The love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

The love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

It is clear from the Hadith which is in Sahih Bukhari that once the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was holding the hands of Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) when Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) spoke up out of love:  O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), by Allah!  Excepting my own self, I love you more than everything else.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Unless and until my love is more than the love of one’s own self, that person has no faith.

 

Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) rejoined:  By Him who have revealed the Book to you, I love you more than my own self.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Now your faith has been perfected o Umar.

 

Although in this Hadith only the love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has been mentioned but because the objective of the love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the love of Almighty Allah, this Hadith can be enough to deduct the (rule of) love of both, Almighty Allah and His Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

This Hadith shows that Muslims are bound to cause increase in the love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as the love which Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) had expressed earlier was not considered enough.  That’s why he made a conscious deliberate effort and removed the remaining shortcoming as well.

 

Here, it is to be considered that love is a matter of the heart.  How can it be reduced or increased deliberately?  Human will doesn’t extend to the inner feelings.  For example, if a hungry person desires that without any external reason hunger should be dispelled, it is not at all possible.  Only by mere desire of increase or decrease or by forcing oneself, the feeling of hunger will not change as long as external means are not created to increase or decrease it, like eating something to lessen it or not having anything to increase it.

 

In Mawahib Ladunniya, Imam Qustullani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has related an opinion of Khitabi that here conscious and voluntary love is meant, not involuntary love which is beyond human will.  Imam Zurqani (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has written in its explanation that voluntary love is on the demand of the intellect even though it might be unappealing to oneself the way a diseased person likes medicine even though it might be bitter and distasteful to him.

 

Imam Qazi Iyaz (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) writes that the reason love is compulsory is that love results from acknowledgement of greatness meaning that only the heart which acknowledges the greatness of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) will have the love of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as well and if that person doesn’t love the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), it will be considered that he doesn’t acknowledge the greatness of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and not having the greatness of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) amounts to apostasy.  But, objection has been raised that acknowledgement of greatness is not necessary for love.  The regard that Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) had for the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is known to one and all, but early on he didn’t prefer the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) over and above his own self.

 

It is also written that Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) first informed the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) of his involuntary love and the design of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was voluntary love.  Thus, Hadhrat ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) immediately set up proofs for himself and immediately informed the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) of the increase in love.