Loving the Prophet SAW
Principal Wadud Hasan explains the importance of our love for Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and how following the ways of the Prophet, allows us to love Allah SWT. In Surah Tawbah (The Repentance) 9:128 of the Quran, Allah says that He has sent a prophet that loves us so much, our suffering distresses him. Our prophet loves his believers so much that when we are not happy, he is not happy.
Through prayer and thikr, we are able to love the prophet and feel his love in our hearts. If we want to see how much Allah SWT loves us, then we have to see how much we love the messenger of Allah. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told his wife Aisha that he makes duaa and remembers his ummah five times a day, after every prayer. How can we not pray for our prophet ﷺ when he thinks of us so often and shows so much love for us?
Last week, Ustadh Michael Wolfender discussed how the prophet ﷺ showed mercy for the people who tortured him because one day their children and future generations could be Muslims. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ cared about us so much that he showed mercy to our past generations. His mercy to the people of Mecca led Muhammed bin Qasem to conquer Sindh in South Asia which brought Islam to the South Asian subcontinent. His companions were able to conquer other areas of the world and spread Islam through that moment of mercy for the benefit of future generations of Muslims. Our prophet ﷺ loved us and cared about us so much that he showed that mercy.
Here’s a way to connect with our prophet ﷺ: close your eyes and imagine going to the masjid of the prophet in Madina and meeting him. How would you feel if you entered the masjid and you see Prophet Muhammad ﷺ there, welcoming you? Instead of resting, the prophet ﷺ has decided to respond to your salaam and welcome you because he would embrace even the worst of us. Now imagine how would it feel in the hereafter, when we are finally seeing our prophet, the one that loved us even more than our parents?
It is important to remember that we will be in paradise with those who we love and by loving the prophet ﷺ through prayer, thikr, and following his ways, insh’Allah we will be reunited with our prophet ﷺ in the hereafter. We must always feel the love of Prophet Muhammed ﷺ in our hearts and that will bring us closer to Allah inshAllah.