THE ALMIGHTY GOD HAS COMMANDED US TO LOVE THE PROPHET
M. Yaşar Kandemir
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"If you want to love me, you should love my messenger; if you want to obey me, you should obey my messenger as well."
In the Qur'an two beings for us to love are given: one of them is Almighty God, the other the Prophet Muhammad. The Qur'an calls upon us to love these two beings more than "anything else".
What does this "anything else" include? Our Holy Book lists what is included in this, one by one, and stresses that we should love Almighty God and His messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, more than the things and people included in the list. The Qur'an tells us to love Almighty God and His messenger, the Prophet Muhammad more than our
"Fathers, children, brothers, mates (spouses), kindred, the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline; or the dwellings in which ye delight." (Al-Tawba 9/24)
The Qur'an also asks us to take more pleasure in carrying out Jihad in the name of God more than the eight items listed above. What would happen if we were to give more value to these eight than we do to God, or love them more than God and His messenger? Almighty God warns us as follows, in the same verse: "if (these) are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision".
Almighty God clearly threatens us if we consider the aforementioned eight things dearer than Him or His messenger. Here in this essay we will focus on this threat and warning as taken from the point of view loving the Prophet. God not merely recommends us to love the Prophet, but commands us to do so. He categorically warns us that if we do not follow His orders, He will bring about divine retribution.
The Prophet Muhammad made the following comment on the part of the verse related to him: "If one doesn't love me more than his/her father, mother and all other human beings, s/he can not become a true believer" (Bukhari, Iman 8)
The issue is not merely loving the Prophet more than other things. What is important here is to obey and follow him, as well as loving him. God mentions love for Himself and love for the Prophet in the same sentence. He also says "Obey God and obey His messenger". The fact that God has mentioned the Prophet in the same sentence signifies the importance attached to the Prophet Muhammad. By mentioning love for and obedience to Himself and the Prophet, God sends the following message: "If you want to love me, you should love my messenger; if you want to obey me, you should obey my messenger as well."
In a hadith our beloved Prophet heralds us that loving Almighty God and His messenger will lead to "experiencing the taste and satisfaction of faith" (Bukhari, Iman 9; Muslim, Iman 67). Experiencing the higher and deeper meaning of faith means enjoying the happiness of being a believer. The main aim in life for all of us should be to reach this level of satisfaction.
Almighty God praised and held his beloved messenger superior to all other beings. In many Qur'anic verses, God introduces us to His messenger by listing his distinguished characteristics and showing his noble qualities, one by one. God informs us that He created the Prophet as a mercy for the universe and has equipped him with perfect moral values. Because of his exceptional status, God has asked us to cherish the Prophet with the highest esteem and to show him the utmost respect. God revealed to us His wish in the following verses:
"We have truly sent thee as a witness, as a bringer of Glad Tidings, and as a Warner. In order that ye (O men) may believe in Allah and His Messenger, that ye may assist and honour Him, and celebrate His praise morning and evening".
As these verses make clear, God does not merely asks us to love the Prophet Muhammad, but goes beyond that and demands that we respect him.
We must reason thus; we must love our Prophet because we are Muslim and our discovery of the existence of the Almighty is due to him. We should be grateful to him for his guidance and leadership in finding the way that leads to the discovery of God.
At the same time, we must respect our Prophet because he was a human being chosen by God, endowed with special blessings and favours. God mentions the Prophet as His Messenger in various verses, where He orders us to love, respect and obey His commands, as well as to respect the Prophet.
The message in the following verse is a clear indication of God's demand of respect for His messenger. Any disrespect to the Prophet will be regarded as unacceptable behaviour. In Chapter 49, verse 2, God says: "Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not". This verse makes respect to and obedience of the Prophet obligatory for us.
Although our generation does not have the opportunity to experience the joy of living near the Prophpet or to being with him, we should never forget that when we go on pilgrimage and visit al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) it is as if we are in his presence. When we are in his presence at this site, we should not raise our voice or talk unnecessarily. Moreover, if a hadith is being cited or quoted to us, we should give our full attention and listen to the hadith as if it was our beloved Prophet that was reciting it. What will be our gain if we love, respect and obey the Prophet Muhammad? Almighty God gives the following answer to this question:
"Those who follow the messenger, believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper." (Al-Araf 7, 157)
We should note here, that sadly, we have little room for love in our life, although everything, including faith, is established on and sustained by love. In the following hadith the Prophet Muhammad reminds us that the basis of faith is a true and unfettered love. He is reported to have said:
"I swear to God that you cannot enter the paradise unless you have faith. You are not a believer unless you love each other." (Muslim, Iman 93-94).
Having a strong faith is a precondition to gaining and entering heaven. Similarly, in order to have perfect faith, one must love their fellow believers. In short, this hadith shows that the key to faith is love.
While Almighty God commands us to love, respect and obey the Prophet Muhammad, He also reminds us of another additional duty. He says:
"Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect" (Al-Ahzab, 33, 56)
In this verse, Almighty God reveals that He has glorified His messenger, cherished him and consolidated his honour. The angels, on the other hand, prayed to God for the messenger to be elevated to the superior level. It was then that Almighty God ordered us to send blessings to him and salute him with respect.
Let us remind ourselves what we gain from sending blessings to and saluting the Prophet :
Prophet Muhammad is closer to God than anybody else. He is indeed the closest human being to God. Our blessings and salutations will bring us closer to him on the Day of Judgement, and thus closer to God. In addition, our blessings and salutations will increase our love for the beloved Prophet, they will fill our heart with joy and complete the tranquillity.
The attitudes and behaviour of the Companions towards the Prophet provide the best examples of how to show our love for the Messenger of God. They loved the Prophet more their own lives. Love is like an ocean; it never finishes and never decreases. Our beloved Prophet heralded the coming of a generation in the future who would love him dearly in the following hadith:
"There will be those who will love me dearly after my death. They will be prepared to sacrifice their wealth and family to see me in heaven." (Muslim, Heaven 12)
Loving the noble Prophet more than everything else, as commanded by Almighty God, is the fruit of a strong faith. May God bless those who love, respect, obey and salute His messenger.
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