This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Abu Hamza Abdul Khaliq Siddiqi's book Sahi Fazail-e-Amaal.
Hafiz Hamid Mahmood Al-Khazri writes in his book "The Rights of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) upon us,"
Reference: pp. 51-52
: "The eighth right of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is love for him. Remember, love is an emotion, not a material thing that can be measured or weighed. The question arises: by what standard should it be measured, and by what criterion should it be judged whether love is more or less for someone? The Holy Quran has explained this very clearly. Allah Almighty says: ﴿قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّىٰ يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ﴾
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 striving in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient."
Reference: (9-At-Tawbah:24)
This verse does not say why you love your family and tribe members, nor does it say why you love your wealth and homes. Rather, it says that if this wealth and kinship are more beloved to you than Allah Almighty, His Messenger (peace be upon him), and striving in His cause, then you are outside the circle of obedience. All these things are necessary in their own place, and their importance and benefit are undeniable, and it is natural for humans to love all of them. But whenever there is a conflict between the love of Allah Almighty, His Messenger (peace be upon him), and others, the love of others should be abandoned.
Until the beloved personality of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) becomes dearer than the entire universe and all creatures, faith is incomplete and imperfect. End!
Accordingly, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
لا يؤمن عبد حتى أكون أحب إليه من أهله وماله والناس أجمعين
"A person is not a believer until I am dearer to him than his family, his wealth, and all people."
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Faith, Hadith No. 168.
The benefit of loving the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is also that a person will be with him on the Day of Judgment. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
المرء مع من أحب
"A person will be with whom he loves."
Reference: Sahih Bukhari, Book of Manners, Chapter: Signs of Love for Allah, Hadith Nos. 6168 to 6181 – Sahih Muslim, Book of Virtue and Maintaining Ties, Chapter: A person is with whom he loves, Hadith Nos. 6710 to 6718.
Imam Muslim narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and asked: When is the Day of Judgment? The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) asked: What have you prepared for it? He replied: The love of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him). The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, you will be with whom you love." Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: After embracing Islam, nothing gave us more joy than the Noble Prophet's (peace be upon him) statement:
فإنك مع من أحببت
"Indeed, you will be with whom you love."
Sayyiduna Anas further said: I love Allah Almighty, His Messenger (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and I hope to be with them (in the Hereafter) even though I have not performed deeds equal to theirs.
Reference: Sahih Muslim, Book of Virtue and Maintaining Ties, Hadith No. 2639/163.
Love for the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is also proof of love for him, the inevitable result of which is Paradise. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever loves my Sunnah loves me, and whoever loves me will be with me in Paradise on the Day of Resurrection."
Reference: Tarikh Ibn Asakir: 145/3.
Everyone knows well that the greatest desire and wish of a true lover is to see and unite with their beloved. Accordingly, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were restless to see and meet the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). They were always yearning in the pain and longing for their beloved. When we see this sign of love in the lovers of Mustafa (peace be upon him), we cannot help but praise their faith. Let us see the heartfelt attachment of such a longing lover of Mustafa (peace be upon him) to his beloved.
A man came to the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Surely, you are dearer to me than my own life. Indeed, you are more beloved to me than my children, and truly, when I remember you while sitting at home, I do not find peace until I attend your noble presence and see you. And when I imagine your death, I think that after entering Paradise, you will be in a high position among the Prophets (peace be upon them), and even if I enter Paradise, I fear that I will not be able to see you.
Until the arrival of the following verse from Angel Jibril (Gabriel), the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) did not say anything in response:
﴿وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا﴾
"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."
Reference: (4-An-Nisa:69)
Reference: Majma' al-Zawa'id: 2/2.
Allama Haithami has declared the narrators of this hadith trustworthy.What a status that was, how much spiritual delight it contained, that when the lovers of Mustafa (peace be upon him) were attaining the rank of martyrdom, the blessed face of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would be in front of them, they would keep seeing it, and their souls would keep departing. And this is the purpose of life for the children of the lovers.
During the chaos of the Battle of Uhud, when the Master of the Universe (peace be upon him) was surrounded by the disbelievers, and at that time the Pride of Creation (peace be upon him) called out: Who will give his life for me? Ziyad bin Al-Sakan (may Allah be pleased with him) took some Ansar with him to perform this service. Each one fought bravely and sacrificed his life, but not a single wound was inflicted on the Mercy to the Worlds (peace be upon him). The Mercy to the Worlds (peace be upon him) ordered that their bodies be brought near him. People lifted and brought them. While some life was still left, he dragged himself on the ground and placed his beloved cheek at the feet of the Lord of the Worlds (peace be upon him), and in this state, his soul departed.
Reference: Seerah Ibn Hisham: 29/3 – Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Hibban, pp. 223-224 – Tarikh Al-Islam (Al-Maghazi) by Al-Dhahabi, p. 174.
This ecstatic moment has been beautifully composed in poetry:
O soul, depart beneath His feet,
This is the desire of the heart, this is the wish.
