How Should Love for the Prophet be Expressed?
The verse referenced in the Quran regarding love for the Prophet is Surah At-Tawbah, verse 24. However, upon examining the content of this verse and the preceding verse, it becomes clear that the topic is primarily about that dispel human material anxieties.
Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah).
To better understand this verse, when we look at the preceding verse, we see that it was revealed as an explanation of verse 23.
O you who have faith! Do not befriend your fathers and brothers if they prefer faithlessness to faith. Those of you who befriend them—it is they who are the wrongdoers.
Let's listen to the renowned commentator Fakhr al-Din Razi:
This verse is Allah's answer to their doubts about whether it is possible to distance oneself from disbelievers. They express this doubt by saying, "Sometimes a Muslim's father is a disbeliever, and sometimes a disbeliever's father or brothers become Muslim. However, it is virtually impossible for that person to completely sever ties with his brothers and father. Therefore, the act of distancing oneself, which Allah has commanded Muslims to do, is very difficult and almost impossible." Allah revealed this verse to dispel this doubt. (Tafsir-i Kabir, Volume 11, Page 457)
Returning to verse 24, we see that the reason behind the doubt they held regarding the command in verse 23 is presented here, addressing the complaints of some believers who said: “O Messenger of Allah, how can we completely distance ourselves from them? This distancing would cause us to be separated from our fathers, brothers, and relatives, our businesses to fail, our possessions to be lost, our homes to be ruined, and us to be left as people who have lost everything.” In response, Allah Almighty declares that enduring such worldly losses is necessary for the preservation of faith and belief. (Tafsir-i Kabir, Volume 11, Page 458)
This is where questions arise about what a person loves and why. In the verse, love is mentioned together with love for Allah, the Messenger, and striving in the way of Allah. The fact that these three things are mentioned together does not indicate that one is more or less important than the other. However, Allah has made this distinction in the following verses.
And of mankind are some who take (for worship) others besides Allah as rivals (to Allah). They love them as they love Allah. But those who believe, love Allah more. If only, those who do wrong could see, when they will see the torment, that all power belongs to Allah and that Allah is Severe in punishment.
Just as love is the creative and guiding element of faith in God, so too is the formation of attachment to elements of polytheism based on love. The verse establishes a clear parallel between the believer's greatness in faith and the greatness of their love for God. The words in this verse confirm that our love for any human being should never be compared to our love for God. God warns believers not to love any human being as much as they love God. The essence of polytheism is the dominance of a beloved other than God in the heart.
Then, when we look at the words reminded to humanity by our Prophet with the verse below, "Say":
Say, ‘If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, and Allah is all-forgiving, all-merciful.’
The proof of claiming love for Allah is presented as obedience to the Prophet. While the first thought might be, "If you love Allah, love me...", but revelation clarifies the principle as follows: "If you love Allah, follow me, and Allah will love you." Thus, by linking love for Allah to obedience to the Prophet, religious life is freed from a mere concept of love. Otherwise, religion would have become a mere institution of love. Humanity's susceptibility to such exploitation and self-deception has not been tolerated. This can be likened to people refraining from righteous deeds and worship by saying, "My heart is pure and I am a good person; Allah knows my heart and intentions." Allah does not expect us to be merely good, passively good; He states that we must prove it through our actions and words. Here, the self-deception of saying, "I love the Prophet, therefore God loves me," is prevented, and it is conveyed that love for God is not achieved solely through love for the Prophet, but by following him.
We have given verses regarding the Prophet's adherence to the Quran. Since we know that following the Prophet means following the revelation, that is, the Quran, it becomes clear that when we follow the Prophet, we will follow the Quran, and when we follow the Quran, God will love us.
As the followers of our Prophet, who were born after his death, we did not have the honor of knowing him, seeing him, or speaking with him. Many, especially our children and even adults, are confused about how to love someone they have never met. What makes people loved after their death are the thoughts, ideas, works, and actions they leave behind. For our Prophet, however, this is the Quran, which he demonstrated through his life, which he tried to convey, teach, and practice by living it. Because he is the only living representative of the Quran, love for him, and consequently love for the revelation, is equated with the Quran, and this leads us to the condition of Allah's love for us...