In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
This is the month of Rabi'ul Awwal, the month in which the beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was born.
One of the names by which the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is Khayru-l-Khalq or "Best of Creation." Other similar names of his with identical meaning are Khayru-l-Bariyya, Khayru Khalqillah, Khayru-l-`Alamina Turra, Khayru-n-Nas, Khayru Hadhihi-l-Umma, and Khîratullah. These titles refers to his high status over all human Prophets and Messengers as well as over the Jinn and angels - upon them peace.
Allah has blessed us to be the Ummah of His best creation (Allah bless him and grant him peace), the one who has an immense amount of love for his Ummah (us). Allah Almighty says in the Qur'an,
لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢٨[Qur'an, AtTawba 9:128]
There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful. (128)
Once the Prophet was reciting the Qur'an and he came across a number of verses. Of them is the famous verse where Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam) is making Dua for his people,
رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ ۖ فَمَن تَبِعَنِى فَإِنَّهُۥ مِنِّى ۖ وَمَنْ عَصَانِى فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌۭ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿٣٦[Qur'an, Ibrahim 14:36]
My Lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. So whoever follows me - then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me - indeed, You are [yet] Forgiving and Merciful. (36)
Here Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam is asking Allah to forgive those who are not listening to him. Afterwards, the Prophet recites another verse where Prophet Isa alayhissalaam is making supplication for his people.
إِن تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ ۖ وَإِن تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلْعَزِيزُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ ﴿١١٨[Qur'an, Al-Ma'ida 5:118]
If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them - indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise. (118)
In both of these supplications, Prophet Ibrahim alayhissalaam and Prophet Isa alayhissalaam) is asking for mercy and forgiveness for their own people. He, the beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) then starts thinking about his own people and what will be their fate. He raises his hand and starts saying, "Allahumma Ummati, Allahumma Ummati (O Allah my Ummah, O Allah my Ummah.)"
He then begins to cry thinking about this Ummah, about us. Allah Almighty at this point, told Jibreel to go to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and ask him why is he crying (of course Allah knew why). So Jibreel came and asked the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and he replied, "I am crying thinking for my Ummah, thinking of what will be their fate."
So Jibreel went back and Allah said to him, "O Jibreel, go back to Muhammad and tell him, We are going to please you for your Ummah. And we are not going to cause you any irritation." [Sahih Muslim]
In other words, because of you O Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), that you want your Ummah to be blessed so much, we are going to please you and not cause you any irritation.
Now, this month of Rabi'ul Awwal is about to leave us soon. If you haven't brought yourself to love His beloved (Allah bless him and grant him peace) in this month of his birth, then when? Some people reach high stations in closeness to the Beloved (Allah bless him and grant him peace) before the month of Rabi'ul awwal is over. How about you?
You will be with the one you love
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that a man came to the Prophet and asked, "When will the Last Hour come, Messenger of Allah?", "What have you prepared for it?" he asked? He replied, "I have not prepared a lot of prayer or fasting or charity for it, but I love Allah and His Messenger." The Prophet said, "You will be with the one you love." (al-Bukhari)
Safwan ibn Qudama (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I emigrated to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and went to him and said, 'Messenger of Allah, give me your hand.' So he gave me his hand. I said, 'Messenger of Allah, I love you.' He said, 'A man is with the one he loves.'" (at-Tirmidhi and an-Nasa'i) 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari and Anas (may Allah be pleased with them) related this statement from the Prophet, and Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) also has something to the same effect.
'Ali said that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) took Hasan and Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them) by the hand and said, "Whoever loves me and loves these two and their father and mother will have the same degree as me on the Day of Rising." (at-Tirmidhi)
It is related that a man came to the Prophet and said, "Messenger of Allah, I love you more than my family and my possessions. I remember you and I cannot wait until I can come and look at you. I remember that I will die and you will die and I know that when you enter the Garden, you will be raised up with the Prophets. When I enter it, I will not see you." Allah then revealed,
وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ رَفِيقًا ﴿٦٩[Qur'an, An-Nisa 4:69]
And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. (69)
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) called the man and recited the verses to him. (at-Tabarani)
In another hadith: "A man was with the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), looking at him without turning away. The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked, "What is wrong with you?" He replied, "My father and mother be your ransom! I enjoy looking at you. On the Day of Rising, Allah will raise you up because of His high estimation of you!" Allah then sent down the verse mentioned above.
In the hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Whoever loves me will be with me in the Garden." (al-Isfahani)
Signs of love for the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace):
Someone who loves a person prefers them and prefers what they like. Otherwise, he is a pretender, insincere in his love. Someone who has love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) will manifest these signs.
1. The first sign is that he will emulate him, apply his Sunnah, follow his words and deeds, obey his commands and avoid his prohibitions and take on his adab (manners) in ease and hardship, joy and despair.
Allah testifies to that, "Say: if you love Allah, then follow me and Allah will love you." (3:31)
2. He will prefer what the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) has laid down as law and encouraged, over his own passions and appetites.
Allah said, "Those who were already settled in the abode, and in belief, before they came, love those who have emigrated to them and do not find in their breasts any need for what they have been given and prefer them to themselves even if they themselves are in want." (59:9)
3. His anger against people will only be for the sake of the pleasure of Allah. Anas ibn Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to me, 'My son, if you can be without any grudge in your heart against anyone in the morning and evening, be like that.' Then he added, 'My son, that is part of my Sunnah. Whoever gives life to my sunnah has loved me and whoever loves me is with me in the Garden.'" (at-Tirmidhi)
Anyone who possesses this particular quality has perfect love for Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace). Anyone slightly lacking in it is imperfect in his love, while not entirely devoid of it. The proof of this is in what the Prophet said about the man who was given the punishment for drinking. A man there cursed him and the Prophet said, "Do not curse him. He loves Allah and His Messenger." (al-Bayhaqi)
4. He mentions the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) often. Whoever loves something mentions it a lot.
5. Someone who loves the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) will exalt and respect him when he mentions him and display humility and abasement when he hears his name.
Ishaq at-Tujibi said, "Whenever the Companions of the Prophet heard his name after he died, they were humble, their skins trembled and they wept. It was the same with many of the Followers. Some of them act like that out of love and yearning for him, others out of respect and esteem."
6. He has a great yearning to meet the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)]. Every lover yearns for their beloved. When the Ash'arite clan came to Madina, they chanted, "Tomorrow we will meet those we love, Muhammad and his Companions!"
Ishaq at-Tujibi said, "Whenever the Companions of the Prophet heard his name after he died, they were humble, their skins trembled and they wept. It was the same with many of the Followers. Some of them act like that out of love and yearning for him, others out of respect and esteem."
7. Another sign is love for those who love the Prophet and the people of his house and his Companions, both of the Muhajirun and Ansar, for his sake. Such a person will also be hostile to those who hate them and curse them. Whoever loves anyone, loves those he loves.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said about al-Hasan and al-Husayn, "O Allah, I love them, so love them." In al-Hasan's variant, "O Allah, I love him, so love the one who loves him." He also said, "Whoever loves them loves me. Whoever loves me loves Allah. Whoever hates them hates me. Whoever hates me hates Allah." (al-Bukhari)
He said, "Allah! Allah! My Companions! Do not make them targets after me! Whoever loves them loves them by loving me. Whoever hates them hates them by hating me. Whoever does something hurtful to them does something hurtful to me. Whoever does something hurtful to me does something hurtful to Allah. Whoever does something hurtful to Allah is about to be seized." (at-Tirmidhi)
He said about Fatima, "She is a part of me. Whoever hates her hates me." (al-Bukhari)
He said to 'A'isha about Usama ibn Zayd, "Love him for I love him." (at-Tirmidhi)
He said, "The sign of true faith is love for the Ansar and the sign of hypocrisy is hatred for them." (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
In a hadith related by Ibn 'Umar: "Whoever loves the Arabs, loves them because he loves me. Whoever hates them hates them because he hates me." In reality, whoever loves someone loves everything he loves. This was certainly the case with the Salaf, even regarding permitted things and the appetites of the self.
Anas once saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) reaching for the pumpkin in the plate. He said, "I have loved pumpkin from that day."
Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas and Ibn Ja'far came to Salma [a servant of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)] - may Allah be pleased with them - and asked her to prepare some food for them which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) liked.
Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with father and son) began to wear tanned sandals dyed yellow when he saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) wearing ones like that.
8. Another sign is hatred for anyone who hates Allah and His Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), having enmity towards all who have enmity towards him, avoidance of all those who oppose his Sunnah and introduce innovations into his Deen, and finding every matter contrary to his Shari'a burdensome. Allah says, "You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day who having love for anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger." (58:22)
His Companions killed their loved ones and fought their fathers and sons to gain the pleasure of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). 'Abdullah ibn 'Abdullah ibn Ubayy said to him, "If you had wanted, I would have brought you his head (his father's)."
9. Another sign of it is love for the Qur'an which the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) brought, by which he guided and was guided, and whose character he took on so that 'A'isha said, "His character was the Qur'an." Part of love for the Qur'an is its recitation and acting by it and understanding it, and loving his sunna and keeping within its limits.
Sahl ibn 'Abdullah said, "The sign of the love of Allah is love of the Qur'an. The sign of love of the Qur'an is love of the Prophet. The sign of love of the Prophet is love of the Sunna. The sign of love of the Sunna is love of the next world. The sign of love of the next world is hatred for this world. The sign of hatred for this world is that you do not store up any of it except for provision and what you need to arrive safely in the next world."
Ibn Mas'ud said, "No one needs to ask himself about anything except the Qur'an. If he loves the Qur'an, he loves Allah and His Messenger."
10. One of the signs of love for the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is having compassion for his community, giving them good counsel, striving for their best interests and removing what is harmful from them just as the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was "compassionate, merciful to the believers." [Qur'an, At-Tawba 9:128]
11. One of the signs of perfect love is that the one who aspires to it does without in this world and prefers poverty.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said to Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, "Poverty for those among you who love me comes quicker than a flood from the top of the mountain to the bottom." (at-Tirmidhi)
In a hadith from 'Abdullah b. Mughaffal, a man said to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), "O Messenger of Allah, I love you." He said, "Take care what you say!" He said, "By Allah, I love you" three times. He said, "If you love me, then prepare for poverty quickly." There is a similar hadith from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri.
May Allah increase our love for His beloved Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace) and resurrect us with him and enter us into the highest Paradise with him without reckoning. Ameen.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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