Having looked at some of what has been transmitted on this topic, it is only appropriate for us to now learn about the signs of love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, in order that we can make them a criterion which we can test ourselves against.
Signs of love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
- Following the Sharia and sticking to his ﷺ Sunnah
Allah Most High says in al-Quran al-Kareem:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
“Say [O Prophet]: “If you love Allah, follow me [and] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
Surah Ali Imran: 31
If someone claims to love God, then the test to judge their claim is in whether or not they follow the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Therefore Christians, Jews and others who says they believe in One Lord must follow the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and adopt his religion because all previous religions have now been abrogated.
As for us Muslims, then we must strive to study, follow and emulate the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to prove that we really do love Allah Most High and that we truly desire that He loves us. There is no route to Allah except that it goes through the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Undoubtedly, the strongest and most truthful lovers will be those who adhere to the Sharia and cling tightly to the Sunnah. Having said the above, it should be noted that even a sinful person who struggles to stick to the Sharia and Sunnah, can in fact love the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Love for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is something natural and there are countless examples of people who have fallen in love with him ﷺ, yet they were not necessarily the most outwardly pious believers. Yes, real love manifests in actions, but it is something primarily in the hearts. This will be discussed further in the next part if Allah Most High wills.
- To have reverence for him ﷺ and praise him ﷺ
No person in history has been praised as much as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. This praise continues till this day as millions of people each day mention his name in the prayer, the Azan, the khutbahs (sermons) and most importantly in the Holy Quran itself. The Sahaba would revere and praise the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we should take every opportunity to do the same.
The early Muslims would never mention the Prophet ﷺ other than with the utmost respect, so much so, that their colour would change and their faces would go pale when he was mentioned. In many Muslim cultures it is common practice to place the hand on one’s heart when he ﷺ is mentioned and others kiss the thumbnails and wipe their eyelids after saying the blessed name of the Prophet ﷺ. The minimum is to recite salawat on him when he is mentioned (for example by saying ‘salalahu alayhi wa salam’).
- To recite salawat and salam upon him abundantly
Imam al-Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The miser is the one whom in front of I am mentioned, and he does not send prayers upon me”
Tirmidhi
Imam Zain al-Abideen said:
“The distinguishing feature of Sunnis is their frequent sending of prayers upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ”
al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib
- To have desire to see him ﷺ and meet him ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Amongst those who love me the most from my Ummah will be a people who come after me. Each of them will be ready to part from his family and wealth just to see me.”
Muslim
We may not have had the opportunity to meet the Beloved Prophet ﷺ during his physical life, however he has given us the good news that it is still possible. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ famously said:
“Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me, for Satan cannot imitate me.”
Ibn Majah
Every night there are members of this Ummah, somewhere in the world, who see the Prophet ﷺ in their dreams. Seeing the Messenger of Allah ﷺ should be a goal for all of us. If we are not going to sleep each night with the desire to do so then this is an indication that we are lacking in our Islam.
- Visiting him often as possible (in al-Medina al-Munawara)
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is reported to have said:
“Whoever visits my grave, my intercession will be guaranteed for him”
Daraqutni 1
Every Sunni Muslim who performs the minor or major pilgrimage (Umrah or Hajj) will ensure that they visit the holy city of Medina before or after the holy city of Makkah. Whilst visiting the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Medina may not be a condition for the validity of the pilgrimage, it is as the Ulema have said, a condition of love.
- Loving his ﷺ family and companions
Allah Most High commands His Prophet ﷺ in the Quran to say:
قُل لَّآ أَسْـَٔلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا ٱلْمَوَدَّةَ فِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ
Say (O Muhammad); “I don’t ask you for any reward for this except that you love my family”.
Surah al-Shura: 23
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Love Allah for what He nourishes you of His blessings. Love me due to the love of Allah. And love my family due to your love of me.”
Tirmidhi
“Allah, Allah! Fear Him with regard to my Companions! Do not make them targets after me. Whoever loves them loves them with his love for me; and whoever hates them hates them with his hatred for me. Whoever bears enmity for them bears enmity for me; and whoever bears enmity for me, bears enmity for Allah. Whoever bears enmity for Allah is about to be seized”
Ahmed and Tirmidhi
Some sects went astray due to their speaking ill of the Sahaba and others went astray due to their animosity towards the Ahl al-Bait. The correct way is the way of the Ahl al-Sunna wa al-jama’ah which is to love the Sahaba and the Ahl al-Bait just as Allah Most High and His Messenger ﷺ commanded us to.
- To remember him often and mention him often
Can anybody claim to love another but then never speak about that person? Can we really love somebody without that person being on our mind constantly? Any sensible person would admit that this would be a very weak claim to love. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ should always be on our minds. We should never become tired of speaking about him, hearing stories of him, reading his sayings and listening to his praise. Obsessions and addictions are rarely positive. But when it comes to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we must be obsessed with him and addicted to his remembrance.
Some of the Awliya (friends of Allah) would say that if the vision of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was absent from them for even a moment, they would no longer consider themselves to be Muslim!
If Allah Most High wills, in the final part we will answer some doubts and objections which revolve around this topic.
- Some have declared the Hadith weak however it is actually ‘hasan’ i.e. fair. It is certainly not fabricated as some have mentioned. See Sheikh Gibril Haddad’s research on this.
Orthodox Muslim 