The theme at the last MMYC Spring Conference was: The Prophetic Legacy–the North Star in Our Troubled Waters. Throughout the weekend, speakers kept mentioning various hadith relating back to why it was so important to take the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wasalaam) as an example and guide in our lives. And how now, more than ever, during this troubling time for our ummah, it is vital for us to increase our love for him.
One of the hadith that I think almost every single speaker mentioned was from Sahih Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 13, narrated by Abu Huraira:
“Allah’s Apostle said, “By Him in Whose Hands my life is, none of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father and his children.”
This hadith really got me thinking. How can I love the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, more than my own father? I see abbu every single day, I spend time with him, and I interact with him, so I have a very strong relationship with him. I have witnessed things about his upright character and morals that have helped to build a very strong admiration for him in my heart. The same goes for my mom, grand parents, siblings, friends and husband.
Have I ever had a chance to see the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, in this same way? That is something only the sahabas (RA) can claim. And that is why I think it was a lot easier for them to love him, sallalahu alayhi asalaam. They spent almost all their free time with him. They stood in prayer with him, fought side by side with him, ate with him, joked with him, sat with him, and directly learned from him on a regular basis. So how can we love him, so many years and miles away from all those opportunities?
After a little more thinking, I started to understand that all that time that the sahabas had with the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, and all the times I have with abuu will only help to strengthen an emotional love in my heart. But that isn’t the type of love that will get anyone anywhere in life. The most powerful aspect of love is not emotional, but rather in devotion. And so in order to fully love the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi waslaam, we must be devoted to him, and his teachings.
How else is that we can prove our love for anyone? If I truly love my father, I will listen to him. And if I truly love the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi waslaam, I will listen to him and follow his example. And if I am to love him more than anyone else in my life, that means I am to place his sunnah and tradition above everything else.
Say (to mankind O Muhammad), If you love God, follow me (and) God will love you…” (3:31)
So how many of us truly love the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wasalaam over all else? How many of us are truly willing to be devoted followers of his sunnah and show our love in our actions? How many of us are just all talk and no action??
And indeed, it is only through our actions that we can prove our love and devotion for the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalaam. If that means praying 2 rakaat sunnah after dhuhr instead of getting to lunch 2 minutes earlier, so be it. If that means waking up extra early to pray tahajud before fajr, so be it. If that means sitting down to drink water and sipping it slowly, instead of chugging it standing up in front of the sink, so be it. If that means growing a beard and ignoring corporate America, so be it.
Everyday we are faced with the opportunity to prove our love and devotion to him, sallalahu alayhi wasalaam, so let’s take advantage of each and every single one!
Good stuff. A lot of people get pwned by trying to “fit in” and silly goals like. Sadly, they miss out on so many opportunities to get bonus points.
May Allah guide us and make it easy to love Islam and following the Prophet (SAW).
Also, I heard some people say “It’s not fair that the Sahaba (RA) got to spend time with the Prophet (SAW) and we never get to. How then can we ever love him if we never get to spend time with him?”
Simple answer: spend time with the Prophet (SAW) by actively learning about him.
Learning about someone is the key to loving them more and more, and by reading books, attending classes/seminars/halaqahs, or listening to Islamic audio is VITAL to increaseing in love for the Prophet (SAW). But the way we live our lives, we don’t give a hoot about fitting any of that learning into our schedules. It’s something we have to change up in our daily routines.
Aimlessly browse the internet for an hour per day? Cut it in half and read some Islamic sites. Listen to music on your iPod where ever you drive or jog? Try putting in some Islamic audio and benefit your ears for change. The list goes on.