The noble Prophet (ﷺ) has certain rights upon his nation, many of which include:
1. True Faith in Him (ﷺ) and Belief in What He Brought
Allah the Almighty says:
{So believe in Allah and His Messenger and the Light which We have sent down. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.} (At-Taghabun: 8)
And He says:
{So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.} (Al-A’raf: 158)
And He says:
{O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and will forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.} (Al-Hadid: 28)
And He says:
{And whoever does not believe in Allah and His Messenger – then indeed, We have prepared for the disbelievers a Blaze.} (Al-Fath: 13)
And the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah, and that they believe in me and in what I have brought.” (Narrated by Muslim)
Faith in him (ﷺ) means: confirming his prophethood, believing that Allah sent him to both jinn and mankind, believing in everything he brought and said, and matching the heartfelt conviction with the verbal declaration that he is the Messenger of Allah. When heartfelt belief, verbal testimony, and the practical application of what he brought are combined, faith in him (ﷺ) is complete.
2. The Obligation to Obey Him (ﷺ) and to Beware of Disobeying Him
Since faith in him and belief in what he brought are obligatory, obeying him is also obligatory, as obedience is part of what he brought. Allah says:
{O you who have believed, obey Allah and His Messenger and do not turn away from him while you hear [his order].} (Al-Anfal: 20)
And He says:
{And whatever the Messenger has given you, take it; and what he has forbidden you, refrain from it…} (Al-Hashr: 7)
And He says:
{So let those beware who dissent from the Prophet’s order, lest a trial befall them or a painful punishment be inflicted upon them.} (An-Nur: 63)
And He says:
{And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger – He will admit him into gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide eternally; and that is the great attainment. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger and transgresses His limits – He will put him into a fire in which he will abide eternally, and he will have a humiliating punishment.} (An-Nisa: 13–14)
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim). It was also narrated from him that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “All of my nation will enter Paradise except those who refuse.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who would refuse?” He said: “Whoever obeys me enters Paradise, and whoever disobeys me has refused.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari).
3. Following Him (ﷺ), Taking Him as a Role Model in All Matters, and Adhering to His Guidance
Allah says:
{Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.”} (Ali ‘Imran: 31)
And He says:
{And follow him that you may be guided.} (Al-A’raf: 158)
It is obligatory to walk in his footsteps, adhere to his Sunnah, and beware of opposing him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
4. Loving Him (ﷺ) More Than Parents, Children, Family, and All People
Allah says:
{Say, “If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, your wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command.” And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.} (At-Tawbah: 24)
Anas narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child, and all people.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
It is established in the Hadith that one of the rewards of loving him is being gathered with him in Paradise:
This occurred when a man asked him about the Hour, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “What have you prepared for it?” The man replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I have not prepared for it many prayers, fasts, or charity, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet said: “You will be with the one you love.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
When Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything except my own self,” the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “No, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, [not] until I am more beloved to you than your own self.” Umar then said to him: “Now, by Allah, you are more beloved to me than my own self.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Now, O Umar.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari).
The Prophet (ﷺ) also said: “There are three qualities, whoever has them will taste the sweetness of faith: when Allah and His Messenger are more beloved to him than anything else; when he loves a person only for the sake of Allah; and when he detests returning to disbelief after Allah has rescued him from it as much as he detests being thrown into the Fire.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).
There is no doubt that whoever Allah grants success to attain this tastes the sweetness of faith, finds delight in obedience, bears hardships for the sake of Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and follows nothing except what aligns with the Sharia of Muhammad (ﷺ). Because he was content with him as a Messenger and loved him, and whoever truly and sincerely loves him in their heart obeys him (ﷺ). As the poet said:
You disobey the Deity while professing His love,
This, by my life, is a strange analogy in reasoning.
If your love were true, you would have obeyed Him,
Indeed, the lover is obedient to the one he loves.
The signs of loving him (ﷺ) appear in following his example, adhering to his Sunnah, complying with his commands, avoiding his prohibitions, and adopting his manners in times of hardship and ease, difficulty and prosperity. Undoubtedly, whoever loves something prioritizes it and prefers conformity to it; otherwise, they are not sincere in their love and are merely making a claim.
Among the signs of loving him is giving sincere advice (Nasihah) for his sake, based on his saying: “Religion is sincerity.” We asked, “To whom?” He said: “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims, and their common folk.” (Narrated by Muslim). Sincerity to His Messenger (ﷺ) entails: believing in his prophethood, obeying his commands, avoiding his prohibitions, supporting him, defending and protecting him both in life and after death, reviving his Sunnah, practicing it, learning and teaching it, defending and spreading it, and embodying his noble morals and beautiful character.
5. Respecting, Honoring, and Supporting Him
As Allah says:
{That you [people] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect the Prophet…} (Al-Fath: 9)
And He says:
{O you who have believed, do not put [yourselves] before Allah and His Messenger and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing.} (Al-Hujurat: 1)
And He says:
{Do not make the calling of the Messenger among you as the call of one of you to another…} (An-Nur: 63)
Reverence for the Prophet (ﷺ) after his death and honoring him are just as necessary as they were during his lifetime. This is shown when his Hadith and Sunnah are mentioned, when his name and biography are heard, when his Sunnah is learned, called to, and defended.
6. Sending Blessings (Salah) Upon Him (ﷺ)
Allah the Almighty says:
{Indeed, Allah and His angels confer blessing upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace.} (Al-Ahzab: 56)
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold.” (Narrated by Muslim).
He (ﷺ) also said: “Do not make your houses graves, and do not make my grave a place of celebration, but send blessings upon me, for your blessings reach me wherever you are.” (Narrated by Abu Dawud and Ahmad).
He (ﷺ) said: “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned, yet he does not send blessings upon me.” (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).
He (ﷺ) said: “No people sit in a gathering in which they do not remember Allah nor send blessings upon their Prophet except that it will be a source of regret for them; if He wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them.” (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).
He (ﷺ) said: “May the nose of a man be rubbed in dust in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.” (Narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Ahmad).
Occasions for Sending Blessings Upon the Prophet (ﷺ)
There are many occasions for sending blessings upon the Prophet (ﷺ). Imam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned forty-one occasions in his book Jalaa’ al-Afhaam fi al-Salah wa al-Salam ‘ala Khayr al-Anaam, including, for example:
- Sending blessings upon him when entering and leaving the mosque.
- After the response of the Muadhin and at the Iqamah.
- When making supplication (Du’a).
- During the Tashahhud in prayer and in the funeral prayer.
- In the morning and evening, and on Friday.
- When people gather before dispersing.
- During sermons, such as the two Friday sermons.
- When writing his name.
- During the Eid prayers between the Takbiraat.
- At the end of the Qunut supplication.
- At As-Safa and Al-Marwah.
- When standing at his grave.
- During distress, hardships, and seeking forgiveness.
- Immediately after committing a sin when one wishes to expiate it, and other occasions mentioned by the author (may Allah have mercy on him) in his book.
If no other virtue for sending blessings upon the Prophet (ﷺ) had come down except this single Hadith, it would suffice. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Whoever sends a single blessing upon me, Allah sends ten blessings upon him, removes ten of his sins, and raises him ten degrees.” (Narrated by An-Nasa’i and Ahmad).
7. The Obligation of Seeking Judgment From Him and Being Content With His Rulings (ﷺ)
Allah the Almighty says:
{O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.} (An-Nisa: 59)
And:
{But no, by your Lord, they will not [truly] believe until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning that over which they dispute among themselves and then find not within themselves any discomfort from what you have judged and submit in [full, willing] submission.} (An-Nisa: 65)
Seeking judgment refers to turning to his Sunnah and Sharia after his passing.
8. Placing Him in His Proper Status (ﷺ) Without Exaggeration or Deficiency
He is the servant of Allah and His Messenger, the best of all prophets and messengers, the master of the first and the last, and the owner of the Praised Station (Al-Maqaam Al-Mahmoud) and the Water Basin (Al-Hawd). However, despite this, he is a mortal human being who possesses no power to bring benefit or harm to himself or anyone else, except as Allah wills.
Allah says:
{Say, [O Muhammad], “I do not tell you that I have the depositories [of the provision] of Allah or that I know the unseen, nor do I tell you that I am an angel. I only follow what is revealed to me.”} (Al-An’am: 50)
And He says:
{Say, “I hold not for myself [the power of] benefit or harm, except what Allah has willed. And if I knew the unseen, I could have acquired much wealth, and no harm would have touched me. I am not except a warner and a bringer of good tidings to a people who believe.”} (Al-A’raf: 188)
And He says:
{Say, “Indeed, I do not possess for you [the power of] harm or right direction.” Say, “Indeed, there will never protect me from Allah anyone [if I should disobey], nor will I find in other than Him any refuge.”} (Al-Jinn: 21–22)
He (ﷺ) passed away just like other prophets, but his religion remains until the Day of Resurrection:
{Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.} (Az-Zumar: 30)
From this, it is known that no one deserves worship except Allah alone, with no partner:
{Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.”} (Al-An’am: 162–163)
May Allah send His prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
