Introduction

Who Is Our Role Model

How To Portray Love Of The Holy Prophet 

Perfect Belief Cannot Be Obtained Without The Love Of The Prophet 

The Love The Companions Had For The Prophet 

"…The Ones That Love Me The Most Will Be Those That Are To Come After Me…"

We are in an age in which evil, immorality and corruption is widespread. The leadership has been handed down to those who incapable. The worst of all is that the Muslims have made their role models those who do not posses an iota of what the man, who we need to follow, possessed. These so called role models actors, actresses, models and sport players etc. have no value in the sight of Allah Ta’ala, they have no honour or dignity in the sight of Allah Ta’ala. Tell me, my brothers, what honour and glory do these people posses? They have nothing.

Then why is it that our hearts are saturated with love, which is temporary, even the hearts of our youths have been taken over by them. Why do they not imitate the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam instead of cheering their so-called role models?

My brothers, the answer to this is very simple. We have forgotten the ways of our real leader, our unique role model, the one who said: "I am the greatest of mankind and I say this without boasting." The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. It is our responsibility to bring up our youths as devotees of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. The sorrowful point is that we need rectification ourselves. For example take an apple, if the core is rotten then the effect will also be apparent on the skin. In the same way, our heart is our core and we are the core of our youngsters, and the Muslims as a whole are the core of the reputation and advancement of Islam. But the problem is that our hearts have been covered with the darkness of unawareness. Once this darkness has been removed and replaced with the light of guidance, and the light of the love of Allah and his Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. It will become easy to do such good actions through which we will not only attain salvation in the hereafter but we will taste the ecstasy of paradise in this world as well. Therefore, without the love of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam we are like a hand trying to clap. Advancement and elevation cannot be gained without the love of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam.
 

The achievement of the Sahabah radiyallahu anhum in their time was in fact their love for Allah and his Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. Devotion and attachment, as a matter of fact, was a great dynamic force in the career of the Sahabah radiyallahu anhum. It was the force that made them forego their luxuries, forget their lives, give up all the desires for wealth, ignore afflictions and have no fear of death. There was no room for any other in the heart, which was filled with attachment, devotion and affection.

May Allah Ta’ala through his grace grant us His own love and that of the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam so that we may be blessed with the devotion in worship and have a sense of comfort in all difficulties faced in his service.

The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam is reported to have said in his last sermon that I leave behind two things, the Holy Quran and my example of the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray.

This is enough to prove that without the adoption of the ways and the characteristics of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam we cannot be successful.

We have been lead astray from the good moral characteristics of the Muslims which makes shaytaan, our accursed enemy overjoyed. It is he who made us unaware of what the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam desired for us, what he went through to ensure that Islam reaches us in the best of form, the battles he fought for us and most of all his love and affection for us. If is due to our negligence towards these matters that we are unable to carry out good deeds easily.

The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam is reported to have said, "None amongst you is a perfect believer until I do not become more beloved to him than his father his children and all the people."

My brothers, how can we not have love for the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, how can we forego the love of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam to achieve the world. When the Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has clearly stated that no one has true faith until he loves him sallallahu alaihe wasallam more than any one in the world. Indeed we should have love for our parents and children but this love should be for the sake of Allah and his Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. There should be nothing more beloved to us than the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. The Sahabah used to have so much love for the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam that they were ready to give their lives for him. He would just make one announcement for war and the men, women and even the children would present themselves in the royal presence of their beloved, Muhammad sallallahu alaihe wasallam.

When Hazrat Umar Farooq radiyallahu anhu heard the Hadith of a person not being a true Muslim unless the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam is more beloved to one than everyone else. He informed the Holy Prophet that, "O Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam! Apart from my life, you are the most beloved to me from all the things in the world." In other words from the worldly relations and matters, he loves the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam most but not more than his life. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam replied, "I swear by Him who has my life in his control that you still cannot be a true Mu’min because this status can only be gained by him who loves me more than his life as well." Upon hearing this Hazrat Umar radiyallahu anhu spontaneously exclaimed, "O Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam! May my life be sacrificed for you, you are more beloved to me than my life." It is then that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam gave Hazrat Umar radiyallahu anhu the glad tiding that, "O Umar! Now your Imaan has been completed and you have become a perfect believer."

This attitude was not only restricted to Hazrat Umar radiyallahu anhu but every companion of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam was intoxicated with his love and all of them were every ready to give their lives for him. One may search the pages of history but he will not be able to find a similar example of the leader and disciple relationship between the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam and his companions. Be they male or female.

For example when the casualties of the battle of Uhud increased and the news reached Madinah, the women came out of their houses eager to know the actual detail of the casualties. On seeing a crowd of people at a place, a woman of the Ansaar enquired, "How is the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam?"

When told that her father was killed in the battle, she uttered ‘inna lillah’ and impatiently repeated the same question about the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, this time she was told that her husband was no more, her brother was dead and that her son was also slain. With ever-growing anxiety, she repeated the same question about the welfare of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. She was told he was safe and sound but she would not rest contented, and insisted on seeing him herself. When at last she had satisfied her eyes with his sight, she said:

"O’ Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam! Every affliction is eased and every worry removed with the blessing of seeing you."

Similarly, once a person came to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam and said, "O’ Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam! You are dearer to me than my life, my wealth and my family. When I am at home, I happen to think of you, I become restless until I come and see you. O’ Prophet of Allah sallallahu alaihe wasallam, death is sure to come to both of us. After death, you will be in you exalted position as a Prophet, while I shall be somewhere else and perhaps I may not be able to see you. I am very anxious and distressed when I think of this separation from you."

The Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam observed silence upon this and then the following verse was revealed:

"And whosoever obeys Allah and the Messenger then they will be in the company of those on whom Allah has bestowed His grace, of the prophets, the siddiqun, the martyrs and the righteous. And how excellent these companions are!"

The Holy Prophet’s sallallahu alaihe wasallam companionship in the hereafter is the reward for his love. Similarly, when a Sahaabi radiyallahu anhu once informed the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam that he had love for Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam replied, "A person will be, with whom he loves."

Another great sahaabi Hazrat Abdullah ibn Zain radiyallahu anhu was once working in his garden when his son came and informed him of the catastrophic demise of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. Hazrat Abdullah ibn Zaid radiyallahu anhu, in whose heart the love of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam was embedded, upon hearing this inauspicious news, raised his restless hands and sorrowfully supplicated, "O’ my Lord! Deprive me of my eyes so that these eyes which were constantly being blessed with the sight of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam may never be attracted to anyone else."

Now your minds and desires will be deluding and misleading you that those people were the respected companions of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, they were made to love him. How can we attain their status or even get near to their position. My brothers, the truth is that we cannot achieve their rank but there is still everything to hope for as the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam has stated:

"From among my Ummah, the ones that love me most will be those that are to come after me. Each one will be prepared to sacrifice his family and possessions to see me."

Meaning that there will be people whose love will make them desire that if they ever had a chance to see the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam, they will surrender their wealth and family just to see him. This was not declared by anyone other than the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. Hence, what right do we have to say that we cannot attain the love of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam? And we have also seen many, whose hearts, were devoted to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam for example Sheikhul Hadith Maulana Islamul Haq who only passed away two years ago and had been teaching Sahih-al-Bukhari for sixteen years in Darul Uloom, Bury. It is reported that he never sat disrespectfully whilst teaching. The reward he got for this was that he passed away in Madinah, in the blessed month of Ramadhaan and was buried in Jannatul Baqi opposite the tomb of his beloved sallallahu alaihe wasallam. It is also stated that the clothes that he passed away in emitted an unusual pleasant fragrance. This is just one example, but history has seen innumerable personalities, which have been engrossed in following and adopting the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam.

Therefore, my last word of advice to you is that success lies in the love of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam. Hence devote yourself to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam; attach yourself to the Holy Prophet sallallahu alaihe wasallam.