Loving and glorifying theSunnah – II

The worst disaster to ever strike this nation was the death of
theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam, who instructed us to remember
the affliction of his death whenever we are trialled by any hardship,
so that we may thereby condole ourselves and ease the impact of that
hardship, which would be insignificant in comparison.
Signs that prove one's love for theProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam:
1. Mentioning him frequently and exalting his mention. Allaah Says
what means:"Indeed, Allaahexalts the mention of the Prophet, and His
angels ]ask Him to do so[. O you who have believed! Ask ]Allaah to[
exalt his mention."]Quran 33: 56[
There are many times and occasions when this is legislated to be done,
such as during supplication.Ubayibn Ka`breported: "I )once( said: 'O
Messenger of Allaah! I frequently invoke Allaah to exalt your rank;
how much of my supplication should I devote to you?' Hesaid: "You may
devote as much as you wish."When I suggested aquarter, hesaid:"Do
whatever you wish, but it would be better for you if you were to
increase upon that.''I suggested half, and hesaid:"Do whatever you
wish, but it would be better for you if you were to increase upon
that."I suggested two-thirds, and hesaid:"Do whatever you wish, but it
would be better for you if you were to increase upon that."I )finally(
said: 'Shall I devote all of my supplication to invoke Allaah to exalt
your rank?' Hesaid:"Youwould then be freed from your worries, and your
sins would be forgiven.''"]Ahmad & At-Tirmithi[
2. Longing to see him: The Prophetsaid:"I swear by the One in whose
Hand the soul of Muhammad is! A day will come when not one of you will
be able to see me )i.e., after my death( and seeing me then would be
dearer to a person's heart than his family and wealth."]Ahmad &
At-Tirmithi[
Losing ones family and wealth is a minor issue in comparison to the
great bounty of being a companion, whose sins are forgiven, of the
Prophet.
3. Being sincere to the Prophet: Imaam Al-Maroozisaid: "This was
done during his lifetime by exerting all efforts to obey him,
supporting him, helping him, sacrificing one's wealth for his sake if
he were to demand it, and hastening to attain his love. After his
death, it is expressed by learning his Sunnah, his manners and
etiquettes, glorifying his commands and adhering to them, becoming
angry at those who live according to anything other than his way, and
loving those who adhere to it, as well asloving those who are from his
descendents, those who migrated with him and those who supported him,
and indeed anyone who was in his company even for as brief a period as
an hour.
Additionally, it entails imitating him in the way he dressed." Imaam
Al-Qurtubiadded: "It is to believe in his prophethood, to love those
who supported him, to hate those who hate him,to glorify his Sunnah
and revive, defend and spread it, as well as calling people to it and
imitating him in his morals and conduct."
4. Loving those whom heloved: If heloved Al-Hasan, Al-Husayn, 'Ali
and Faatimahthen we also love them, and Allaah is our witness to this
love. Likewise, we love those who follow his Sunnah and his household,
and they are, as Zaydsaid when clarifying the narration of the
Prophet:"Myhousehold; I remind you to fear Allaah with regards to my
household; I remind you to fear Allaah with regards to my household; I
remind you to fear Allaah with regards to my household."Zaydwas asked:
"Who are his household? Are his wives included in it?" He replied:
"Yes )i.e., his wives are included(, as are all those who are
forbidden from taking Zakaah after his death, namely: the family of
'Ali, the family of 'Aqeel, the family of Ja'far and the family of
Al-'Abbaas." ]Muslim[
We pray for all of them during our daily prayers; thus if somebody's
lineage is known to originate from the Prophetand they are a pious
person with sound creed, and not a Soofee, a deviant or an innovator,
then they should be loved for two reasons: One being their piety and
the other being their relationship to the Prophet.
Loving his wives is also part of this, as Allaah Says what means:"The
Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his wives
are ]in the position of[ their mothers..."]Quran 33: 6[
His wives were: Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, 'Aa'ishah bint Abu Bakr,
Hafsah bint 'Umar, Umm Habeebah bint Abu Sufyaan, UmmSalamah, Zaynab
bint Jahsh, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah Al-Hilaaliyyah, Juwayriyyah bint
Al-Haarith, Safiyyah bint Huyay and Maymoonah bint Al-Haarith
Al-Hilaaliyyahall.
A sign of loving the Prophetisto love his wives, who are the mothers
of the believers, and notto harm or slander them in any way.
Loving his companionsaccepting the guidance they conveyed to us, and
emulating them.
Many are those who claim to lovetheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam,
even from amongst the innovators, but the 'proof' of their love for
him is that they worship him alongside Allaah, and supplicate to him
instead of Allaah, and seek forgiveness fromhim; these people exclude
and forget Allaah. Is this love, or is it association with Allaah,
which hehated more than anything else? Healluded to this when he said:
"Do not praise me as theChristians praised the son of
Maryam."]Al-Bukhaari[
By this statement, hedid not forbid all types of praise for him, but
rather only the type that the Christians did )and do( for
Jesus)'Eesaa(, which is where theyraise his rank to one above that
which Allaah granted him, which is that of a slave and a messenger,
and they worship him instead of Allaah. This is similar to what the
deviant Soofees and other sects did and do.
On the other hand, Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah prove their love
fortheProphetsallallaahualayhi wa sallam by obeying his
commands,following his Sunnah and adhering to his guidance; this is
how one follows his way, as Allaah Says what means:"Say ]OMuhammad[:
If you should love Allaah, then follow me, ]so[ Allaah will love you
and forgive you your sins…"]Quran 3: 31[ Thisis real love!