In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Kind. May the best of peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Master, the Best of creation Sayyidina Muhammad ﷺ, upon His pure family and blessed companions until the end of time and beyond.
Allah Ta’ala has stated in the Quran:
قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah). -Quran 9:24
The love of the Prophet ﷺ is the foundation and pinnacle of faith. Without love of the Prophet ﷺ one is without true faith and guidance. The ayah above is clearly states the necessity of loving the Noble Prophet ﷺ, and is a means and encouragement to attain salvation in both worlds through loving Him ﷺ and a warning for those who prefer the world over what Allah Ta’ala has legislated in the Qur’an, for every true believer must love the Prophet ﷺ more than everything and everyone, for if it was not for Him ﷺ, we would never have known Allah Ta’ala not would the creation have come into existence.
Sayyiduna Ana’s narrates that The Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ثَلاَثٌ مَنْ كُنَّ فِيهِ وَجَدَ حَلاَوَةَ الإِيمَانِ مَنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِمَّا سِوَاهُمَا وَمَنْ أَحَبَّ عَبْدًا لاَ يُحِبُّهُ إِلاَّ لِلَّهِ وَمَنْ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَعُودَ فِي الْكُفْرِ بَعْدَ إِذْ أَنْقَذَهُ اللَّهُ كَمَا يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُلْقَى فِي النَّارِ
There are three things which cause anyone who takes refuge in them, to experience the sweetness of faith. That Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to hm than anything else, that he loves a man only for Allah, and that he dislikes the thought of reverting to disbelief as much as he dislikes being thrown in the fire’ (Sahih al Bukhari)
In another narration reported on the authority of Sayyiduna Ana’s radiAllahu anhu, The Noble Prophet ﷺ said:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم) لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَلَدِهِ وَوَالِدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ)
“None of you have faith until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father, and all of the people.” (Sahih al Bukhari)
Loving the Prophet ﷺ is true faith, and deficiency in this love is deficiency of faith (Imaan) and perfection in this love, is perfection in faith (Imaan).
Qadi Iyad (radiAllahu anhu) has mentioned in his Kitab al Shifa, ‘Sahl said, ‘Whoever does not think that the Noble Messenger of Allah ﷺ is his Master in all states or that he is under the dominion of the Prophet ﷺ does not taste the sweetness of His ﷺ Sunna because the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘None of you will believe until I am more dearer to him than (even) himself.’
Loving the Prophet ﷺ has countless blessings and virtues which are too many to list and the full extent is only known by Allah Ta’ala and His Beloved Messenger ﷺ. The scholars and Gnostics have mentioned much in this regard amongst which is, the one who loves the Prophet ﷺ will come under the Protection of Allah Ta’ala from His wrath and punishment, he will become illuminated in this world and the next and will be granted the ability to perform much good.
A lover of the Prophet ﷺ will be given the immense honour to be with Him ﷺ, as is narrated in the Hadith reported by Sayyiduna Ana’s radiAllahu anhu:
عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَجُلاً، سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ السَّاعَةِ، فَقَالَ مَتَى السَّاعَةُ قَالَ ” وَمَاذَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا ”. قَالَ لاَ شَىْءَ إِلاَّ أَنِّي أُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم. فَقَالَ ” أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ ”. قَالَ أَنَسٌ فَمَا فَرِحْنَا بِشَىْءٍ فَرَحَنَا بِقَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ ”. قَالَ أَنَسٌ فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ، وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ بِحُبِّي إِيَّاهُمْ، وَإِنْ لَمْ أَعْمَلْ بِمِثْلِ أَعْمَالِهِمْ.
‘A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, ‘When will the last Hour come, O Messenger of Allah ﷺ?’ He ﷺ replied: ‘What have you prepared for it?’ The man said: ‘I have not prepared a lot of prayer or fasting or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.’ The Noble Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘You will be with the one you love.’ We had never been so glad as we were on hearing this saying of the Prophet (i.e., “You will be with those whom you love.”) Therefore, I love the Prophet, (Sayyiduna) Abu Bakr and (Sayyiduna) `Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs.
A man came to The Prophet ﷺ and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I love you more than my family and my possessions. I remember You and I cannot wait I can come and look at You. I remember that I will die and You shall leave this world too and I know that when You will enter the Garden, You will be raised up with the Prophets. When I enter it, I will not see You.’ Allah Ta’ala then revealed the verses:
وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا
And whoso obeys Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad SAW), then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His Grace, of the Prophets, the Siddiqun (those followers of the Prophets who were first and foremost to believe in them, like Abu Bakr As-Siddiq), the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are! -Quran 4:69
The Prophet ﷺ (then) called the man and recited the verses to him. (Al-Tabarani)
Sayyiduna Ana’s radiAlahu anhu narrates, The Noble Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘Whoever love me will be with me in the Garden’ (Al-Isfahani as narrated by Qadi Iyad in Ash Shifa bi Ta’rif Huquq al-Mustafa ﷺ).
We beg Allah Ta’ala to forgive our sins, both major and minor, grant us the true love of the Prophet ﷺ in this world, at the time of death, in the grave, on the Day of Judgement and on al-Jannah tul Firdaws. May we always remain with al Habib al Azam ﷺ in this world and the next in a state of bliss. Ameen al Fatiha.