After briefly discussing the love of Allah Most High for His Messenger ﷺ, we will now look at the love of creation for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, starting with his Sahaba (companions). It should be pointed out however that the love of any of Allah’s creation for the Prophet ﷺ in reality is merely an extension of the love of Allah. This is because Allah Almighty is the one who has commanded us and inspired us to love him ﷺ.
The love of the Sahaba (Companions) for the Prophet ﷺ
- The Sahaba would constantly miss the Prophet ﷺ and could not wait to be with him.
They even feared they would get to paradise and not be with him!
A man (either Thawban or Abdullah bin Zayd) came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him:
“O Messenger of Allah! I swear you are more beloved to me than myself, my family and my possessions; and I keep thinking of you until I cannot rest unless I come to you.
When I contemplate about my death and yours, I know that you will be with the Prophets when you enter Paradise, and if I enter it I will not see you.”
And so Allah revealed:
وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَآءِ وَالصَّـلِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـئِكَ رَفِيقاً“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace, of the Prophets, the true believers, the martyrs, and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!”
Then the Prophet ﷺ called him over and read the verse to him.
(Tabarani and Ibn Mardawayh)
- They loved him more than they loved themselves
The Sahaba would sacrifice everything to protect the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. During battles they would throw themselves in front of him when the enemies would launch arrows at him.
Before Sayiduna Zayd bin al-Dathina was executed by the Quraish, Abu Sufyan (who was not Muslim at the time) said to him:
“By Allah, O Zayd, would you not like for Muhammad to be here in your place now so that we could strike his neck, if it meant you could be safe at home?”
Zayd replied:
“By Allah, I would not even like for Muhammad to remain where he is now and for a thorn to prick him, that I might thereby sit in my home!”
Abu Sufyan said:
“I have never seen anyone love anyone more than the Companions of Muhammad love Muhammad!”
Bayhaqi
- They loved him more than they loved their children
Ali ibn Abi Talib was asked,
“How was your love for the Messenger of Allah?” He replied:
“By Allah, we loved him more than our wealth, our sons, our fathers and our mothers, and more than cold water in a time of great thirst.”
Qadi Iyad
There is also the famous story of the woman whose father, brother, and husband were all martyred at the battle of Uhud. When she was informed about this she immediately asked “How is the Messenger of Allah?” She then requested to be shown the Prophet ﷺ so she could be sure he was ok (al-Shifa, Qadi Iyad). Look how she was so concerned with the Prophet ﷺ; even more than her own father, brother, and husband who had been martyred!
- They would seek blessings from the body of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Urwa Bin Masud was sent to negotiate with the Prophet ﷺ at Hudaybiyah. Upon returning to the Quraish he said:
“What kind of people are these? By Allāh, I have been in delegations sent to kings, delegations sent to the Qaysar, Kisra and the Negus, but I have never seen a king extolled by his companions as the companions of Muhammad ﷺ extol him!
By Allāh, he does not spit except that it falls in the hands of one of them, who then rubs his face and body with it. If he commands them, they hasten to carry out his order. When he performs wudu, they almost fight to get his leftover wudu water.
When they speak in his presence, they lower their voices, and out of awe of him, they never stare directly at him.”
Bukhari
Sayiduna Anas narrates:
“I saw the Prophet ﷺ as his head was being shaved. His Companions would gather around him and no lock of [his] hair would fall, save that it fell into the hand of one of them.”
Muslim
Alhamdulillah, these same blessed hairs have been passed on from generation to generation until today.
If Allah wills there will be a dedicated article where many more examples of seeking blessings from the Prophet’s ﷺ body and belongings will be mentioned.
- They would recite poetry in praise of him.
Over 180 Sahaba are recorded to have written poetry in praise of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ including his uncle Abbas, Hasan bin Thabit, Kab ibn Malik, Kab ibn Zuhayr and his wife Sayida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).
Sayiduna Abbas famously recited the following verses of poetry to the Prophet ﷺ:
When you were born, the earth began to shine and the horizons were illuminated by your light
And we are traveling in that very illumination, that light and those paths of guidance
Tabarani
- They would be ecstatic at receiving praise from him ﷺ
Sayiduna Ali said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to myself, Ja’far (ibn abi Talib) and Zayd (ibn Haritha) and he said to Zayd:
“You are our brother and freeman”. (Upon hearing this) Zayd began to dance (hajala)*.
Then he ﷺ said to Ja’far “You resemble me in appearance and character”. So Ja’far began to dance behind Zayd.
Then he ﷺ said to me “You are from me and I am from you”. So I began to dance behind Ja’far!
Bayhaqi
*Ha-ja-la is to dance by lifting one leg and hopping on the other out of joy.
- They would love what he loved
Sayiduna Anas found out that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ liked eating pumpkin. He said
I have loved pumpkin from that day.
Ash-Shifa, Qadi Iyad
- They would long for the Prophet ﷺ after his passing
It is related that once Abdullah ibn Umar’s foot went numb. He was told, “Remember the most beloved of people to you and it will go away!”
He shouted, “Ya Muhammad!” and the feeling returned.
(Bukhari in Adab al-Mufrad)
When Sayiduna Bilal was near death, his wife called out, “O sorrow!”
Bilal said, “O what joy! Tomorrow I will meet those I love, Muhammad and his companions!”
ash-Shifa, Qadi Iyad
If Allah Most High wills, in the next part we will discuss the love of the early Muslims for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Orthodox Muslim 