Love for the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam

[ummtaalib]

 

 

Loving the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) is an obligation upon every Muslim male and female. Allah Most High says to the Messenger of Allah:

 

“Say: If you do love Allah, follow (and love) me, Allah will love you.” (3:31)

 

 

 

Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:

 

“None amongst you is a (perfect) believer until I do not become more beloved to him than his father, his children and all the people.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, No. 15)

 

 

 

Abdullah ibn Hisham (Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “We were with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) and he was holding the hand of Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Umar said to Him: “O Messenger of Allah! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:

 

“No, by Him in Whose Hand is my soul, (you will not have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self.”

 

Then Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said to him: “However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Now, O Umar (you are a complete believer).”

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

 

 

The love of the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam  which is obligatory is that you love him more than anything and everything besides Allah Almighty Himself. His love must be more than your own parents, children and all the beloved things.

[ummtaalib]

How much should the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam be loved?

And: How?

 

ANSWER

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

 

This is a very short question, the answer of which requires a long treatise, coupled with a high level of piety and spirituality of which I am certainly void, thus not in a position to really answer it. It would be best answered by those who have reached the higher level of spirituality and possess the true love for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). In any case, I will attempt to mention here briefly what I have heard from some of my teachers on this issue.

 

Loving the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) is an obligation upon every Muslim male and female. Allah Most High says to the Messenger of Allah:

 

“Say: If you do love Allah, follow (and love) me, Allah will love you.” (3:31)

 

Sayyiduna Anas ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “None amongst you is a (perfect) believer until I do not become more beloved to him than his father, his children and all the people.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, No. 15)

 

As for the question ‘How much should the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) be loved?’ is concerned, this is answered in the following verse of the Qur’an:

 

“Say (O Messenger of Allah): If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, or your relatives, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline or the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger or the striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His decision, and Allah guides not the rebellions.” (Surah al-Tawba, 24)

 

Abdullah ibn Hisham (Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “We were with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) and he was holding the hand of Umar ibn al-Khattab (Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Umar said to Him: “O Messenger of Allah! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “No, by Him in Whose Hand is my soul, (you will not have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self.” Then Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said to him: “However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “Now, O Umar (you are a complete believer).” (Sahih al-Bukhari)

 

The above verse of the Qur’an and the Hadith clearly illustrate the fact that, the love of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) which is obligatory is that you love him more than anything and everything besides Allah Almighty Himself. His love must be more than your own parents, children and all the beloved things.

 

This is something that is easy to claim, but the time of judging this would be when one is confronted with choosing between a command of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) and other worldly benefits. When one is faced with choosing between the command and desire of a beloved, such as one’s parents, children or spouse and the guidance of the blessed Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), or when one has to choose between temporary worldly monetary gains and the order of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) to abstain from it. In such cases, if one gave the Messenger of Allah’s command preference over other things, then that would be a sign of true love. However, if preference is given to wealth or the desires and wishes of a beloved over the command of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), then unfortunately, the person’s claim of having complete love for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) will be incorrect.

 

Therefore, the love for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) which is obligatory is that one adheres to all of his commands, implements his ways (sunnah) in one’s life and gives preference to him and his ways over everything and anything in this world.

 

As far as the second question ‘How should he be loved?’ is concerned, there are many ways of loving him.

 

My respected teacher and spiritual guide, Shaykh Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Mutala (the patron of many Islamic institutes in the west including the famous Dar al-Uloom, Bury, UK, a great scholar of Hadith & Tasawwuf and the disciple of the famous Shaykh Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandahlawi (Allah have mercy on him) is renowned for his extreme love for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). In his discourses, he relentlessly encourages the importance of loving the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) and encourages people to acquire this love. He normally gives the following advice:

 

“Love of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) is an obligation (fardh) similar to other obligations, such as performing Salat, giving Zakat, performing Hajj, etc. Every Muslim male and female must have this love for him unless the warning in the Qur’an is quite severe.

 

Many of us claim to have love for him but our actions imply the opposite. The way to love him is that every moment of our life, our hearts and minds must be kept focussed on him. Whatever we may be doing, our minds should be with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace). Each and every action we do, we should ask ourselves “Is the Messenger of Allah happy and pleased with this action of mine?” Don’t let your hearts and minds turn away from the mercy of both worlds for even one moment.” (End of Shaykh Yusuf’s advice)

 

The above shows the importance of keeping that special connection and bond with the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) at all times. We must abstain from any action that may displease him and consequently displease Allah Almighty. We must strive to the best of our ability in following his Sunnah and guidance.

 

Secondly, we should learn and study about his personality and life in general (sirah). We should study his life in depth and then endeavour to follow in his footsteps.

 

Thirdly, we should send blessings (salat & salam) on him, as Allah Almighty Himself has ordered us in the Qur’an.

May Allah Almighty grant us all the true love of our beloved Messenger (Allah bless him & give him peace) and that we follow his ways (sunnah), thus attain his pleasure in this world and intercession in the hereafter.

 

And Allah knows best

 

[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam

Darul Iftaa

Leicester , UK

[ummtaalib]

Loving the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam

 

Loving the Prophet, our Master, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam is amongst the most integral factors of our Imaan (faith). Indeed Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam has stated, “None of you has Imaan until I am more beloved to him than his parents, his children and all of Mankind.”(Bukhari)

 

We find, Alhamdulillah, this love brimming in the hearts of Believers, more so in the month of Rabi-ul-Awwal. This love makes a demand of us and expects us to produce evidence of its veracity.

 

The proof of this is the statement of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam, “Whoever lives his life according to my Sunnah, then indeed he loves me. And whoever loves me will be with me in Jannah.”(Tirmizi)

 

Let this Hadith be our focal point this Rabi-ul-Awwal. Let us be of those whose lives revolve around the Sunnah and thus earn the companionship of our beloved Master Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam in Jannah, Ameen.

 

Masjid Poster available here.

 

 

Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)

Council of Muslim Theologians

223 Alpine Road, Overport, Durban

[ummtaalib]

The Respect of Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullahi Alaih)

Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) possessed great love for the land of Madinah Munawwarah. This love was on account of the love he had for Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Allamah ibn Khalliqaan writes: “Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) never rode a conveyance in the blessed city of Madinah Munawwarah. Even at the time when he grew old and became extremely weak, he preferred to walk rather than being transported by a conveyance. When Imaam Maalik (Rahmatullahi Alaihi) was asked the reason, he mentioned: “I feel extremely difficult to ride on a conveyance in the mubaarak city of Madinah Munawwarah, whereas Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is buried beneath the ground.”  (Muqaddamah of Awjaz pg. 83) 

(Ihyaaudden)

يَا رَبِّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَدًا عَلَى حَبِيبِكَ خَيرِ الخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ

[ummtaalib]

The Love of Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (Radhiallahu Anhu)

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (Radhiallahu Anhu) set out for the Hijrah early at night. During the journey, at times Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (Radhiallahu Anhu) walked ahead of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), and at times behind. At times he walked on the right of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and at times on the left. When Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) noticed this peculiar behaviour, he asked, “O Abu Bakr! I see you moving in front of me or behind me at times and beside me at times. What prompts you to behave in this way?” Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (Radhiallahu Anhu) replied, “Whenever the thought of the enemy pursuing you from the back occurs to me, I move swiftly towards the back, and whenever the fear overcomes me of the enemy waiting ahead in ambush, then I rush ahead of you. Likewise, when the thought crosses my mind of the enemy attacking from the right or left, then I move in that direction.”

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) then said, “O Abu Bakr! Do you prefer that your life be sacrificed for me?” Hadhrat Abu Bakr Siddeeq (Radhiallahu Anhu) replied, “Most definitely O Messenger of Allah, I swear by the Being who has sent you with the truth of Islam!” 

يَا رَبِّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ دَائِمًا أَبَدًا عَلَى حَبِيبِكَ خَيرِ الخَلْقِ كُلِّهِمِ

[ummtaalib]

Love and Reverence for Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam

 

By Shaykhul-Hadīth, Hadrat Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh 

Whenever the blessed name of our beloved Nabī sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam is mentioned, the one who is fortunate to utter this name and also the one who is fortunate to hear his name should, with utmost love and reverence, say, ‘sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam’. Nowadays, there is great negligence amongst youth in this regard. Some years ago, with the now older generation, we would see such great love and enthusiasm in reciting salāt ‘alan nabī (durūd); whenever the following verse would be recited in the khutbah, everyone would read some formula of salāt ‘alan nabī:

Truly, Allāh and His angels send salutations upon the prophet. O you who believe, send salutations and abundant greetings upon him (too). (33:56)

This verse contains a command from Allāh ta‘ālā to send salāt ‘alan nabī as this is an action performed by both Allāh ta‘ālā and His angels. However, for the youth nowadays this verse doesn’t bring any response. When it is recited we do not see anyone reading salāt ‘alan nabī audibly or even silently.

The ‘Ulamā have deduced from this verse that it is fard (compulsory) to send salutations and greetings upon the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam at least once in a lifetime. Thereafter, whenever one participates in any gathering, be it dars on the Qur’ān or hadīth, a lecture or even an informal gathering, then the first time the blessed name of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam is mentioned it is wājib (obligatory) to read salāt ‘alan nabī; thereafter, every time, in the same gathering, whenever the blessed name is mentioned it is mustahab (desirable) to read salāt ‘alan nabī each time.

Remember, love and reverence for the Prophet s dictates that even if the sharī‘ah had not stipulated that salāt ‘alan nabī be read when his blessed name is mentioned, we would still send salutations and greetings upon him in abundance.

So, whenever we hear the verse above read in a khutbah we should read salāt ‘alan nabī. There are many formulae for salāt ‘alan nabī. The most virtuous is the formula that we read in salāh. The shortest formula is ‘sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam’. This is the formula commonly used by the Muhaddithīn and is probably the most frequently recited form.

Our love for the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam should be such that we should not think of it to be a burden; rather, we should be eager to read it whenever we can. If, during  a lecture, the scholar is explaining a point and happens not to mention the name of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam for some time, we should feel that something is missing and eagerly await when the blessed name is mentioned so that we can say salāt ‘alan nabī.

Love and reverence for the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam also dictates that we do not shorten his name when writing it. Many, instead of writing ‘Muhammad’ in full, suffice with writing ‘Mohd’. We write an article or letter of many pages and the only word that we find that we can shorten is the blessed name of the beloved of Allāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam! Similarly, many do not write, for example, ‘sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam’, sufficing with ‘s.a.w’. Again, in the whole letter, article, etc. are these the only words that we can find to shorten? There is a similar trend in the Urdu language where the letters ‘Sād’ or ‘Sād, Lām, ‘Ayn and Mīm’ are used to represent ‘sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam’. Ponder for a while that who is planting these thoughts in your mind about shortening the name and salutation for our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam. What does this show regarding our love and reverence for our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam?

I remember when I was a student in Dārul ‘Ulūm, the way we were taught by our elders and the culture in the madrāsah was such that as the blessed name of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam was mentioned again and again, it was very difficult to take down all the notes from the lectures and also write the name of the Prophet s with salutations. Therefore, in our notes, wherever we had to write the blessed name of the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam and salutations, we would leave out a blank space and after class, in our own time, with our best handwriting we would write the salutations in our note books.

I would also like to bring an important point to the attention of many lecturers, who speak with the most eloquent language and accents, yet, when it comes to salāt ‘alan nabī they quickly mumble the words, void of love and reverence. Is this the level of our love and reverence for our Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam? 

In reading salāt ‘alan nabī there is nothing but benefit for us:

1.    Allāh ta‘ālā sends ten mercies upon a person who recites salāt ‘alan nabī once.

2.    Ten sins are forgiven.

3.    The person’s rank is raised by ten degrees.

4.    Ten rewards are written for him.

5.    There is acceptance of du‘ā where salāt ‘alan nabī is recited at the beginning and at the end.

6.    The person will be blessed with the intercession of Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam.

7.    Allāh ta‘ālā will forgive his sins.

8.    Allāh ta‘ālā is pleased with him.

9.    The person will be nearer to the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam on the Day of Judgement.

10.  The person will have all his worries removed in this world and the Hereafter.

The great luminary in the field of tazkiyah and ihsān, Shaykhul-Hadīth, Hadrat Mawlānā Muhammad Zakariyyā rahimahullāh would often receive letters regarding different problems and he would reply with appropriate answers. However, one point he would emphasise on in every reply was to be punctual in the recitation of salāt ‘alan nabī.

ہر درد کی دوا ہے صلِّ علیٰ محمّد (صل اللہ علیہ وسلم)

There is a solution to every problem in sending salutations
upon Muhammad sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam.

Finally, the great shaykh, Hadrat Mawlānā Rashīd Ahmad Gangohī rahimahullāh would instruct that salāt ‘alan nabī be read a minimum of 300 times daily by every Muslim. In the beginning, we could read the shortest formula of salāt ‘alan nabī mentioned above. After that we should try to recite salāt ‘alan nabī with the most virtuous salāt ‘alan nabī mixed in after every 10-15 of the shortest formula. This figure of 300 should be increased on the day of Friday, as the day of Friday has a special affinity with the Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam.

May Allāh ta‘ālā enable us to read salāt ‘alan nabī in abundance and have true love and reverence for our beloved Prophet sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam.

Taken from Riyādul Jannah, Vol. 19 No. 9/10, 2010

© Islāmic Da'wah Academy

[Bint e Aisha]

[Bint e Aisha]

The Great Tābi' Sayyidunā Thābit al-Bunānī (رحمه الله) kissed the hand of The Sahābī Sayyidunā Anas bin Mālik ( رضي الله عنه ) and then placed it on his face, saying:
'This is the hand that touched the hand of The Messenger of Allāh صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم.'

[adh-Dhahabī; Mu'jam 1/73/58]

[Bint e Aisha]

[Bint e Aisha]