Understanding Love

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that that you are well.

For most people, their understanding of love is an abstract feeling that they have in the hearts but no consequence. Love should be a feeling and an action. It is not a lip service, not a claim of how you feel. When you love somebody, you would put them in high esteem, think about them a lot, you would sacrifice yourself for them. If you are confronted with a situation between your interest and the interest of the person you claim you love, that is a test whether you love that person or not. If you put your interest first, then your love is nothing but a claim.

If you love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, you would send lots of blessings (salawat) upon him him everyday.

"Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace. 'O you who believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.'" Qur'an Ahzab 33:56

You would sacrifice your desires, your ego, your time, your energy and your wealth to act upon his teachings. If he tells you "pray the way you see me pray", if he tells you to eat from lawful income, if he tells you to cover your body a certain way, if he tells you to guard your tongue, if he tells you to lower your gaze, if he tells you to treat your women well and be kind to them, if he tells you not to get angry, if he tells you to help the orphan and needy, you would do it. You don't find excuses or convince yourself not to do it.

You would consider his sunnah more important than your comfort or your image. When the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked you to do something in a hadith you would be willing to do it. You won't say, "Oh! it is just sunnah, I don't have to do it!" You will try your hardest to follow his sunnah. You should not just think sunnah as the the outward sunnah but also how he lived his life. And you do as much to emulate him because you love him.

Why should we love the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace? Because when we love him, we will naturally follow him. Ultimately, we want Allah to love us and forgive our sins. Allah tells us in the Qur'an how we can have this.

Say (O Muhammad, Allah bless him and grant him peace, to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me (i.e. Muhammad), Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." Say (O Muhammad, Allah bless him and grant him peace): "Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers...Qur'an AleImram 3:31-32


May Allah increase our love for His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam