In Sahih Bukhari, Abdullah bin Hisham narrated: We were with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he was holding the hand of `Umar bin Al-Khattab. `Umar said to Him, “O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self.” Then `Umar said to him, “However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Now, O `Umar, (now you are a believer).”
Loving the Prophet (ﷺ) necessitates constantly remembering him and sending peace and blessings upon him, which has numerous virtues, including:
- Obeying Allah’s command and aligning with Him and His angels:
Allah the Almighty says, “Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” (Al-Ahzab: 56)
In Sahih Muslim, Abu Mas'ud Al-Ansari said: We were sitting in the company of Sa'd bin 'Ubadah (May Allah be pleased with him), when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came to us. Bashir bin Sa'd said: "O Messenger of Allah! Allah has commanded us to supplicate for you, but how should we do that?" The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) kept silent. We were much perturbed over his silence and we wished he did not asked him this question. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Say: 'O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you exalted the family of Ibrahim. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibrahim in the world. You are the Praised, the Glorified,' and the method of greeting (i.e., Salam) is as you know.”
- Obeying the Prophet's command:
In Sahih Muslim, Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “When you hear the mu’adhdhin repeat what he says, then invoke a blessing on me, for everyone who invokes one blessing on me will receive ten blessings from God.”
- Relief from worries and forgiveness of sins:
In Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Ubayy b. Ka'b said he told God’s Messenger that he frequently invoked blessings on him and asked how much of his prayer he should devote to him. He replied that he might devote as much as he wished, and when he suggested a quarter he said, “Whatever you wish, but if you increase it that will be better for you.” He suggested a half and he replied, “Whatever you wish, but if you increase it that will be better for you.” He suggested two-thirds and he replied, “Whatever you wish, but if you increase it that will be better for you.” He then suggested devoting all his prayer to him and he replied, “Then your problems would be solved and your sins would be forgiven.”
- Protection from stinginess:
At-Tirmidhi narrated from Hasan bin Ali that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned yet does not pray for Allah's blessings upon me.”
- Elevation of ranks and expiation of sins:
In Sunan An-Nasa'i, Anas bin Malik narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold, erase ten of his sins, and raise him ten ranks in Paradise.”
- Allah’s mercy upon the servant:
In Sahih Muslim, Abu Huraira narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold.” And Allah’s blessings upon His servants are mercy.
- Answered supplications:
In Musnad Ahmad, Fudalah bin `Ubaid said: “The Prophet (ﷺ) heard a man supplicating in his Salat but he did not mention Allah or send Salat upon the Prophet (ﷺ), so the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘This one has rushed.’ Then he called him and said to him, and to someone other than him: ‘When one of you performs Salat, then let him begin by expressing gratitude to Allah and praising Him. Then, let him send Salat upon the Prophet (ﷺ), then let him supplicate after that, whatever he wishes.’”
In Sahih Al-Jami, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every du’aa’ is suspended until one sends blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).”
- Delivering peace to the Prophet:
In Sunan Abi Dawud, Aus bin Aus reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “Among the best of your days is Friday; so supplicate Allah more often for me in it, for your supplications will be displayed to me.” He was asked: “O Messenger of Allah! How will our blessings be displayed to you when your decayed body will have mixed with the earth?” He (ﷺ) replied, “Allah has prohibited the earth from consuming the bodies of the Prophets.”
In Musnad Ahmad, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Do not make my grave a place of ritual celebration, but pray for Allah's blessings upon me, for your blessings reach me from wherever you are.”
In Sunan An-Nasa'i, Abdullah bin Mas'ud narrated: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah (SWT) has angels who travel around on Earth conveying to me the Salams of my Ummah.”
- Return of peace from the Prophet:
Abu Dawud narrated from Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “No one sends greetings (or prayers of peace) upon me but Allah returns my soul to me so that I may return his greetings.”
- Salvation from regret on the Day of Judgment:
In Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, “If people sit in an assembly in which they do not remember God or invoke a blessing on their Prophet, vengeance will descend upon them. If God will He will punish them, but if He wills He will forgive them.”
- Deserving the Prophet's intercession:
In Sahih Muslim, Abdullah bin Amr narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Everyone who invokes a blessing on me or asks that I be given the Wasila, he will be assured of my intercession.”
- Attaining closeness to the Prophet on the Day of Judgment:
In Sunan At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The one who will be nearest me on the day of resurrection will be the one who invoked most blessings on me.”
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