Loving and glorifying the Sunnah

Do you truly love the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam? A fundamental of our religion, and a tenet of our faith, is to love him. Allah Says what means: “Say [O Muhammad]: ‘If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and Jihaad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.” [Qur’an 9: 24] Al-Fudhayl ibn ‘Iyaadh said: “This verse is enough of an evidence to prove the obligation of loving the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, because Allah dispraised in it those whose wealth, family or children are dearer to them than the love of Allah and His Messenger describing them as defiantly disobedient at its conclusion.”The love of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, branches from Allah’s love of him; our love of the Prophet is due to the fact that Allah loves him, and because Allah sent him to us as His Messenger, as well as the fact that Allah instructs us to make him dearer to our hearts than our own souls. He Almighty Says what means: “The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves…” [Qur’an 33: 6] This means that the believer should love the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, more than he loves his own self. This love entails full obedience, submission and acceptance; it also entails favouring the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, over oneself, one’s family and one’s wealth, and to surrender to the Prophet, the controlling direction that one has over himself.The influence that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, should have over us is greater than that which a master has over his slave, or a father has over his child. We should have no control over ourselves except in acting in accordance with the way he directed us to. It is for every Muslim to prove his love for him, which can be determined according to the following narration of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam: “There are three qualities; whoever has them will taste the sweetness of faith: To love Allah and His Messenger more than anyone else…” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim] One will never taste the sweetness of faith except after achieving this, as he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said in another narration: “I swear by the One in whose Hand my soul is! None of you will truly believe until I become dearer to him than his child, his father and all of mankind.” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]This love is not simply an emotion that is confined to the heart, but rather it has implications and effects. This love makes the slave achieve a rank that he would not otherwise achieve by means of his bodily deeds, as in the narration of Ibn Mas’ood, radhiallah ‘anhu, who said: “A man came to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! When will the Hour (i.e., the Day of Resurrection) come?’ He  replied: “What have you prepared for it?” The man said: ‘Only my love of Allah and His Messenger.’ The Messenger of Allah then said: “You will be with those whom you love.”” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]It is not as important to know when the Hour will occur as it is to prepare for its arrival, and this is the reason why the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, drew this to the attention of the man by asking him that question.Anas, radhiallah ‘anhu, said: “After being blessed by embracing Islam, we never rejoiced at anything as much as we did about this answer of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, to that man. I love Allah, His Messenger, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and hope to be with them (in the Hereafter) even if I cannot perform the good deeds they did.” [Al-Bukhari & Muslim]The Companions had great love for the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, to the extent that they would face arrows that were being fired in his direction to shield him. They would risk their lives for him and sacrifice everything for his rescue. ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas, radhiallah ‘anhu, said: “There was no one dearer to me or more glorified than the Prophet; I could never look him directly in the eye due to the extent of my glorification, and if someone were to ask me to describe him, I would not be able to, as I never looked at him for long enough to be able to describe him.” [Muslim]When Abu Sufyaan, radhiallah ‘anhu, was still a disbeliever, he asked Zayd ibn Thaabit, radhiallah ‘anhu, who was taken as a hostage and being brought out by the people of Makkah to execute: “Do you not wish that Muhammad was in your place and that we killed him instead, while you could go to your family and be with them?” He replied: “I swear by Allah! I would rather be here facing this than have him even being pricked by a thorn.” Upon hearing this, Abu Sufyaan, radhiallah ‘anhu, said: “I never saw a people who love a man more than the Companions of Muhammad love him.”Such incidents greatly affected the disbelievers and caused many of them to embrace Islam.A man from the Ansaar came to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and said: “You are dearer to me than myself, my child, my family and my wealth, and I feel as if I am dying when I do not see you.” Then he began to cry. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, asked: “Why are you crying?” The man replied: “I remembered that we will die and you will die, then you will take your place in Paradise with the other Messengers and Prophets, while we, if indeed we do enter Paradise, will be lower in rank than you, and thus we will not be able to see you in Paradise.”Note how much they loved him; they were worried about not seeing him, despite the fact that they may also be in Paradise.The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, did not comment on his words until Allah revealed the following verses which mean: “And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger – those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. That is the bounty from Allah…” [Qur’an 4: 69-70] Thereupon the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, summoned him and said: “Glad tidings to you!” [Al-Bayhaqi]Once, a female companion was waiting at the approach to Al-Madinah for the return of the Muslim army from the battle of Uhud. She was informed that her husband, brother and father were killed, but her only reply was: “What happened to the Prophet?” They told her that he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, was fine and unharmed, but she insisted to seeing him so that she would be sure that he was truly safe. When she did see him, she remarked: “Any affliction, after seeing that you are safe, is minor.”Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/Signs of love for the ProphetThe worst disaster ever to strike this nation was the death of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, who instructed us to remember the affliction of his death whenever we are tried 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 the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam:1.   Mentioning him frequently and exalting his mention. Allah Says what means: “Indeed, Allah exalts the mention of the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed! Ask [Allah to] exalt his mention.” [Qur’an 33: 56] There are many times and occasions when this is legislated to be done, such as during supplication. Ubay ibn Ka’b, radhiallah ‘anhu, reported: “I (once) said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I frequently invoke Allah to exalt your rank; how much of my supplication should I devote to you?’ He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “You may devote as much as you wish.” When I suggested a quarter, he said: “Do whatever you wish, but it would be better for you if you were to increase upon that.” I suggested half, and he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Do whatever you wish, but it would be better for you if you were to increase upon that.” I suggested two-thirds, and he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “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 Allah to exalt your rank?’ He, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “You would then be freed from your worries, and your sins would be forgiven.’’” [Ahmad & At-Tirmithi]2.   Longing to see him: The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “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 one’s 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-Maroozi said: “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 etiquette, 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 as loving those who are from his descendants, 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-Qurtubi  added: “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 he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, loved: If he loved Al-Hasan, Al-Husayn, ‘Ali and Faatimah, may Allah be pleased with them, then we also love them, and Allah is our witness to this love. Likewise, we love those who follow his Sunnah and his household, and they are, as Zayd, radhiallah ‘anhu, said when clarifying the narration of the Prophet: “My household; I remind you to fear Allah with regards to my household; I remind you to fear Allah with regards to my household; I remind you to fear Allah with regards to my household.” Zayd was 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 Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and they are a pious person with sound creed, and not a Sufi, 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, who are the mothers of the believers, is also part of this, as Allah Says what means: “The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his wives are [in the position of] their mothers...” [Qur’an 33: 6] His wives were: Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, ‘Aa’ishah bint Abu Bakr, Hafsah bint ‘Umar, Umm Habeebah bint Abu Sufyaan, Umm Salamah, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Zaynab bint Khuzaymah Al-Hilaaliyyah, Juwayriyyah bint Al-Haarith, Safiyyah bint Huyay and Maymoonah bint Al-Haarith Al-Hilaaliyyah - may Allah be pleased with them all. A sign of loving the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, is to love the mothers of the believers and not to harm or slander them in any way.Loving his Companions accepting the guidance they conveyed to us, and emulating them.Many are those who claim to love the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, even from amongst the innovators, but the “proof” of their love for him is that they worship him alongside Allah, and supplicate to him instead of Allah, and seek forgiveness from him; these people exclude and forget Allah. Is this love, or is it association with Allah, which he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, hated more than anything else? He alluded to this when he said: “Do not praise me as the Christians praised the son of Maryam.” [Al-Bukhari] By this statement, he did 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 they raise his rank to one above that which Allah granted him, which is that of a slave and a messenger, and they worship him instead of Allah. This is similar to what the deviant Sufis and other sects did and do.On the other hand, Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa’ah prove their love for the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, by obeying his commands, following his Sunnah and adhering to his guidance; this is how one follows his way, as Allah Says what means: “Say [O Muhammad]: If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins…” [Qur’an 3: 31] This is real love!Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/Examples set by CompanionsAbdullaah ibn Mas’ood, radhiallah ‘anhu, reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “Never has a Prophet been sent before me by Allah to his people except that he had, among his people, disciples and companions who followed his way and obeyed his command. Then there came after them their successors who proclaimed what they did not practise, and practised what they were not commanded to do. (He) who strove against these (people) with his hand was a believer; he who strove against them with his heart was a believer; and he who strove against them with his tongue was a believer; and beyond that there is no grain of faith.” [Muslim]The Companions comprehended this very well and also kept in mind the saying of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, which was reported by Anas : “He who shuns my Sunnah is not from me.” [Al-Bukhari] These sayings made them love the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and spread and propagate it amongst their successors.The Companions fulfilled their duty and played their expected role in spreading and propagating the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam; they taught it to others with sincerity and advised those who shunned it to adhere to it, warning them against their actions. Huthayfah, radhiallah ‘anhu, once saw a man rushing during his prayer and failing to be tranquil in his bowings and prostrations; so he said to him: “You did not pray! Had you died in that state then you would have died upon other than the way of Muhammad.” [Al-Bukhari] He was bringing his attention to the fact that being tranquil and submissive during prayers was how the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, would perform them.‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar, radhiallah ‘anhu, would sit on his buttocks during the Tashahhud in his prayer, so his son began imitating him; when ‘Abdullaah saw this, he forbade him from doing so and informed him that this was not how the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, performed his prayers, so his son said to him: “I saw you praying this way.” His father informed him that his legs were injured from the time of the Battle of Khaybar, and that he could not therefore adhere to the Sunnah in this position of prayer. [Al-Bukhari]‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Umar did not consider this part of prayer a minor or trivial issue which he could overlook when seeing someone performing it a way other than that of the Prophet’s ; compare this to the way some people consider certain acts of the Sunnah to be minor, thereby undermining them.Taawoos  said: “We asked Ibn ‘Abbaas  about sitting in the position of Iq’aa’ between the two prostrations (which is to sit with one’s buttocks on his heels while bending his toes and directing them towards the Qiblah). He informed them that it was the Sunnah, but they remarked: ‘We do not see it befitting a man to sit in such a manner.’ But he repeated and emphasised to them the fact that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, would sit this way.” [Muslim]This is one of the ways he, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, would sit, while the other and most common practice of his was that he would sit on his left foot and have his right foot raised while having its toes pointing towards the direction of the Qiblah.These were some examples of how the Companions would propagate the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and they would also openly forbid those who contradicted the Sunnah, as in the story when Marwaan ibn ‘Abdul-Malik delivered the Khutbah of ‘Eid before the prayer, which is directly contrary to the Sunnah, so a man stood up whilst he was delivering the Khutbah and told him that he had opposed the way of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, by doing what he did. Marwaan paid no attention to what the man said, and so Abu Sa’eed said: “This man (i.e., the one who spoke to Marwaan) has fulfilled his duty by informing him of the Sunnah and attempting to forbid him from continuing; I heard the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, say: “He who sees an evil must change it with his hands (i.e.  physically); if he is unable to, then he must change it with his tongue (i.e. verbally), and if he is unable to, then with his heart (i.e., hating it) - and this is the weakest level of faith.” [At-Tirmithi]Acts of worship were not the only thing which the Companions learned the ways of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam - he even taught them their manners. Anas, radhiallah ‘anhu, said: “Once the Prophet  came to our house and asked for something to drink, so we milked a sheep for him and I gave him the milk to drink while Abu Bakr,‘Umar and other senior companions  were sitting to his left, and a Bedouin was sitting to his right. When he finished drinking, ‘Umar said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is to your left’ in an attempt to bring that to his attention, but he turned to the Bedouin and handed him the container to drink from, saying: “It is the right of those to your right, It is the right of those to your right, It is the right of those to your right.” [Muslim]All the Companions  old and young, were keen to adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam; it was never reported from a single one of them that they said about any part of it: “This is only a Sunnah and is not mandatory… this is only recommended and not obligatory… this is a minor issue and not a major one, and we should not waste our time in it… this is a trivial matter” quite unlike what many people say nowadays about the Sunnah, thereby giving it a low ranking in their list of importance. Instead, the Companions would apply anything that came to them from the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, and would practise it fully and very precisely. Even in matters that were related to man’s natural disposition, such as growing the beard, using the Siwaak (a special twig that is used as a toothbrush) and so on.Is it not time for us to apply the Sunnah in our practices and actions, our families, the way we dress, our children, our homes, our prayers and all other affairs?Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/Knowledge is the foundation of true fearFear is the sensation that results from the anticipation of an expected harm; it is also felt when a person loses, or expects to lose something he cherishes. It is the exact opposite of security and can be applied to worldly matters as well as those of the Hereafter. Fear is a state of disturbance of the heart from an evil or harm that may befall a person, or, it can be the sensation it feels when missing out on something that is beloved to it.Imam Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:“Fear is no more than the pain and burning that one finds in his heart due to an expected harm; it is like the example of one who committed a crime and was subsequently caught; such a person will fear being sentenced to death, and the pain which his heart will suffer is dependent on how certain he is that he will (or will not) be sentenced, depending on the severity of his crime … sometimes one fears the ruler due to the power of the latter. Thus, when one realises the power of Allah and knows that if Allah wished to destroy all His creation it would not affect Him, nor could anyone stop Him from doing so, and therefore, one would fear Allah to the extent of the sins that he has committed. This is the fear of warning.”There is a certain type of fear that is experienced only by the knowledgeable, and it is called Khashyah in Arabic, as Allah The Almighty Says (which means):“…Only those among His servants fear Allah who have knowledge…” (Qur’an, 35:28)This is fear that is based on knowledge. Ordinary believers experience a general fear of Allah The Almighty whilst Khashyah is only experienced by the devout believers and the scholars from among them; the more knowledge one has regarding Allah The Almighty, the more he will fear Him. When one fears a person who may or may not apprehend him then this is an ordinary fear, whereas if he is absolutely sure that this person can seize him and inflict harm upon him, then it is Khashyah.Fear, with its various different meanings, is mentioned in many places in the Qur’an, and its causes are varied:Fear of being killed or defeated; Allah The Almighty Says (what means):“And when there comes to them something [i.e., information] about [public] security or fear…” (Qur’an, 4:83)Fear during war and hostility; Allah The Almighty Says (what means):“… And when fear comes, you see them looking at you, their eyes revolving like one being overcome by death. But when fear departs, they lash you with sharp tongues…” (Qur’an, 33: 19) ‘Fear’ in this verse refers to war.Fear resulting from knowledge, as Allah The Almighty Says (which means):{“But if one fears from the bequeather [some] error…”} (Qur’an, 2 :182)Allah The Almighty also Says (what means): “…Unless both fear that they will not be able to keep [within] the limits of Allah…” (Qur’an, 2: 229) ‘Fear’ in this verse is due to one’s knowledge.Fear due to decrease in numbers, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): “Or that He would not seize them gradually [in a state of dread].” (Qur’an, 16: 47) This is the fear that people feel regarding a decrease in their numbers, which would be the result of them being killed, or facing death in any other way.Fear of punishment, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means):“…They [i.e., the believers] supplicate their Lord in fear…” (Qur’an, 32:16)Imam Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: “Know that fear is the whip by which Allah controls His slaves so that they may continue exerting effort in order to come close to their Lord; fear is the light which illuminates the heart and enables it to distinguish good from evil.” When a person fears another, he will attempt to flee from him, and this is the case for everyone except Allah; one escapes from Him by fleeing to Him.Fear does not depart from one’s heart except that it causes its ruin, because when fear is present in one’s heart, it burns all desires and expels the pleasures of this life from it. Fear causes a person to wake up from his heedlessness and puts him back on the right path after he has diverted from it. Being fearful is not an objective in itself, meaning, we do not feel fear due to any contentment that comes with being afraid, but rather, it should be a means to rectify our condition.Article source: http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/