Love for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Whenever faith is defined, a bond of the heart is an essential part of it. Love for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the name of this bond. Islam has not left this love as a mere emotional feeling; rather, it has made it both a condition and a sign of faith. The Prophet ﷺ said:

لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

“None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all people.”

Scholars of hadith have also explained the nature of this love. Hafiz Ibn Hajar writes:

وَالْمُرَادُ بِالْمَحَبَّةِ هُنَا حُبُّ الِاخْتِيَارِ لَا حُبُّ الطَّبْعِ

“What is meant by love here is love by choice, not merely natural affection.”

In other words, the requirement is not simply to experience a spontaneous feeling. It is to consciously give the Prophet ﷺ precedence over everything else.

Giving Him Precedence Over Every Beloved

In Surah At-Tawbah, Allah identifies the things to which people naturally feel attached and places the love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ above them:

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: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, the wealth you have acquired, the trade whose decline you fear, and the homes you cherish are dearer to you than Allah, His Messenger, and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings His command. Allah does not guide the disobedient people.”

Following Him Is Proof of Love

It is easy to claim love. Therefore, the Quran itself establishes the standard by which it should be judged:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

The Prophet ﷺ Has a Greater Right Over Us Than Our Own Selves

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَىٰ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ ۖ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ

“The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on their own selves, and his wives are their mothers.”

The Test of Umar (RA)

One of the best-known examples of reaching this standard of love is the incident involving Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA). He told the Prophet ﷺ that he was dearer to him than everything except his own self. The Prophet ﷺ replied:

لَا، وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ، حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ نَفْسِكَ

“No, by the One in Whose Hand is my soul, not until I am dearer to you than your own self.”

Umar (RA) then said:

فَإِنَّهُ الْآنَ وَاللَّهِ لَأَنْتَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ نَفْسِي

“By Allah, now you are dearer to me than my own self.”

The Prophet ﷺ replied:

الْآنَ يَا عُمَرُ

“Now, O Umar!”

The Reward of Love

A man once asked the Prophet ﷺ about the Day of Judgment. The Prophet ﷺ asked him what he had prepared for it. The man replied that he had prepared love for Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said:

أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ

“You will be with those whom you love.”

Anas ibn Malik (RA) said that, after embracing Islam, nothing had brought them greater happiness than these words. He added that he loved Allah, His Messenger ﷺ, Abu Bakr (RA), and Umar (RA), and hoped to be with them.

The Love of Those Who Came After Him

مِنْ أَشَدِّ أُمَّتِي لِي حُبًّا نَاسٌ يَكُونُونَ بَعْدِي، يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ رَآنِي بِأَهْلِهِ وَمَالِهِ

“Among the people of my Ummah who will love me most intensely are those who will come after me. Each of them will wish that he could see me, even at the cost of his family and wealth.”

This hadith is a source of particular comfort for us. We did not see the Prophet ﷺ, yet we aspire to be among those who sincerely love him.

Abu Talha (RA) on the Day of Uhud

When the Muslim ranks became scattered during the Battle of Uhud, Abu Talha (RA) stood in front of the Prophet ﷺ as a shield. Although he was an archer, whenever he raised his head to look at the Prophet ﷺ, he would say:

نَحْرِي دُونَ نَحْرِكَ

“May my chest be before your chest.” In other words, let the arrows strike me rather than reach you.

Sumayra bint Qays (RA)

After the Battle of Uhud, Sumayra bint Qays, an Ansari woman, had lost her father, brother, and husband. Yet her first question was about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. She was told that he was safe and well. When she saw the Prophet ﷺ with her own eyes, she said:

كُلُّ مُصِيبَةٍ بَعْدَكَ جَلَلٌ

“Every calamity is insignificant as long as you are safe.”

Urwah ibn Masud at Hudaybiyyah

During the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Urwah ibn Masud, a representative of the Quraysh, returned to his people and described what he had witnessed. His account remains a striking testimony to the Companions’ love and reverence for the Prophet ﷺ. Having visited the courts of kings, he said that he had never seen a ruler whose companions showed him the degree of reverence that Muhammad’s ﷺ companions showed their Prophet.

وَاللَّهِ مَا تَنَخَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ نُخَامَةً إِلَّا وَقَعَتْ فِي كَفِّ رَجُلٍ مِنْهُمْ فَدَلَكَ بِهَا وَجْهَهُ وَجِلْدَهُ

“By Allah, whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spat, it would fall into the palm of one of his companions, who would rub it over his face and body.”

Imam Malik ibn Anas (RA), 179 AH

Imam Malik (RA) would not ride a mount within Madinah. He explained:

أَسْتَحْيِي مِنَ اللَّهِ أَنْ أَطَأَ تُرْبَةً فِيهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِحَافِرِ دَابَّةٍ

“I feel ashamed before Allah to tread with the hoof of an animal upon the soil in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ rests.”

Before narrating a hadith, he would perform ablution, comb his hair and beard, and sit with dignity. When asked why, he replied:

أُحِبُّ أَنْ أُعَظِّمَ حَدِيثَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَلَا أُحَدِّثَ بِهِ إِلَّا عَلَى طَهَارَةٍ

“I wish to show reverence for the hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and narrate it only while in a state of purity.”

Musab ibn Abdullah reported that whenever the Prophet ﷺ was mentioned in Imam Malik’s presence, his complexion would change and he would bow his head. When someone asked him why, he replied that if they had witnessed what he had witnessed, they would not question his reaction.

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RA), 241 AH

His son Abdullah reported that he had seen his father take one of the Prophet’s ﷺ hairs, place it against his mouth, and kiss it.

يَأْخُذُ شَعْرَةً مِنْ شَعْرِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَيَضَعُهَا عَلَى فِيهِ يُقَبِّلُهَا

“He would take a hair of the Prophet ﷺ, place it against his mouth, and kiss it.”

Abdullah also asked Imam Ahmad about someone who touched and kissed the Prophet’s ﷺ pulpit. Imam Ahmad replied:

لَا بَأْسَ بِذَلِكَ

“There is no harm in that.”

Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i (RA), 204 AH

Imam al-Shafi‘i’s love for the Prophet ﷺ was reflected in his intellectual honesty and commitment to the Sunnah. His student al-Rabi reported that he would say:

إِذَا وَجَدْتُمْ فِي كِتَابِي خِلَافَ سُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُولُوا بِسُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَدَعُوا مَا قُلْتُ

“If you find anything in my book that contradicts the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, follow the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and leave aside what I have said.”

Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (RA), 256 AH

A well-known account concerning the compilation of Sahih al-Bukhari was transmitted by his student al-Firabri. Imam al-Bukhari reportedly said:

مَا وَضَعْتُ فِي كِتَابِ الصَّحِيحِ حَدِيثًا إِلَّا اغْتَسَلْتُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ وَصَلَّيْتُ رَكْعَتَيْنِ

“I did not include a hadith in the Sahih without first performing ritual bathing and praying two rak‘ahs.”

Qadi Iyad ibn Musa al-Maliki (RA), 544 AH

In his celebrated work Al-Shifa, Qadi Iyad explained the signs of genuine love for the Prophet ﷺ. For centuries, this work has helped Muslims understand how sincere love can be distinguished from mere claims.

فَالصَّادِقُ فِي حُبِّ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَنْ تَظْهَرُ عَلَامَةُ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَوَّلُهَا الِاقْتِدَاءُ بِهِ

“The one who is truthful in his love for the Prophet ﷺ is the one in whom the signs of that love become evident. The first of these signs is following his example.”

Five Practical Ways to Express Love for the Prophet ﷺ Today

1. Make Following the Sunnah the Standard

The verse commanding obedience and the statement of Qadi Iyad make it clear that following the Prophet ﷺ is the first proof of love. A practical approach is to consciously adopt one Sunnah each day, such as using the miswak, initiating greetings of peace, observing the Sunnah practices of ablution, or treating family members with kindness, and then making it a lasting habit.

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ

“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example.”

2. Make Sending Blessings and Peace upon Him a Daily Practice

Alongside the Quranic command to send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, he explained the reward of doing so:

مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ بِهَا عَشْرًا

“Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah sends ten blessings upon him in return.”

Setting a regular number of blessings for the morning and evening, and increasing them on Fridays, is a simple way to make this practice part of daily life.

3. Bring Prophetic Character into Everyday Conduct

Reading the Prophet’s ﷺ biography becomes meaningful when it influences our behaviour at home, at work, and on social media. Allah describes his character in the Quran:

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

“And indeed, you are of a great moral character.”

Allah also declares:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

“We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worlds.”

The Prophet ﷺ said that the Most Merciful shows mercy to those who are merciful:

الرَّاحِمُونَ يَرْحَمُهُمُ الرَّحْمَنُ

“The merciful are shown mercy by the Most Merciful.”

4. Love Everyone and Everything Connected to the Prophet ﷺ

Love for the Companions (RA) and the Prophet’s family (RA) is a continuation of love for the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Bakr (RA) said:

ارْقُبُوا مُحَمَّدًا ﷺ فِي أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ

“Be mindful of Muhammad ﷺ in how you treat his family.”

The Prophet ﷺ also said that love for the Ansar is a sign of faith:

آيَةُ الْإِيمَانِ حُبُّ الْأَنْصَارِ، وَآيَةُ النِّفَاقِ بُغْضُ الْأَنْصَارِ

“The sign of faith is love for the Ansar, and the sign of hypocrisy is hatred for the Ansar.”

In practice, this means speaking respectfully about the Companions and the Prophet’s family and passing their lives and teachings on to future generations.

5. Demonstrate Love Through Action

Love for the Prophet ﷺ is more than a verbal claim. Make it visible through following the Sunnah, sending blessings and peace, practising good character, showing respect, and applying the lessons of his life in everyday conduct.