Bismillah
عن انس قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى أكون أحب إليه من والده وولده والناس أجمعين
Anas radi Allahu anhu narrated that the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “None of you truly believes (has emaan) until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all of mankind.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Loving the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is a part of emaan, and Allah ta’ala has made it obligatory for us to love the Messenger alayhi salaam. Why? It is because loving the Prophet shows that you love Allah. It is because Allah sent him sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam that we are Muslims. There should be no one in this world more beloved to us than Allah and His Messenger.
We all claim to love the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam with our tongues, but do our actions show this?
When we love someone, how do we act? We want to be just like them. We think about them a lot. Whenever we remember them, we become happy. Their words comfort us. Their actions teach us. We love to hear about them all the time.
Do you really love the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam? Do you practice his sunnah? Do you read his words? Do you learn from his teachings? Do you read about his life? Do you defend him? Do you spread his message? alayhi Salaatu Rabbuna wa Salaam!
There are so many stories displaying the love of the sahaba for the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam that we can regurgitate them all, because we have memorized them and not internalized them.
Here are some stories of non-human living beings that loved him alayhi salaam based on a lecture by Shaykh AbdulBary Yahya, “things” that loved the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam more than we do!
The Tree Stump
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah radi Allahu anhu: The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to stand by a tree or a date-palm on Friday. Then an Ansari woman or man said. “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we make a pulpit for you?” He replied, “If you wish.” So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, he proceeded towards the pulpit (for delivering the sermon). The date-palm cried like a child! The Prophet descended (the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet said, “It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of religious knowledge given near to it.”
Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhuma narrated: The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to deliver his sermons while standing beside a trunk of a datepalm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying).
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah: The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree (while delivering a sermon). When the pulpit was placed for him we heard that stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it.
These ahadeeth are classified as mutawaatir, meaning so many sahaba narrated it that it cannot be fabricated. The different narrations show that they all witnessed it in the masjid. This is a miracle of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and the narrations of the sahaba are all authentic, found in Bukhari and Muslim. This tree trunk, which seems like a lifeless being to us, is actually alive and was so affected by the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam. Allah ta’ala says the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is a “rahmatan lil ‘aalameen”, a Mercy for all that exists, and we see this in how he comforted this stump. Imagine the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam soothing and hugging this tree stump!
Mount Uhud
Narrated Anas radi Allahu anhu: Allah’s Apostle sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam ascended the (mountain) of Uhud with Abu Bakr and ‘Uthman and it shook. Allah’s Apostle said, “Be calm, O Uhud!” I think he stroked it with his foot and added, “There is none on you but a Prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs.” (Bukhari)
The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam was traveling one time: “and when Uhud was within sight, he said: This is the mountain which loves us and we love it.” (Muslim)
This is a mountain, made up of rocks and stones, yet we are made of flesh and have been given hearts that beat…do we love the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam as this mountain? Do we shake like this mountain out of love for him?
A Stone
The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “I know a stone in Makkah that used to salute (give salaams) me before I received the revelation, I still know it now.” (Muslim)
How often do we salute/send salawaat on the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam? The Prophet knew this stone, and if we send salawaat on him, especially on Fridays, they will be presented to him from us.
A Tree
Narrated by Ya’la ibn Murrah ath-Thaqafi radi Allahu anhu said, “one time we were walking with the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and he stopped at a place to spend the night. When the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam went to sleep, a tree uprooted itself and came to the Prophet and enveloped him. When the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam woke up, he said: ‘this is a tree that when it saw the Prophet, it asked Allah to give salaams to the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam, and Allah gave it permission.’” (Musnad Ahmad, Tabarani and Bayhaqi: Saheeh)
Do we ask to see the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam in our dreams? Yet a tree is asking to send salaams on the Prophet alayhi salaatu wa salaam.
These are not the only stories mentioned in the sunnah and witnessed by the Companions. Let us strive more to love the Prophet alayhi salaatu wa salaam: learn about his life, read about his companions, act upon his authentic statements and teachings, send salawaat upon him and defend him, alayhi salaatu wa salaam.
May Allah ta’ala shower His peace and blessings upon our Messenger, and fill our hearts with love for Him and his messenger, bless us to see him in our dreams and to grant us his companionship in Jannatul Firdaws, Ameen.
