True Love Of The Prophet
(saws) According To The Book And The Sunnah
Allah has commanded in the Qur'an
:
"O you who
believe! Have Taqwah (true fear of Allah) according to His right
and die not except that you are a Muslim. OMankind! Have Taqwah
of your Lord. The One Who created you from a single soul and from
him He created his mate and from them both He created many men and
women and fear Allah through Whom you demand your mutual rights
and do not cut off the ties of kinship; surely Allah is ever a Raqeeb
(All-Watcher) over you. O you who believe! Have Taqwah of Allah
and always speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good
deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah
and His Messenger (saws) he has indeed achieved a great achievement."
Verily, the best speech is the Book
of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ibnu
'Abd Allah (saws). The worst of all affairs in this Deen are innovations.
Every innovation is a Bid'ah and every Bid'ah is a going astray
and every going astray is in the Hell Fire.
Developing True Love for Allah's
Messenger (saws):
Having the proper love for Allah's
Messenger (saws) is a must for any Muslim who is striving to please
his/her Lord and who seeks his/her Lord's Forgiveness. Learning
how to
properly apply this love for the
last Prophet (saws) is to properly implement the testimony: wa
ash hadu ana Muhammadan rusulu Allah (saws).
Indeed, one cannot just say he/she
loves the Prophet (saws) while his/her actions and 'Aqeedah
are fundamentally against what the Prophet (saws) brought (i.e.
the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah). Hence, the first step in the
process of developing this love is to acknowledge that the Prophet
(saws) has a claim over the believers.
Allah has said in the Qur'an:
"The Prophet
(saws) is closer to the believers than their ownselves..."
(Qur'an Al-Ahzab:
6)
Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah (Rahimullah),
one of the great scholars of this Ummah, relates that this Ayah
means the Prophet (saws) has a "higher claim" on the believers
than
they have on themselves. This claim
involves two important matters:
1.
We consider Allah's Messenger (saws) to be dearer than one's
own self.
This is so because this claim is
based on love. One has the most claims to oneself for one loves
oneself more than anything. Thus, a person knows what types of foods,
clothing, etc. he/she likes to eat, drink, etc. more than all others.
However, when it comes to Islam, we know that Allah knows us better
than we know ourselves; thus, we submit to Him and His Orders. When
it comes to the Prophet (saws), we are to love him more than our
own selves; thus, we too put his commandments above our own opinions,
logic, etc.
Once this true love is established,
compliance, obedience, satisfaction with his (saws) judgements,
and other matters related to true love will follow. This is confirmed
in the following authentic Hadith found in Sahih Al-Bukhari:
Narrated 'Abd Allah bin Hisham:
'We were with the Prophet (saws)
and he was holding the hand of 'Umar ibnu Al-Khattab (ra). 'Umar
said to him, "O Allah's Messenger (saws)! You are dearer to
me than everything except my ownself." Allah's Messenger (saws)
said: "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have
complete Faith) untill I am dearer to you than your ownself."
Then 'Umar (ra) said: "However, now, by Allah, you are dearer
to me than my ownself." He (saws) then said: "Now, O 'Umar,
(now you are a believer)."
Lessons from this Hadith:
A.
The Negation and Affirmation:
The Prophet (saws) negates (i.e.
rejects, denies) that a person can have complete Imaan with his
statement, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is...". Thus,
the affirmation,
or condition of having complete Imaan,
follows: "...until I am dearer to you than your ownself...".
Therefore, the Muslim will never attain true Imaan unless he/she
considers
the Prophet (saws) to be dearer to
him/her than everything including one's ownself.
B.
Character of the Sahabah:
Upon hearing that true Imaan can
only be achieved through loving the Messenger (saws) more than everything,
including one's self, 'Umar (ra) quickly complied with the Commandment
of the Prophet (saws). The Sahabah wasted no time in doing those
acts which were pleasing to Allah and His Messenger (saws).
2. Second Important Matter:
The Messenger (saws) has more rule
over an individual than that individual has over his/herself. This
means that a person only does those actions, which are in accordance
with
the Book of Allah and the authentic
Sunnah of His Messenger (saws).
Therefore, three critical conditions
must be fulfilled in order for a deed to be accepted:
a.
One must confess his/her belief in Islam (i.e. one must be a Muslim).
b.
One must have Ikhlas of the Niyah (i.e. purity of the intention).
c.
One must do that deed in accordance with the Book of Allah and the
authentic Sunnah
of His Messenger (saws).
If one of these conditions are not
meet, that person's deed will not benefit him/her in the least.
Of course, absence of knowledge is always an exception (e.g. a person
may make
Wudhu but does not know the specific
parts of the body that are to be washed; thus, he/she washes those
parts, which he/she thinks to be significant. His/her Wudhu was
not
done in accordance with the Book
and the Sunnah; however, he/she did not know the way to make Wudhu
according to the Book and the Sunnah; hence, their Wudhu would be
accepted for a. and b. were fulfilled, wa Allahu 'alam).
.
These are the conditions, which the
Salaaf As-Salih (Pious Predecessors) understood with regards to
the acceptance and rejection of a deed.
Another implications of the testimony:
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (saws).
Belief that He (saws) Was Sent
to All of Mankind and The Jinn
Verily, Allah has said in the Qur'an
:
"Say (O Muhammad
(saws)): O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger
of Allah - to Whom belongs the dominion of the Heavens and the Earth.
La illaha illa
Huwa (none has
the right to be worshipped but He). It is He Who gives life and
causes death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger (saws), the
Prophet who can neither read nor write, who believes in Allah and
His Words, and follow him so that you may be guided."
(Qur'an Al-A'raf:
158)
The Prophet (saws) said: "And
the Prophets were formerly sent to their people only, whereas I
have been sent to all mankind."
Al-Bukhari and Muslim
Therefore, recognizing that he (saws)
was sent as a mercy to all of mankind will, Insha'Allah, help kindle
the proper love for him which will be manifested through obedience
to his rulings.
Finality Of His Prophethood
Indeed, there is no Messenger/Prophet
after Muhammd ibnu 'Abd Allah (saws) as Allah, Ta 'Ala, says in
His Book:
"Muhammad
(saws) is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger
of Allah, and the last (end) of the Prophets. Allah is Ever All-Aware
of everything."
(Qur'an Al-Ahzab:
40)
The Prophet (saws) has said : "And
the line of the Prophets is closed with me."
Muslim
Believing that Muhammad (saws) is
the final Messenger of Allah confirms Allah's statement :
"...This day,
I have perfected your religion for you, completed my Favour upon
you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion..."
(Qur'an Al-Ma'idah:3
(in part)
Thus, if Islam were not a complete
way of life, then this religion would need to be constantly updated.
In order to update this religion, there would have to be another
Prophet after Muhammad (saws). However, this is not so as Allah
completed this Deen and it can never be changed from its true form.
Believing That He (Saws) Has Been
Given Two (2) Relations
Al-Hamdulilah, Allah has given the
Prophet (saws) two revelations. These are, of course, the Qur'an
and the authentic Sunnah. Allah confirms this with His saying :
"Nor does
he (Muhammad (saws)) speak of his own desire. It is only an Inspiration
that is inspired."
(Qur'an An-Najm:
3-4)
"Indeed, Allah
conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them
a Messenger (Muhammad (saws)) from among themselves, reciting unto
them His Verses (the Qur'an), and purifying them (from sins by their
following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur'an)
and Al-Hikmah (the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws) -
i.e. his legal ways, statements, actions, etc.), while before that
they had been in manifest error."
(Qur'an Al-'Imran:
164)
The Prophet (saws) has also said:
"I have, indeed, been given
the Qur'an and something like it along with it (i.e. his Sunnah)."
Abu Dawud
Thus, there is no mere choice between
following the Sunnah and not following it. It has been sent down
as part of revelation; thus, it must be adhered to in full. It is
adhered to the way the Prophet (saws) explained it and the way the
Sahabah understood it. Allah confirms this with His saying :
"We sent no
Messenger, but to be obeyed by the permission of Allah."
"Obey Allah,
and the Messenger (saws). But if they turn away (then know), that
Allah loves not the infidels."
(Qur'an Al-'Imran:
31-32)
The Prophet Has Rights Upon His
Followers
These rights are:
1.
We believe in what the Prophet Muhammad (saws) has said.
2.
We obey him in what has been commanded and forsake what he has forbidden
or
discouraged.
3.
We worship Allah according to the Shar'iah of His Messenger (saws),
not by whims and Bid'ah
(innovations).
4.
We judge ourselves by the Shar'iah of Prophet Muhammad (saws), and
not by any other law.
5.
We love Allah's Messenger (saws) more than our parents, Children,
all of mankind, indeed our very selves.
Allah has confirmed the above with
His statement:
"Say (to them
O Muhammad (saws)): If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will
love you, and forgive you your sins; Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful.
Say: Obey Allah, and the Messenger (saws), but if they turn away
(then know), that Allah loves not the infidels."
(Qur'an Al-'Imran:
31-32)
"And let those
who oppose his (Muhammad's (saws)) command beware, lest a trail
befall them (that will lead them to Kuffur) or a painful punishment
be inflicted on them."
(Qur'an An-Nur:
63)
"You have
indeed a good example in the Messenger of Allah (saws) for whosoever
hopes for Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much."
(Qur'an Al-Ahzab:
21)
"It is not
for any believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger (saws)
have decreed a matter, to have the choice in their affair. And whosoever
disobeys Allah and His Messenger (saws) he has gone astray into
manifest error."
(Qur'an Al-Ahzab:
36)
"But no, by
your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad
(saws)) judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls
no resistance against your decisions, but accept (them) fully with
submission."
(Qur'an An-Nisa:
65)
Thus, we see in this last Ayah that
Allah negates that a person can have Iman unless that person makes
the Prophet (saws) judge in *all* affairs and that we accept his
(saws) decisions with submission. This Ayah is indeed serious as
Allah swears to this negation with His saying, "But no,
by your Lord...".
The Prophet (saws) stressed the importance
of obeying and following his Sunnah with his saying :
"All of my people will enter
Jennah except those who refuse." When asked about those who
refuse, he said: "He who obeys me will enter Jennah, while
he who disobeys me has refused."
Al-Bukhari
He (saws) also said : "If anyone
introduces into this affair of ours anything which does not belong
to it, it is rejected."
Al-Bukhari and Muslim
And:
"None
of you believes untill I am dearer to him than his father, his child,
and all of mankind."
Al-Bukhari and Muslim
And:
"There are qualities for which
anyone who is characterized by them will experiece the sweetness
of Imaan: he to whom Allah and His Messenger (saws) are dearer than
all else; he who loves a human being for Allah's Sake alone; and
who has as great an abhorrence of returning to Kuffur (disbelief)
after Allah has rescued him from it as he has being cast into the
Hell Fire."
Al-Bukhari and Muslim
Although the Prophet (saws) is the
best of examples and following his Sunnah is obligatory, we must
remember that it is not right to overpraise him (saws) as he was
not divine, but a man. Some deviant sects of Islam direct their
'Ibaadah to the Prophet (saws); however, this is Shirk
Al-Akbar (association in the highest degree) which will not
be forgiven unless that person makes sincere Tawbah before
his/her death.
A "Man" And Not Divine
Allah says:
"Say (O Muhammad
(saws)): I am only a man like you: it is revealed to me that your
God is One God: So, let him who hopes for the meeting with his Lord,
do righteousness, and not associate anything in the worship of hsi
Lord."
(Qur'an Al-Kahf:
111)
The Prophet (saws) said:
"Do not over praise me as the
Christians over praised the son of Mary (i.e. 'Isa (as). I am His
slave, so say: Allah's slave and Messenger."
Al-Bukhari and Muslim
Sending Salaat and Salaam upon
Prophet Muhammed (saws)
This is an action which the believer
are commanded to do as Allah says in the Qur'an :
"Indeed, Allah
and His angels send Salaat (i.e. Allah mentions the Prophet's (saws)
name in the presence of the angels) upon the Prophet (saws). O you
who believe! Send your Salaat and your Salaam upon him (ie. by saying
Salla Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam, etc.)."
(Qur'an Al-Ahzab:
56) |