmity towards all who have enmity
towards him, avoidance of all those who oppose his Sunna and introduce
innovations into his Deen, and finding every matter contrary to his Shari'a
burdensome. Allah ta`ala says, "You will not find any people who believe
in Allah and the Last Day who having love for anyone who opposes Allah
and His Messenger." (58:22)
9) Another
sign of it is love for the Qur'an which the Prophet, salla-Allahu
`aleyhi
wa sallam, brought, by which he guided and was guided, and whose character
he took on so that 'A'isha said, "His character was the Qur'an." Part
of love for the Qur'an is its recitation and acting by it and understanding
it, and loving his sunna and keeping within its limits.
Sahl ibn
'Abdullah said, "The sign of the love of Allah is love of the
Qur'an.
The sign of love of the Qur'an is love of the Prophet. The sign of love
of the Prophet is love of the Sunna. The sign of love of the Sunna is
love of the Next World. The sign of love of the Next World is hatred
for this world. The sign of hatred for this world is that you do not
store up any of it except for provision and what you need to arrive safely
in the Next World."
11) One
of the signs of perfect love is that the one who aspires to it does
without in this world and prefers poverty.
The Prophet,
salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, said to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, "Poverty
for those among you who love me comes quicker than a flood from the
top of the mountain to the bottom." (at-Tirmidhi)
In a hadith from 'Abdullah b. Mughaffal, a man said
to the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, "O Messenger of Allah,
I love you." He said, "Take care what you say!" He said, "By Allah, I
love you" three times. He said, "If you love me, then prepare for poverty
quickly." There is a similar hadith from Abu Sa'id
al-Khudri.
Section
III On the meaning and reality of love for the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam:
The reality of love is to incline to what one finds agreeable
and harmonious, either:
(1) by the pleasure in its perfection � like love of beautiful
forms, melodious sounds, delicious foods and drink to which one naturally
inclines because they are agreeable;
(2) or by pleasure in the perfection of its noble inner qualities
which is sensed by the intellect and heart�- like love for the
righteous,
scholars and people of correct behaviour whose marvellous lives and
good actions have been related. Man's nature inclines to intense love
for these sorts of things to the point of fanaticism. Such partisanship
of one group against another and sectarianism within a nation can result
in homelands being abandoned, inviolable things being dishonoured, and
lives lost;
(3) or someone can love something because he finds it agreeable
by reason of gaining benefit and blessing from it. The self is naturally
disposed to love that which is good to it.
When you have understood this well, then examine these three
causes of love in respect of the Prophet and you will find that all
three things which inspire love apply to him.
As regards the benefit and blessing his community gain from
him, we have already mentioned the qualities of Allah ta`ala he possessed
� his compassion for them, his mercy for them, his guiding
them, his
tenderness for them and his striving to save them from the Fire. He
is, "merciful, compassionate to the believers," (9:128) and "a
mercy to the worlds," (21:107) and, "a bringer of good news,
a warner and a caller to Allah by His permission." (33:45-46) "He
recites its signs to them and purifies them and teaches them the Book
and the Wisdom," (62:2) and "guides them to a straight
path." (5:16)
What goodness could be worthier or of greater importance than
his goodness to all the believers! What favour could be more universally
beneficial and of greater use than his blessing to all the Muslims since
he is their means to guidance, the one who rescues them from blind
error,
and the one who summons them to success and honour? He is their means
to their Lord and their intercessor. He speaks up on their behalf and
bears witness for them and brings them to eternal life and everlasting
bliss.
So it should be clear to you that love of the
Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa sallam, must be an obligation in the Shari'a because of
the sound traditions we have related and the nature of his overflowing
goodness and universal beauty we have just mentioned.
If a man can love someone who is generous to him just once
or twice in this world, as is well known to be the case, or someone
who saves him from destruction or harm even once, when that damage and
harm are only of a temporary nature, then the one who gives him undying
bliss and protects him from the eternal punishment of Hellfire should
be loved more. A king is loved when his behaviour is good and a ruler
is loved for his upright conduct. Someone who lives far away is loved
for their knowledge or noble character. Whoever possesses all these
qualities in total perfection is more entitled to be loved and more deserving
of attachment.
Ali, describing the Prophet, salla-Allahu `aleyhi wa
sallam, said, "Whoever saw him suddenly was in awe of him. Whoever mixed with
him loved him." We mentioned that one of the Companions could not turn
his eyes away because of his love for him.
