Love, Obey, Follow and Venerate our Prophet s.a.w

Why do we have to love, obey, follow and venerate our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam the most than any other person)?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Muslim honour the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) because of the following:

1. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala has commanded us to obey the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam).

Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad), and beware (of even coming near to drinking or gambling or Al-Ansab, or Al-Azlam) and fear Allah. Then if you turn away, you should know that it is Our Messenger’s duty to convey (the Message) in the clearest way”

[Al-Ma’idah, 5:92]

2. Allah has told us that obedience to the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) is obedience to Allah.

Allah says:

“He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a watcher over them”

[Al-Nisa’, 4:80]

3. Allah has warned us against failing to obey him, and that this may lead a Muslim into a fitnah that is the fitnah of shirik

Allah says:

“Make not the calling of the Messenger (Muhammad) among you as your calling one of another. Allah knows those of you who slip away under shelter (of some excuse without taking the permission to leave, from the Messenger). And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad’s) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah legal ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them”

[Al-Noor, 24:63]

Allah has told us that the status of Prophethood which he gave to His Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) requires the believers to respect and venerate him (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam). Allah says:

“Verily, We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a Warner. In order that you (O mankind) may believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you assist and honour him, and (that you) glorify (Allah’s) praises morning and afternoon”

[Al-Fath, 48:8-9]

4. The Essential Belief of Islam

The Muslim’s faith cannot be complete unless he loves the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam), and until the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) is dearer to him than his father, his son, his own self and all the people.

It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said:

“No one of you truly believes until I am dearer to him than his father, his son, his own self and all the people.”

[Al-Bukhari, 15; Muslim, 44]

It was narrated that ‘Abdallah ibn Hisham said: We were with the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) when he was holding the hand of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (radiallahu`anhu). ‘Umar said to him:

“O Messenger of Allah, you are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: “No, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, not until I am dearer to you than your own self.”

‘Umar (radiallahu`anhu) said to him: “Now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: “Now (you are a true believer), O ‘Umar.”

[Al-Bukhari, 6257]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (rahimallah) said:

“The reason why it is obligatory to love the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) and venerate him more than any other person is that we cannot attain the greatest good in this world or in the Hereafter except at the hands of the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) by believing in him and following him. That is because no one can be saved from the punishment of Allah, and the mercy of Allah cannot reach him except by means of the Prophet, by believing in him, loving him, being loyal to him and following him. This is the means by which Allah will save him from punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. This is the means by which he will attain what is good in this world and in the Hereafter. The greatest blessing is the blessing of faith, which can only be attained through him, and which is more beneficial than his own self and his wealth. He is the one by means of whom Allah brings people forth from darkness into light, and there is no other way to Allah. As for a person’s self and family, they will not avail him anything before Allah…”

[Majmu’ al-Fatawa, 27/246]

Allah says:

“The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves”

[Al-Ahzab, 33:6]

Ibn Kathir (rahimallah) said:

[Allah] knew how compassionate His Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) was towards his ummah, and how sincere he was towards them, so He made him closer to them than their own selves, and decreed that his judgement among them should take precedence over their own preferences. [6/380]

Shaikh Ibn Sa’di (rahimallah) said:

Allah tells the believers something by which they may understand the position and status of the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) , so that they might interact with him appropriately. So He said: “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their ownselves”, the closest that he could be to a person, and closer than his own self. It is because he (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) did the greatest of favours to all of mankind. Not the slightest good came to them and not the slightest harm was warded off from them except through him. Hence if there is a conflict between what a person himself wants or what other people want, and what the Messenger wants, then what the Messenger wants must take precedence. What the Messenger says cannot be overridden by what any person says, no matter who he is. They should sacrifice their selves, their wealth and their children, and put love for him before their love for all others.

It may be summed up by noting that the wrath of Allah and the Fire of Hell are the things that we fear the most, and we cannot be saved from them except at the hands of the Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) . The pleasure of Allah and the garden of Paradise are the things that we want the most, but we cannot attain them except at the hands of the Messenger (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) .

The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) referred to the former when he said:

“The likeness of me and you is that of a man who lit a fire and grasshoppers and moths started falling into it, and he tried to push them away. I am seizing your waistbands and trying to pull you away from the Fire but you are trying to get away from me.”

[Muslim, 2285, from Jabir; similar as al-Bukhari, 3427 from Abu Hurayrah)]

The Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) likened the way in which the ignorant and disobedient rush to fall into the Fire of the Hereafter by means of their sins and whims and desires to the Fire, and their keenness to fall into that Fire, even though he is trying hard to prevent them from doing so to the way in which moths and other insects are fatally attracted to the fire. Both of them are keen to destroy themselves because of their ignorance of the consequences.

[Sharh Muslim by al-Nawawi]

The latter was referred to by the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam) in a hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah (radiallahu`anhu) when he said:

“All of my ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, who would refuse?” He said: “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me has refused.”

[Al-Bukhari, 7280]

And Allah Knows best.

[Adapted from Fatwa: 14250 Islam QA]