One thing that becomes quite clear is that our beloved is our beloved only in namesake i.e. it has become a lip-service to many of us and often I find it in myself that I don't have the signs to suggest that I truly love my prophet (pbuh). What I mean by this is based on what the scholars have agreed on 'the reality of loving the Prophet (pbuh) ... in making all that which one loves and favours correspond to everything that he (pbuh) loved and favoured, that is:
- Following him
- Supporting him, protecting his Sunnah, imitating him and being fearful of contradicting his Sunnah.
- Continuously mentioning and remembering him.
- Favouring him over ones self.
- Missing him and longing to meet him.
When I think of these general guidelines for a lover of the beloved what springs to mind is first and foremost how deficient I am in all the points mentioned, but another interesting thought that develops stems from a recent friendship that I've found.
When I think of my friend I miss him even though I know he's close by, when I am in his company I am fearful of his disapproval and when I am with others I am constantly mentioning his name in praise. This seems to be the kind of relationship that I want to have with my beloved, only much more.
On closer inspection I realise that I can't meet up with the prophet (pbuh) like I can with my friend; neither can I have a conversation like I can with my friend. But when I look at how our friendship formed, because in all friendship there is always a beginning, a middle and unfortunately an end, I see that perhaps parallels can be drawn. The beginning is a period of exploration and a period of interest. With my friend we shared many stories, sometimes personal intimate stories and at other times for the sake of a good laugh. Whilst, the middle period of friendship is like the nectar of every fragrant flower: you begin to long for the person and you can't wait to be in their company. If some illness was to befall them it would stricken you a great deal.
Likewise the beginning of the love for our beloved must be a period of finding out all we can. Every small detail. The more we know the more we can love. One of the greatest facets of the prophet's (pbuh) life was that he was the most balanced individual to ever walk the face of this earth, so if I was to go out and find out about him - rest assured that I could find at least one thing that I could relate to. In a practical sense exploring Hadiths (sayings of the prophet (pbuh)) is one way of find our more about our beloved. Sometimes it can even take just one Hadith to instill that love in us especially if that particular one was relevant and relate-able. To clinch the deal, one has to try their utmost to find out every particular peculiar to that individual. Fortunately no person in history has anything as comparable as the Seerah (biography) of the prophet (pbuh). If one was to embark on such a journey of knowledge one would find the prophet's (pbuh) life as a consolation for our difficult times, a beacon of hope when times are desperate and an inspiration for love of all things good.
I believe that I'm still at the beginning of the road to loving my beloved. At least my intention is there and inshAllah (God willing) I will be able to tread this path successfully to fully act on the five points that I've mentioned earlier on. The end result is quite simply this:
Anas bin Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, said that a man asked the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: "When will the (last) hour come?" He sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “What have you done to prepare for it?” The man replied: "Nothing, except the love I have for Allaah and His Messenger." The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam replied: “You will be (on the Day of Judgment) with those whom you love.” Anas bin Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: "We (his companions) never rejoiced at anything more than his words, when he said “You will be (on the Day of Judgment) with those whom you love.”’ Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, continued: "I love the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, may Allaah be pleased with them both, and I hope to be with them (in the Hereafter) due to my love for them, even if I cannot do (the same amount of righteous deeds) as they do." (Bukhaari, Muslim and others)My personal favourite Hadith is this one:
The Messenger Muhammad (saw) said: "Some peoples will come on the Day of Judgement and their Imaan will be outstanding, it's light will shine from their chests and from their right hands. So it will be said to them, 'glad tidings for you today, Assalaamu alaykum and goodness for you, enter into it (Jannah) forever!’ So the angels and the Prophets will be jealous of the love of Allah for them". So the Sahabah asked, ' who are they O Messenger of Allah?' He (saw) replied, "They are not from us and they are not from you. You are my companions but they are my beloved. They will come after you and will find the book (the Qur'an) made redundant by the people, and a Sunnah which has been killed by them. So they will grab hold of the book and the Sunnah and revive them. So they will read them and teach them (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) to the people and they will experience in that path a punishment more severe and more ugly than what you (O Sahabah) have experienced. Indeed, the Imaan of one of them is equivalent to the Imaan of forty of you. The Shaheed of one of them is equivalent to forty of your Shuhadaa'. Because you found a helper towards the truth (the Prophet [saw]) and they will find no helper towards the truth. So they will be surrounded by tyrant rulers in every place, and they will be in the surroundings of Bayt ul-Maqdis (al-Quds). The Nussrah (victorious material support) of Allah will come to them, and they will have the honour of it on their hands". Then he (saw) said "O Allah give them the Nussrah and make them my close friends in Jannah" (Musnad of Imam Ahmed).
