According to Islam, the love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessing be upon him) is a love that will increase the love of Allah in people and strengthen their devotion to Him. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) defined love for himself as a result of faith, saying, ” He has found the taste of faith (iman) who is content with Allah as his Lord, with Islam as his religion (code of life) and with Muhammed (PBUH) as his Prophet.”[1] Allah announced the value He gave to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with the verse “And We have not sent you, [O Muḥammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.”[2] Accordingly, those who love Allah should also love what He loves very much.
“… And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, has truly achieved a great triumph.”[3] In this verse it is commanded devotion and obedience to Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) . However, Islam is a religion that commands balance in all matters. In the Quran, Muslims are referred as the median [i.e., just] community.[4] The limit here is to be aware that Allah is the highest, and it is important not to forget that the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a messenger and a ‘servant’ at the same time. Accordingly, The measure in loving the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is to love him as Allah’s servant and Messenger, as a mirror that introduces Allah and reflects it to people, and as a teacher who tells people about Allah’s art, creation and commands; but not to attribute creative qualities to him, that is, not to deify him.
Allah has declared obedience to the the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a reason for his own love and forgiveness from sins.[5] In another verse, it is ordered to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and send greetings to him with love.”[6]
Some of the hadiths in which the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) told the criteria that should be related to the love felt for him are as follows:
- “Whoever has three traits within himself will find the sweetness of faith: one who loves Allah and His Messenger more than anything else, one who loves a servant only for the sake of Allah, and one who hates to turn back to unbelief after Allah has saved him, just as he hates to be thrown into the fire.[7]
- “Whoever revives my Sunnah then he has loved me.” [8]. “The one who loves me will be with me in heaven.”[9]
- “ The miser is one in whose presence I am mentioned [10] and he does not bless me.”[11]
In the Quran it is mentioned, “Say, [O Muḥammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”[12] Allah emphasized the importance of loving his Messenger on the way to his own love.
Throughout history in Islamic societies, Muslims who wanted to show their love for the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) named their babies with names such as Ahmed, Mahmud, Muhammed, Mustafa. This habit in which reminds his children of the prophet(PBUH) every time he calls them, continues as today.
The love of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has also shown its effect in Islamic arts, both through naʽat [13] and the execution of the word “Muhammad” on mosque decorations and various panels with calligraphy[14].
Despite the fact that the love and devotion to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is kept at the forefront in Islam, no group among Muslims in any part of the world, at any time in history, has attributed divine attributes to him. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) warned his ummah(Community) in this regard with the following words: “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave. So, call me the Slave of Allah and His Apostle.”[15]
[1] Muslim, The Book of Faith ,56
[2] Al- Anbiya, 107
[3] Al-Ahzab, 71
[4] Al-Baqarah, 143
[5] Ali-imran, 31
[6] Al-Ahzab, 56
[7] Al-Bukhari, Belief,9; Iqrah, 1, Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab), 42 ; Muslim, The Book of Faith, 67. And see At- Tirmidhi, The Book on Faith, 10
[8] Reviving the Sunnah: The life principles and basic values that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) presented to humanity, the principles of revelation that he applied in all areas of life, not in terms of form, custom, and appearance; to bring it to the age with its essence, social, universal, and societal aspects.
[9] At- Tirmidhi, Sunan, Chapters on Knowledge, 39/16 (V;46)
[10] “Peace and blessing be upon him”
[11] Ahmed Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, I, 201
[12] Al-Imran, 31
[13] Na’at is poetry in praise of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
[14] A type of font with artistic value, usually created with Arabic letters
[15] Al-Bukhari, Prophets, 48