SectionWhat Are the Signs of Loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم?
The First Sign: Following and Obeying Him
The clearest sign of love is following the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in belief, worship, character, and dealings.
Allah says:
{Say: If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if they turn away, then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers} [Al Imran: 31-32].
Allah made following the Messenger the proof of love, and He made the fruit of that following Allah’s love and forgiveness of sins.
The Second Sign: Giving His Ruling Priority Over Desire and Custom
The truthful lover does not reject the authentic Sunnah because it conflicts with his custom, personal desire, or the opinion of someone he venerates. Rather, he submits to Allah and His Messenger while seeking understanding and knowledge.
Allah says:
{It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error} [Al-Ahzab: 36].
And He says:
{But no, by your Lord, they will not truly believe until they make you judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find within themselves no discomfort from what you have judged and submit in full submission} [An-Nisa: 65].
This does not mean that every juristic disagreement is caused by weak love. Scholars may differ over whether a hadith is authentic or over its meaning. The duty of the non-specialist is to ask trustworthy people of knowledge and not make his desire the judge over the texts.
The Third Sign: Holding Firm to His Sunnah and Avoiding Innovation
Al-Irbad ibn Sariyah رضي الله عنه narrated:
"The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم gave us an admonition by which hearts trembled and eyes shed tears. We said: O Messenger of Allah, it is as if it is a farewell admonition, so advise us. He said: I advise you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave is appointed over you. Whoever lives among you after me will see much disagreement, so hold fast to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided caliphs after me. Hold firmly to it and bite onto it with your molar teeth. Beware of newly introduced matters, for every newly introduced matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance."
Narrated by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi, and authenticated by scholars.
A Muslim does not seek nearness to Allah through an invented act of worship while thinking it expresses love, because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم showed his Ummah the doors of good, and truthful love stops where his guidance stops.
The Fourth Sign: Honoring and Revering Him Without Exaggeration
Part of his right صلى الله عليه وسلم is to honor him, show proper etiquette when mentioning him, avoid mocking anything from his Sunnah, and send salah and salam upon him. But lawful reverence does not raise him above the station of servitude and messengership, nor does it direct to him anything from the rights of Allah or worship.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary. I am only His slave, so say: the slave of Allah and His Messenger."
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
He صلى الله عليه وسلم is the master of the children of Adam and the best of mankind. He said:
"I will be the master of the children of Adam on the Day of Resurrection, the first for whom the grave will be opened, the first intercessor, and the first whose intercession will be accepted."
Narrated by Muslim.
At the same time, he is the slave of Allah and His Messenger. He is not worshiped or invoked besides Allah, nothing from knowledge of the unseen is attributed to him except what Allah informed him of, and nothing from the exclusive qualities of lordship or control over the universe belongs to him.
Allah says:
{Say: I do not possess for myself any benefit or harm except what Allah wills. And if I knew the unseen, I would have acquired much good, and no harm would have touched me. I am only a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe} [Al-Araf: 188].
The Fifth Sign: Loving His Companions, His Family, and His Wives in Truth
Part of loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is loving his Companions who believed in him, supported him, and transmitted his Sunnah, and loving the believing members of his family and his wives, the Mothers of the Believers, while preserving everyone’s rights without exaggeration or harshness.
Part of loving him صلى الله عليه وسلم is honoring all his wives رضي الله عنهن, protecting their honor, and refraining from insulting them, belittling them, or speaking about them without right, for Allah named them the Mothers of the Believers. Attacking any one of them is an offense against the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and contradicts the love and reverence due to him and to his household.
The Mother of the Believers Aishah رضي الله عنها has a great status, and Allah revealed her innocence from the slander in Quran that is recited. He says:
{Indeed, those who came with falsehood are a group among you. Do not think it bad for you; rather, it is good for you. For every person among them is what punishment he has earned, and the one who took upon himself the greater portion thereof will have a great punishment} [An-Nur: 11].
And He says:
{Evil women are for evil men, and evil men are for evil women; and good women are for good men, and good men are for good women. Those are declared innocent of what they say. For them is forgiveness and noble provision} [An-Nur: 26].
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"Many men attained perfection, but among women none attained perfection except Maryam bint Imran and Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh. And the superiority of Aishah over other women is like the superiority of tharid over all other food."
Agreed upon.
Speaking ill of the Mothers of the Believers, insulting them, or belittling them is a grave evil and an offense against the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It is not a light matter or merely a small deficiency in love. As for accusing the Mother of the Believers Aishah رضي الله عنها of the immorality from which Allah declared her innocent, that is disbelief, because it denies the clear text of the Quran, and more than one scholar has reported consensus on that. As for applying the ruling of disbelief to a specific person, it requires fulfilling the conditions and removing the impediments, and it is referred to scholars and lawful Islamic authority, not ordinary people. The Muslim must defend the Mothers of the Believers and clarify their virtue and innocence with lawful evidence, while remaining within justice and the limits of the Shariah; he does not answer one evil with another, nor support the truth by disobeying Allah.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"Do not abuse my Companions, for if one of you were to spend the equivalent of Uhud in gold, it would not reach the mudd of one of them, nor even half of it."
Agreed upon.
Supporting the family of the Prophet is not done by attacking the Companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, just as loving the Companions is not done by being harsh toward the family of the Prophet. Rather, Ahl as-Sunnah love them all and give each one his due right.
The Sixth Sign: Sending Salah and Salam Upon Him Often
Allah commanded the believers to send salah and salam upon him, saying:
{Indeed, Allah and His angels send salah upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send salah upon him and greet him with salam} [Al-Ahzab: 56].
Sending salah upon him is one of the greatest acts of worship and one of the signs of honoring him, especially when he is mentioned and in the established occasions. For more detail, see: The Virtue of Sending Salah upon the Prophet.
The Seventh Sign: Learning His Seerah and Authentic Sunnah
Love is not complete while the beloved is unknown. Whoever wants his love for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to increase should learn his Seerah from reliable sources, read his authentic hadiths, and reflect on his worship, mercy, patience, courage, justice, and dealings with his family and Companions.
The intended learning is not merely collecting emotional stories, but knowing his guidance in order to act upon it, while verifying narrations and not spreading weak or fabricated hadiths under the excuse of loving him.
The Eighth Sign: Following His Character and Worship
Allah says:
{There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often} [Al-Ahzab: 21].
So the Muslim follows him in his truthfulness, trustworthiness, mercy, humility, and patience, and in his prayer, remembrance, and the rights of his family, neighbors, and people. It is not sound to care for some outward appearances while neglecting obligations or wronging creation, for his guidance صلى الله عليه وسلم includes the outward and the inward.
The Ninth Sign: Supporting His Sunnah With Wisdom and Justice
Supporting the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم after his death is by believing in him, learning and teaching his Sunnah, responding to lies and doubts with knowledge and justice, and calling to his guidance with wisdom, not with oppression, insults, or forbidden aggression.
Part of his Sunnah صلى الله عليه وسلم is gentleness and justice, and the Sunnah is not supported through a way that contradicts the Sunnah.
The Tenth Sign: Longing to Meet Him and Hoping for His Company in the Hereafter
Among the signs of love is that the believer longs to see the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and meet him, and hopes for his companionship in Paradise, along with truthful following and righteous action.
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"Among those of my Ummah who love me most intensely are people who will come after me; one of them would wish to see me even at the cost of his family and wealth."
Narrated by Muslim.
This longing is a praiseworthy meaning of faith, but it is not measured merely by tears or dreams. Rather, it is proven by eagerness to obey him, follow him, and prepare to meet him upon Islam and the Sunnah.
