Love Of The Prophet And Following His Example

1. The Obligation to Increase the Love and Honor of the Prophet

Allah asks the Prophet to remind his Nation that it is essential for those who claim to love God, to love His Prophet :

"Say to them: If you love God, follow (and love and honor) me, and God will love you" (3:31).

2. Allah Said: Invoke Blessings on the Prophet

We are encouraged to pray on the Prophet and to praise him, which is an obligation on us through Allah's order in the verse:

"Allah and His angels are praying on (and praising) the Prophet ;
O believers! pray on (and praise) him and send him utmost greetings" (al-Ahzab 56). see also (1)

3. Allah Said: Rejoice in the Prophet

To express happiness for the Prophet coming to us is an obligation given by Allah through Qur'an, as Allah said in Qur'an:

"Of the favor and mercy of Allah let them rejoice" Sura Yunus (10) 58

This order came because joy makes the heart grateful for the mercy of Allah. And What greater mercy did Allah give than the Prophet himself , of whom Allah says,

"We did not send you except as a mercy to human beings" (Al-Anbiya' 107).

Because the Prophet was sent as a mercy to all mankind, it is incumbent not only upon Muslims, but upon all human beings to rejoice in his person. Unfortunately, today too, there are some people who reject Allah's order to rejoice in His Prophet .

4. The Obligation to Know Sira and Imitate Its Central Character

We are asked to know about our Prophet , about his life, about his miracles, about his birth, about his manners, about his faith, about his signs (ayat wa dala'il), about his seclusions, about his worship, and is not this knowledge an obligation for every Muslim? What is better than acquiring knowledge of his life? This will make Allah happy with us because then we will be able to know the Prophet better, and be readier to take him as an example for ourselves, to correct ourselves, and to imitate him and thus gain salvation in this life and in the next.

5. Who was our Beloved Prophet ?

The Prophet Allah, Rasulullah was neither tall nor was he short (he was of medium stature). In complexion, he was neither very white like lime, nor very dark, nor brown which results in darkness (he was illuminant, more luminous than even the full moon on the 14th night). The hair of Rasulullah was neither very straight nor very curly (but slightly wavy). When he attained the age of forty, Allah Most High granted him nubuwwah (prophethood). He lived for ten years in Makkah (see commentary) and in Madinah for ten years. He passed away at the age of sixty years. At that time there were not more than twenty white hair on his mubaarak head and beard" Anas (r) reported it.

Commentary at jamiat.org.za

6. The Danger of Opposing His Command

Opposing his command and changing his sunna is misguidance and innovation. It is threatened by Allah with utter privation and punishment. Allah says:

"Whoever splits from the Messenger after the guidance is clear to him and follows other than the path of the believers, We shall entrust him to what he has turned to and expose him unto Hell - an evil retreat!" Sura Women (4) 115

The Prophet said: "Anyone who dislikes my sunna is not of me."

Bukhari and Muslim

7. Additional Proof

(1) Concerning Respect and Love For The Prophet

The Community [of Muslim Scholars] is unanimous concerning the obligation to magnify and exalt the Prophet , his Family, and his Companions. It was the practice of the Pious Predecessors and the Imams of the past that whenever the Prophet was mentioned in their presence they were seized by reverence, humbleness, stillness, and dignity.
Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (this is Ja'far al-Sadiq) would turn pale whenever he heard the Prophet mentioned. Imam Malik would not mention a hadith except in a state of ritual purity. 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr al-Siddiq would turn red and stammer whenever he heard the Prophet mentioned .
As for 'Amir ibn 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr ibn al-'Awamm al-Asadi (one of the early sufis), he would weep until his eyes had no tears left in them. When hadith was mentioned in their presence they would lower their voices. Malik said: "His sacredness (hurmat) in death is as his inviolability in life."

The Mathematician Abu al-'Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Khatib, also known as Ibn Qunfudh al-Qusantini al-Maliki (d. 810 H) in his book "Wasilat al-islam bi al-nabi 'alayhi al-salat wa al-salam" (The Means to Islam Through the Prophet ; Beirut: Dar al-gharb al-islami, 1404/1984 p. 145-146.)

(2) Even Love of the Companions Is a Sign of Belief

Another hadith which shows that even love of the companions of the Prophet , such as Abu Hurayra is a sign of belief, according to the exact wording of the Prophet that Allah make Abu Hurayra beloved to the believers.

Abu Hurayra gave the following account of his mother's conversion:

I came to the Prophet weeping one day and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have been inviting my mother to Islam and she has been refusing. Today I asked her again, and she said something about you which I hated to hear. Ask Allah to guide Abu Hurayra's mother!" Whereupon the Prophet said: "O Allah! Guide Abu Hurayra's mother."
   Then I returned home cheered up by the Prophet's supplication. When I arrived at the door of the house I found it closed. Hearing my footsteps, my mother said: "Abu Hurayra, do not come in yet." I could hear the sound of water. She washed herself and wore her robe (dir') and headcover (khim_r) then she opened the door and said: "Abu Hurayra! I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's servant and messenger!"
   I returned at once to the Prophet , weeping for joy, and said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, good news! Allah has answered your request and guided my mother!" He glorified and praised Allah, thanking Him and saying good things. I said: "O Messenger of Allah! Ask Allah that He make me and my mother beloved to his believing servants and that He make them beloved to us."
   The Prophet said: "O Allah! Make Your little servant here - meaning Abu Hurayra - and his mother beloved to Your believing servants, and make the believers beloved to the two of them." Not one believer is brought into existence who hears about me without seeing me except he loves me.

Narrated by Muslim and Ahmad. Also Ibn Hajar in al-Isaba (7:435, 7:512) and others.

This hadith is similar to another sound hadith of the Prophet addressing the Commander of the Believers 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (r):

"None loves you except a believer, and none hates you except a hypocrite." Narrated by Muslim, al-Nasa'i, and Ahmad

(3) Another hadith emphasizing to increase our Love for Allah(ta'âla) and his Messenger

A man asked the Prophet about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying, "When will the Hour be?" The Prophet said, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle. " The Prophet said, "You will be with those whom you love." We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., "You will be with those whom you love.") Therefore, I love the Prophet , Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs. Anas narrated it. Comment (4)

(4) The above is elucidated by the following hadiths:

"Among those of my Community who love me most intensely are certain people who will come after me and who would give away their family and property in exchange for seeing me." Muslim narrated it in his Sahih, book of "Paradise and its bliss and people."

A man came to the Prophet and said: "Messenger of Allah, I love you more than my family and my possessions. I remember you and I cannot wait until I can come and look at you. I remember that I will die and you will die and I know that when you enter the Garden, you will be raised up high with the Prophets. When I enter it, I will not see you." Allah then revealed:

"Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are with those whom He has favored: the Prophets (peace be upon them all), the True Saints, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. Ah! What an excellent company." (4:69)

The Prophet called the man and recited the verse to him.

Tabarani and Ibn Mardawayh narrated it from A'isha and Ibn 'Abbas, and Qadi 'Iyad cited it in al-Shifa' as well as Ibn Kathir in his Tafsir (1:310) and al-Baghawi in his.

It is further elucidated by the hadith of 'Umar ...

... whereby a man was punished by the Prophet because of wine-drinking. One day when he was brought to him and he gave orders and had him beaten, one of those present said: "O Allah, curse him. How often he is brought!" The Prophet said: "Do not curse him. I swear by Allah that I know he loves Allah and His Messenger."

Bukhari

Muniira...

"Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as a niche and within a lamp:the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star,lite from a blessed tree,an olive,neither from the east nor the west , whose oil would almost glow forth, though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything."

{Quran 24:35}