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13)    Prayers Upon Him are a Significant Means of Easing the Crossing of the Sirat  (Bridge in the Hereafter)

Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Mūsā al-Madīnī and others have related on the authority of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Samura (R) saying that the Messenger of God (PBUH) came out of the mosque one day and said, “…I saw a man from my community who was dragging himself on the sirat one time and crawling another time, then the prayers he sent upon me took him by the hand and made him firm on the sirat until he crossed it.”

14)  Sending Prayers Upon Him are a Means of Having the Name of the Sender Presented to the Prophet (PBUH) and its Being Mentioned in His Noble Presence

Al-Bazzār has related on the authority of ʿAmmār b. Yāsir (R) saying, the Messenger of God (PBUH) said, “God the Exalted has assigned an angel by my grave who has been given the names of all creation.  Nobody sends prayers upon me until the Day of Judgment except that he informs me with his name and the name of his father that: ‘So and so the son [or daughter] of so and so has sent prayers upon you.’”

Al-Ṭabarānī has related in al-Kabir that the Messenger of God (PBUH) said, “God has an angel to whom he gave the ability to hear the servants [on the earth].  There is not a person who sends prayers upon me except that I am informed of it.  And I have asked of my Lord that nobody sends a prayer upon me except that God reciprocates him with ten of its likeness.”

It is of sufficient honor, nobility, and esteem for a Muslim that his name be mentioned in the noble presence of the Messenger of God may peace and blessings be upon him!

15)  Sending Prayers Upon the Prophet (PBUH) is an Essential Means of Instilling Love in the Servant’s Heart for the Messenger of God (PBUH) and It is in Turn a Means of Evoking the Prophet’s (PBUH) Love for their Sender

Al-Tirmidhī relates on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd (R) saying, “The Messenger of God (PBUH) said, ‘The most worthy people of me on the Day of Judgment are those who used to send the most prayers upon me.’”  Ibn Ḥibbān has also transmitted this in his Sahih.

Thus the most worthy people of his (PBUH) love, nearness, and his exclusive intercession are those who used to send the most prayers upon him. 

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The Connection Between Loving the Prophet [PBUH] and Faith

It is reported that the Messenger of God (PBUH) said, “None of you truly believe until I have become more beloved to him than his father, his children and all of humankind.”  The Messenger of God (PBUH) also said, “Whoever possesses the following three qualities has tasted the sweetness of faith: the one for whom God and His Messenger are dearer than anything else,  [one] who loves a person and he loves him solely for God’s sake, and [one] who hates to revert to a state of disbelief as he hates to be thrown into the fire.”

In another hadith it is narrated, “We were with the Prophet and he took the hand of ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab. ‘Umar said to Him, “O Messenger of God, you are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet said, “No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have complete faith) until I am dearer to you than your own self.” Then ‘Umar said to him, “By God, it is now that you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet said, “Now, O ‘Umar.”

As demonstrated in these hadiths and many others similar to it, loving the Messenger of God (PBUH) is a condition of faith (imān) and an indication of its genuineness.  This love engenders sincerity in our efforts to follow his (PBUH) example, facilitates the application of his (PBUH) teachings in our daily lives, and enables us to remain steadfast in walking on his (PBUH) straight path (al-ṣirāṭ al-mustaqīm), under the Prophetic banner.  Ḥasan al-Baṣrī relates that a group of individuals claimed to love God and so God tested their love by revealing the verses: “Say if you love God, then follow me and God will love you and forgive your sins [al-ʿImrān: 31].”  Al-Junayd said, “No one has reached God except through God.  And the path to reaching God is following the Chosen One (PBUH) (al-Muṣtafa).”  “Reaching God” (al-wuṣūl ilā Allāh) means, attaining a state in which God is pleased (marḍātillāh) with one.  It is based on this perspective that the Messenger of God (PBUH) said, “All of my community will enter Paradise except those who refuse.”  It was asked, “O Messenger of God, who refuses?”  He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Heaven.  Whoever disobeys me has refused.”[1] (more…)