This excerpt is taken from the book of Dr. Syed Shafiq ur Rehman Hafizahullah "Polytheistic Beliefs Under the Pretext of Love for the Prophet ﷺ" .
[إن الحمد لله نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلله فلا هادي له وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله أعوذ بالله السميع العليم من الشيطن الرحيم].
[اِنَّ فِیۡ خَلۡقِ السَّمٰوٰتِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ اخۡتِلَافِ الَّیۡلِ وَ النَّہَارِ وَ الۡفُلۡکِ الَّتِیۡ تَجۡرِیۡ فِی الۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا یَنۡفَعُ النَّاسَ وَ مَاۤ اَنۡزَلَ اللّٰہُ مِنَ السَّمَآءِ مِنۡ مَّآءٍ فَاَحۡیَا بِہِ الۡاَرۡضَ بَعۡدَ مَوۡتِہَا وَ بَثَّ فِیۡہَا مِنۡ کُلِّ دَآبَّۃٍ ۪ وَّ تَصۡرِیۡفِ الرِّیٰحِ وَ السَّحَابِ الۡمُسَخَّرِ بَیۡنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ لَاٰیٰتٍ لِّقَوۡمٍ یَّعۡقِلُوۡنَ]
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the ships that sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and the water which Allah sends down from the sky, then revives the earth after its death and spreads therein all kinds of creatures, and in the changing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth, there are surely many signs for people who understand.
Reference: Al-Baqarah:164
This noble verse testifies that the entire system of the universe is under the sole control of Allah. Whoever uses reason and reflects upon the system of the universe can easily understand the Oneness of Allah. And whoever believes in the Lord of the universe after thoughtful consideration has certainly loved Allah the most, as He said:
[وَالَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلّٰہِ]
And the believers love Allah the most.
Reference: Al-Baqarah:165
Because love is for that which helps in difficulty, provides protection in dangers, losses, and accidents, fulfills needs, and whose care and love bring peace to the heart and satisfaction to the soul, and in which all these qualities exist inherently and permanently, with no possibility of decline. Indeed, imagining the perfect attainment of all these except in Allah is disbelief. Therefore, a believer cannot love anyone equal to Allah.
A believer loves everything that is beloved to Allah, and everything that brings a believer closer to Allah will be beloved to him. Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, is the last Messenger of Allah, the Imam of the Prophets, and the Friend of Allah. Therefore, among Allah’s creation, we should love the Prophet of Mercy ﷺ the most. Allah Almighty says:
[قُلۡ اِنۡ کَانَ اٰبَآؤُکُمۡ وَ اَبۡنَآؤُکُمۡ وَ اِخۡوَانُکُمۡ وَ اَزۡوَاجُکُمۡ وَ عَشِیۡرَتُکُمۡ وَ اَمۡوَالُۨ اقۡتَرَفۡتُمُوۡہَا وَ تِجَارَۃٌ تَخۡشَوۡنَ کَسَادَہَا وَ مَسٰکِنُ تَرۡضَوۡنَہَاۤ اَحَبَّ اِلَیۡکُمۡ مِّنَ اللّٰہِ وَ رَسُوۡلِہٖ وَ جِہَادٍ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِہٖ فَتَرَبَّصُوۡا حَتّٰی یَاۡتِیَ اللّٰہُ بِاَمۡرِہٖ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ لَا یَہۡدِی الۡقَوۡمَ الۡفٰسِقِیۡنَ]
Say, if your father, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your family, and the wealth you have earned, and the trade whose decline you fear, and the dwellings you love, are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient.
Reference: At-Tawbah: 24
Therefore, Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
By the One in Whose hand is my soul, none of you will have faith until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all mankind.
Reference: Sahih Bukhari: 14
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
A person will not be a believer until I am more beloved to him than his wealth and all people.
Reference: Bukhari: 15, Muslim: 44
This is glad tidings for the believers that whoever loves the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a state of faith in this world, on the Day of Judgment, he will be with him.
It is narrated from Sayyid Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه that a person came to the presence of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked when the Day of Judgment would come. He said: What preparations have you made for the Day of Judgment? He replied: Love for Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. He said: Indeed, you will be with those whom you love.
Sayyiduna Anas رضي الله عنه says: After embracing Islam, we were never more pleased by anything than by this statement of yours. I love Allah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abu Bakr, and Umar Farooq رضي الله عنهما, and I hope that I will be with them in the Hereafter, even though I have not performed deeds equal to theirs.
Reference: Bukhari: 3688, Muslim: 2639
Loving the Messenger of Allah ﷺ requires complying with his commands and abstaining from what he forbids. This is his status:
[وَ مَا یَنۡطِقُ عَنِ الۡہَوٰی]،[ اِنۡ ہُوَ اِلَّا وَحۡیٌ یُّوۡحٰی]
And they do not utter any word except that there is a watcher by them ready [to record].
Reference: An-Najm: 3-4
And they do not speak from desire; it is only a revelation revealed.
Reference: An-Najm: 3-4
Therefore, loving and following him is a condition of faith, He said:
[قُلۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تُحِبُّوۡنَ اللّٰہَ فَاتَّبِعُوۡنِیۡ یُحۡبِبۡکُمُ اللّٰہُ]
Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, so Allah will love you."
Reference: Aal Imran: 31
In grief and happiness, in hardship and ease, in life and wealth, in the first and second homes, in short, prioritizing following the Prophet of Mercy ﷺ in this world and all that is in it is not possible until one loves the Messenger of Allah ﷺ more than anything else.
It is true that Allah Almighty has placed the love of many things in the hearts of humans. If Allah Almighty did not place love in the hearts of creation, no child would grow up. Yes, the spirit of self-sacrifice and the yearning to be closer and closer to one's child, and the comfort to the eyes and the joy of the heart in seeing them happy, all these are indeed the wonders of love.
The right of the love of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is that we sacrifice our most beloved things for him and feel the satisfaction of the heart and the delight of the soul. And we should subordinate the love of all other things to the love of Allah Almighty and His Messenger ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ is also kind to the believers. Allah Almighty says:
[لَقَدۡ جَآءَکُمۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ اَنۡفُسِکُمۡ عَزِیۡزٌ عَلَیۡہِ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ حَرِیۡصٌ عَلَیۡکُمۡ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ رَءُوۡفٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ]
Indeed, there has 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.
Reference: At-Tawbah:128
Some people, in expressing their love for the Messenger of Allahﷺ and describing his attributes, go to extremes. They attribute to him qualities that are exclusive to Allah Almighty. The Holy Quran refers to this as exaggeration.
[قُلۡ یٰۤاَہۡلَ الۡکِتٰبِ لَا تَغۡلُوۡا فِیۡ دِیۡنِکُمۡ]
Say, O People of the Scripture, do not exceed the limits in your religion unjustly.
Reference: Al-Ma'idah:77
The purpose of the Messenger of Allahﷺ's mission was to bring people out of the darkness of disbelief and polytheism towards monotheism. To remove people from worshipping others besides Allah and to direct them to worship Allah alone. But these people consider disbelief and polytheism as monotheism, and they call the people of monotheism disrespectful to the Messengerﷺ. It is outright injustice that those who recognize the purpose of the Prophet’sﷺ mission and act accordingly are called disrespectful to the Messenger (ﷺ), and under the guise of love, polytheism is proven to be true Islam.
Whereas the Prophet ﷺ said:
Do not exalt me beyond my rank as the Christians have exalted Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon them. I am only a servant of Allah, so say about me only that I am the servant of Allah and His Messenger.
Reference: Bukhari:3445
It is narrated from Rabi' bint Mu'awadh, may Allah be pleased with her, that she said: On the morning of my marriage, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to our house. Two little girls were reciting poetry about my relatives who were martyred in the Battle of Badr. The girls said:
[وفينا نبي يعلم ما في غد]
And among us is a Prophet who knows what will happen tomorrow.
He said: [أما هذا فلا تقولوه ما يعلم ما في غد إلا الله]
Do not say that; no one knows what will happen tomorrow except Allah.
Reference: Bukhari:4001], [Sunan Ibn Majah:1897
Therefore, the demand of your true love is that love for Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) should be cultivated. And it should be done in the way the exemplary person, our Master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allahﷺ, did, whom Allah chose for prophethood. Today, many claimants of love for the Prophet have written such texts in which, apparently expressing their emotions of love for the Prophet, they strongly oppose the most beloved thing of Muhammad Kareemﷺ, which is Tawheed, and advocate the most disliked thing of the Messenger of Allahﷺ, which is Shirk (polytheism), trying to prove it as the original religion.
