Love of the Prophet ﷺ Is Part of Iman

Allah Most High does not leave the matter of love ambiguous. In a direct and striking verse, He presents the believer with a choice — and the consequence of choosing wrongly:

“Say, “If your fathers, and your sons, and your brothers, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth you have earned, and the trade in which you fear a loss, and the houses of your liking — if all these are dearer to you than Allah and His Noble Messenger and fighting in His way, then wait until Allah issues His command; and Allah does not guide the sinful.”

This verse lists everything a person naturally holds dear — family, wealth, home, livelihood — and states plainly that love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺmust surpass them all. This is not a counsel of indifference to family; it is a clarification of where the heart's deepest loyalty must rest.

The Prophet ﷺ himself made this link between love and faith explicit in words recorded with the highest degree of authenticity:

“None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all people.”

The word used — yu'minu (truly believes) — is the same root as Iman. The scholars of hadith and aqidah have explained that this refers not to the minimum of faith that keeps one within Islam, but to the fullness and completeness of faith. Love of the Prophet ﷺ is thus not an extra — it is integral.

This love is not in conflict with natural human affection. A believer still honours their parents, cherishes their children, and cares for their family — Islam commands this. What is meant is the order of the heart's deepest allegiance.

When there is a conflict — when following the Prophet's ﷺ way would cost a person something dear — the believer chooses the Prophet ﷺ. When his sunnah is unpopular, the believer holds to it. When his name ﷺ is mentioned, the heart stirs. This is the love the hadith describes.

Hadrat Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه once said to the Prophet ﷺ: “You are more beloved to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Not even then, O Umar — not until I am more beloved to you than your own self.” Hadrat Umar رضي الله عنه reflected, then said: “By Allah, now you are more beloved to me than my own self.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Now, O Umar.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 6632)

Love without expression is incomplete. Allah Most High provides the path for turning love into reality:

“Proclaim, (O dear Prophet Mohammed ﷺ), “O mankind! If you love Allah, follow me - Allah will love you and forgive you your sins”; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

This verse — known in tafsir tradition as ayat al-muhabba (the verse of love) — establishes a direct chain: love of Allah leads to following the Prophet ﷺ, which leads to Allah's love in return. The Prophet ﷺ is not merely the deliverer of a message — he is the living model of what it means to be beloved by Allah.

Love, then, is not sentiment alone. It is expressed in prayer prayed as he prayed, in character shaped by his character, in salawat sent upon him abundantly, in reverence shown to everything connected to him. A heart that truly loves the Prophet ﷺ is a heart in motion — towards Allah.