The Obligation to Increase the Love and Honor of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace)

Allah asks the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) to remind his Nation that it is essential for those who claim to love God, to love His Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace):

"Say to them: If you love God, follow (and love and honor) me, and God will love you" (3:31).

see also http://www.abc.se/~m9783/lp_e.html#lp-c2#lp-c2 - (2)

This obligation to love the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) means to obey him, to remember him, to follow his example, and to be proud of him as Allah is proud of him, since Allah has boasted about him in His Holy Book by saying:

"Truly you are of a magnificent character" (al-Qalam:4).

 Love of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) is what differentiates the believers in the perfection of their imaan. In an authentic hadith related in Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:

"None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people." In another hadith in Bukhari he said: "None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself."

Perfection of faith is dependent on love of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) because Allah and His angels are constantly raising his honor, as is meant in the verse:

"Allah and His angels are praying on the Prophet" (Allah bless him & give him peace) (33:56).

The Divine order that immediately follows in the verse:

"O believers, pray on him,"

makes it clear that the quality of being a believer is dependent on and manifested by praying on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace).

O Allah! Send peace and blessings on the Prophet, his family, and his companions. see also http://www.abc.se/~m9783/lp_e.html#lp-c3#lp-c3 - (3) .

Auzubillahim minash shaitan ir rajeem,

Bismillah ir rehman ir rahim

Assalamualikum wa rahmatullah,

How much should the Prophet be loved? And: How?

Answerd by Muhammad ibn Adam al-Kawthari

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) is 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 mentions 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 focused 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 give 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.

The Birth of Islam 1

In the holiest land of Arabia
In the tribal of Quresh
It was in Makkah
The Prophet Mohammad was born
The Holy Quran was blessed upon him in cave of Hira
When Gabriel asked him to recite Holy Quran
It was the beginning of the religion Islam
This is how Islam was born
Prophet Mohammad said there are five pillars of Islam
Faith in Allah, Prayers, Fasting, Charity and Haj
He said tolerance is what Islam teaches
Without these basic things there is no Islam
He travel across the communities
And said I am the messenger of Allah
Read this Holy book, this is word of Allah
This is Holy Quran as it comes to me
When the news of Mohammad reaches Far East
King of Egypt came to meet Prophet Mohammad

He was surprised to see his living style
He thought that he might be living in a castle
And found him sitting and preaching under a tree
Is this is how you live? asked the King
Yes he said I am Mohammad my life is simple as you see
I am not a King or have any servants
And the castle that you were expecting to see
Allah has given me all that I need
My life is simple as you can see
Where is your food that you eat?" asked the King
Prophet Mohammad said this is dates, which I eat
That king was so impressed by what he saw
And said "Like you a true Muslim can I also be"?
Prophet Mohammad said always forgive your enemy
As I did to that lady who used to throw garbage at me
One day no garbage came on me
I began to worry about her health
And found her in great pain
I comfort her and provided help that she need
She began to cry and said I am feeling ashamed for what I did?

She was so impressed and became a Muslim
At the age of 63, when he was near to his death
He calls to all Muslims to have unity
I am leaving behind for you two things to follow
It is my life (sunnah) and the Holy Quran.

Copy right ( 2005 ) Wasi Siddiqui

Nausheen wrote: The Obligation to Increase the Love and Honor of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) Allah asks the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) to remind his Nation that it is essential for those who claim to love God, to love His Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace): "Say to them: If you love God, follow (and love and honor) me, and God will love you" (3:31). see also http://www.abc.se/%7Em9783/lp_e.html#lp-c2#lp-c2 - This obligation to love the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) means to obey him, to remember him, to follow his example, and to be proud of him as Allah is proud of him, since Allah has boasted about him in His Holy Book by saying: "Truly you are of a magnificent character" (al-Qalam:4).  Love of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) is what differentiates the believers in the perfection of their imaan. In an authentic hadith related in Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: "None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people." In another hadith in Bukhari he said: "None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself." Perfection of faith is dependent on love of the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) because Allah and His angels are constantly raising his honor, as is meant in the verse: "Allah and His angels are praying on the Prophet" (Allah bless him & give him peace) (33:56). The Divine order that immediately follows in the verse: "O believers, pray on him," makes it clear that the quality of being a believer is dependent on and manifested by praying on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace). O Allah! Send peace and blessings on the Prophet, his family, and his companions. see also http://www.abc.se/%7Em9783/lp_e.html#lp-c3#lp-c3 - . 2. Allah Said: Invoke Blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) We are encouraged to pray on the Prophet (pbuh) and to praise him, which is an obligation on us through Allah's order in the verse: "Allah and His angels are praying on (and praising) the Prophet; O believers! pray on (and praise) him and send him utmost greetings" (al-Ahzab:56). see also http://www.abc.se/%7Em9783/lp_e.html#lp-c1#lp-c1 - 3. Allah Said: Rejoice in the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) To express happiness for the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) coming to us is an obligation given by Allah through Qur'an, as Allah said in Qur'an: "Of the favor and mercy of Allah let them rejoice" (Sura Yunus(10:58) This order came because joy makes the heart grateful for the mercy of Allah. And What greater mercy did Allah give than the Prophet himself (Allah bless him & give him peace), of whom Allah says, "We did not send you except as a mercy to human beings" (Al-Anbiya' 107). Because the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) was sent as a mercy to all mankind, it is incumbent not only upon Muslims, but upon all human beings to rejoice in his person. Unfortunately, today too, there are some people who reject Allah's order to rejoice in His Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace).

Hi Nausheen,

You wrote:

Allah Said: Invoke Blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace)

Allah Said: Rejoice in the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace)

[quote =Jazz]

[ A Tree and Its Fruit ] "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves...[/quote]

Hi Jazz,

If you truly believe that this is the message of Jesus Christ that you have quoted, then stick to it and let us analyse as who could these �false prophet�  be? Here is the quote from Mathew 7 that you have referred from:

� ¹⁵`But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves. �

So in this part of the passage, Jesus informs his followers to be careful about those who would come in �sheep�s� clothing, i.e. who would disguise themselves as the true followers of Jesus but actually they would be the ravening wolves i.e. �false prophets�.

So let us further analyse in the course of history as who could best fit this description? Obviously, any one that is described must wear the �sheep�s clothing� i.e. to profess as the most ardent believer of Jesus. Isn�t it? Otherwise how this �sheep�s clothing� can fit to anyone else simply because he would obviously be recognized immediately. Let us go further ahead in the same passage of Mathew 7 and see as what Jesus has to say as whom could these be said about. We find that :

�   ²¹`Not every one who is saying to me Lord, lord, shall come into the reign of the heavens; but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens.�

Here we clearly get the picture that such would be those who would be calling him as �Lord, lord� i.e. to say that those would definitely be among the Christians themselves and not anyone else. On the same note, we further read that:

   ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, lord, have we not in thy name prophesied? and in thy name cast out demons? and in thy name done many mighty things? �

Now this verse categorically describe such �wolves in sheep�s clothing� as those who would claim to �cast out demons and have done many things� on the name of Jesus. These personalities can�t be anyone else other than from among the Christians, especially those who totally changed the message of Jesus where he said that he has not come to change the law but to fulfill it. Yet we find the teachings of St. Paul totally contradictory to these. Keep following the same direction and the Jesus clearly talks about this lawlessness. Here we read as what Jesus talks about them �

   ²³and then I will acknowledge to them, that -- I never knew you, depart from me ye who are working lawlessness. �