Love of the Prophet (mahabbat al-nabi)

محبة النبي

A Muslim's love for the Prophet ﷺ, placed above love of self, family and wealth, as Ahmed Abdussalam presents it in the programme 'Osalli Alayh': he begins with God's love for His Prophet and the Prophet's love for his Lord, then the Companions' love for him in the sayings of Ali and Umar and the stories of the Ansari woman, Khubayb, Abu Qatada, Urwa ibn Mas'ud and Abu Bakr, then the love a camel, two trees, a palm trunk and a mountain had for him; its practical sign, for him, is following: obeying, avoiding what he forbade, believing what he reported, putting his word first, and worshipping God only as he laid down.

Depth

At a glance

Region
Global / Diaspora
Review

ProphetsEthics and character

Summary

For Ahmed Abdussalam in the programme 'Osalli Alayh', love of the Prophet means that the Prophet be dearer to a Muslim than father, mother, child, spouse and self, and its practical sign is following him. 1 2 3 4 He says love has degrees and urges viewers to compete in its measure rather than be content with having it. 5 6

God's love for the Prophet, and the Prophet's love for his Lord

He begins with God's love for His Prophet, citing the oath by his life and by his town, God's blessing on whoever blesses him, and the rule that a convert's Islam is not valid until he testifies to the messengerhood. 7 8 9 10 Then the Prophet's love for his Lord: he found rest in prayer and prayed whenever something troubled him, prolonged his prostration when praying alone, and stood at night until his feet swelled, in thanks. 11 12 13 14 15

The Companions' love

He relates from Ali that the Prophet was dearer to them than fathers, mothers, children, wealth and cold water to the thirsty, and tells how Umar came to say the Prophet was dearer to him than himself. 16 17 18 19 He tells of the Ansari woman who asked after the Prophet before her own family, the answer of Khubayb as a captive, Abu Qatada's night spent propping the Prophet on his mount, and the Companions' reverence for him that Urwa ibn Mas'ud described at al-Hudaybiyya. 20 21 22 23 Khubayb's answer and Urwa's description are also related in Sahih al-Bukhari, as their records show. 24 The highest degree of love, for him, is what he relates of Abu Bakr: his wish that Abu Talib's hand had been in the Prophet's instead of his own father's, so that the Prophet's heart would rejoice. 25 26 27

The love of animals and inanimate things

He then speaks of 'love of a strange kind': the camel that prostrated to the Prophet, the two trees that came to him, the palm trunk that yearned for him, and the mountain of which the Prophet said it loves us and we love it; the detail is in miracle. 28 29 30 31 32

Love in practice

He says love is not enough as words from someone who neglects prayer, wrongs his parents, harms his neighbour and eats his siblings' inheritance; love means putting the Prophet's command, deed and word first. 33 34 4 The detail is in following. This is the speaker's presentation as recorded, attributed to him.

Connections

Explore the connections

Subject of
Osalli Alayh: I Invoke Blessings on Him (television programme)
Related to
Invoking blessings on the Prophet (al-salat 'ala al-nabi)· Ittiba' (following; returning to a proven ruling)

People and things also explored

Osalli Alayh: I Invoke Blessings on Him (television programme)· Invoking blessings on the Prophet (al-salat 'ala al-nabi)· Ittiba' (following; returning to a proven ruling)· The Isra and Mi'raj· Muhammad· Hadaya al-Rahman: Gifts of the Merciful (Ramadan programme)· The most beautiful names of God (asma' Allah al-husna)· Jahl (ignorance and its legal effect)

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons
  2. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 11, at 00:05:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 12, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  4. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 12, at 00:09:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  5. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 13, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  6. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 13, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  7. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 3, at 00:01:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  8. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 3, at 00:02:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  9. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 3, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  10. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 3, at 00:07:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  11. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 7, at 00:03:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  12. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 7, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  13. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 7, at 00:10:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  14. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 8, at 00:01:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  15. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 8, at 00:02:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  16. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:01:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  17. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:01:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  18. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  19. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:04:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  20. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:05:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  21. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:07:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  22. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 12, at 00:03:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  23. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 12, at 00:06:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  24. Sahih al-Bukhari
  25. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 13, at 00:07:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  26. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 13, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  27. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 13, at 00:09:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  28. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 14, at 00:01:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  29. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 15, at 00:02:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  30. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 16, at 00:00:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  31. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 17, at 00:08:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  32. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 17, at 00:08:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  33. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:06:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  34. Assabile archive of Ahmed Abdussalam's lessons , Ossali Alayh, episode 10, at 00:07:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Love of the Prophet (mahabbat al-nabi)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/mahabbat-al-nabi/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-02.

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Related

Osalli Alayh: I Invoke Blessings on Him (television programme)

A short television programme by Ahmed Abdussalam on invoking blessings on the Prophet, loving him and following him, of which the Assabile archive keeps twenty-two video episodes of nine to twelve minutes, the speaker alone between a short sung refrain at the opening and close; he also calls the episodes 'This is the Messenger of God': the five duties of the testimony to his messengerhood, the meaning and merit of invoking blessing, peace and grace on the Prophet, God's love for the Prophet and the Prophet's love for his Lord in prayer and night vigil, the love the Companions, a camel, trees, a palm trunk and a mountain had for him, then prophetic counsels on seeking refuge, well-being, knowledge and right guidance.