True Love of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wassalaam)

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

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

The reality of Faith is manifest in the intense love of Allah. If you want to know the level of your Faith, look at your heart...how intense is your love of Allah.

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَتَّخِذُ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ أَندَادًا يُحِبُّونَهُمْ كَحُبِّ اللَّـهِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّـهِ ۗ وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلَّـهِ جَمِيعًا وَأَنَّ اللَّـهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ ﴿١٦٥

...But those of Faith are overflowing in their love for Allah...

[Qur'an Al-Baqarah 2:165]

The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, denied the reality to the religion in the one who has not experienced this true love.

There is tremendous consequence of the love of Allah.

Anas reported that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

There are three things which cause anyone who takes refuge in them to experience the sweetness of belief - that Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else; that he loves a man only for Allah; and that he dislikes the thought of reverting to disbelief as much as he would dislike being cast into the Fire.

[Bukhari & Muslim]

The love of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, is the basis of all good and all rank and honor with Allah. Without love of Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, one's faith is tasteless.

Love is not by mere utterance of the lips, but shown through actions, pleasing to the lover. This is true love. So if we truly love Allah, we should do what is pleasing to Him.

Allah says,

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّـهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّـهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣١﴾ قُلْ أَطِيعُوا اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَ ۖ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّـهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْكَافِرِينَ ﴿٣٢

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful." (31) Say, "Obey Allah and the Messenger." But if they turn away - then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers. (32)

[Qur'an AleImran 3:31-32]

Allah says,

قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّـهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّـهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ ﴿٢٤

Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people." (24)

[Qur'an At-Tawba 9:24]

This is enough encouragement, advice, proof and indication of the necessity of loving Allah and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and is sufficient to show that this duty is an immensely important obligation. Allah censures those whose property, families and children are dearer to them than Allah and His Messenger. He threatens them by adding, "Wait until Allah executes His command." At the end of the verse He considers such people as having done wrong and informs them they are among those who are astray and not guided by Allah.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab told the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace,

"I love you more than anything except my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet replied, "None of you will believe until I am dearer to him than his own soul." 'Umar said, "By the One who sent down the Book on you, I love you more than my soul which is between my two sides." The Prophet said, "'Umar, now you have it!"

[Bukhari]

Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,

None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father and all people.

[Bukhari, Muslim & an-Nasa'i]

The great scholars took this seriously. If you look at the Companions, their love for the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, was tremendous. They would do unimaginable things showing their immense love for him.

For example, as related by 'Urwa from al-Miswar and others who confirmed each other, "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did wudu', his Companions all but fought each other for his wudu' water. [Bukhari]

Even after the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, had passed away, some of the senior Companions would travel for weeks and months to distant lands (like Iraq, Syria, etc) just to hear the narration of one hadith of the Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace, even though they have heard it before.

How much can we say about our love for the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, if we can't even find the time to read the Qur'an and hadith collections like the Forty Hadith by Imam Nawawi which are readily accessible to everyone--just let the tip of your fingers do the traveling. Let alone to learn them and implement them in our lives.

May Allah increase our love for Him and His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam