Love for the Holy PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.W.)

Love for the PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.W.) is part of every believer’s iman or faith and certainly is the true eternal love. Without this, the iman or faith is incomplete and imperfect. The Prophet comes first in our love for anything in this world, including our own lives as well. The Holy Qur'an says:

"The Prophet is preferable for the believers even to their own selves..." (33:6)

This is also confirmed by the HADITH OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.W.) which says:

"None of you becomes a believer until I am dearer to him than his children, his parents and all mankind." (As reported by Bukhari and Muslim) Some descriptions add: "his life, his wealth and his family".

Love for the PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.W.) was an important and integral part of iman of his Companions. As said by Hazarat Ali (R.A):

"The Holy Prophet is dearer to us than our wealth, our children, our fathers, our forefathers, our mothers and cool water at the time of severe thirst."

ALLAH ALMIGHTY has cleared that fact in another verse of The Holy Quran which says:

"Say, if ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. For Allah is the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful" (âl-'Imran: 31)

Another verse says:

"He, who obeys the Apostle, obeys Allah" (an-Nisaa: 80)

The meaning of love for Holy PROPHET (S.A.W.W.) is also explained in another verse that says:

"So take what the Apostle assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah; for Allah is strict in punishment" (al-Hashr: 7)

One should not hesitate to praise PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.W.) but in the boundaries laid down by the Holy Quran and the PROPHET S.A.W.W. himself when he teaches us not to be like old generations who wrongly praised their Prophets to the level of SHIRK. The boundaries are clearer if you truly understand and believe the Kalma-E- Shahadat which says:

May ALLAH ALMIGHTY forgives and blesses us and turn our foot to the right path and may our love for PROPHET MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.W.) nurture incessantly and increasingly in the right approach.