The love of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is so vital to being a complete Muslim that the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: None of you can be a (complete) believer until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children, and all of mankind. (Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 17, Hadees 15)
Respect and reverence for everything related to the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم (whether it is clothes, a particular place, or his family) from the depths of the heart is a requirement of love and affection. The greatness of Allah’s Final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is such that everything related to him becomes great. For example, the Mothers of the Believers, the Pure Wives of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم attain these titles by gaining the connection of marriage with him. The connection of companionship with him brings about the status of being a Sahabi, and the connection of being from his lineage gives the status of being a Sayyid. His descendants, whom we call Aal-e-Rasool and Sadaat-e-Karam [Sayyids] out of respect, should also be viewed with love and honour - this is the requirement of the love of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.
Remember, love of Sayyids is a sign of complete faith! In this regard, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: ‘No one can be a true believer until I am more beloved to him than his own life, until my offspring is more beloved to him than his own children, until my personage is more beloved to him than his own being, and until my household is more beloved to him than his own household.’ (Shu’ab-ul-Iman, vol. 2, p. 189, Hadees 1505) We have also received an emphatic command from the Prophet to teach the love of Sayyids to our children from a young age. In this regard, the Blessed Hadees says: ‘Develop three characteristics in your children:
1. Love of your Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
2. Love of his Family (the Ahl-e-Bayt)
3. Recitation of the Quran.
Indeed, the one who recites the Quran will be with the Prophets and the pure ones in the shade of the Throne of Allah on the day when there will be no shade except the Throne of Allah.’ (Jami’-ul-Jawami‘, vol. 1, p. 126, Hadees 782)
Take note of the following Prophetic statements containing the virtues of the Ahl-e-Bayt and Sayyids:
1. Love me for the sake of Allah and love my family for my sake. (Tirmizi, vol. 5, p. 434, Hadees 3814)
2. I swear by the One in whose Power my soul is, whoever hates my Ahl-e-Bayt, Allah Almighty will make him enter Hell. (Mustadrak lil-Hakim, vol. 4, p. 131, Hadees 4771)
3. My intercession is for the one in my Ummah who loves my Family. (Jami’ah Sagheer, p. 301, Hadees 4894)
4. Before answering these four questions, the two feet of the person will not be able to move:
(1) How he spent his life, (2) how he fed his body, (3) how he spent and gained wealth, and (4) regarding his love for the Ahl-e-Bayt. (Mu'jam Kabeer, vol. 11, p. 102, Hadees 11177)
Our pious predecessors were at the forefront in the service of Sayyids. In this regard, when a Sayyid came to Sayyiduna Umar Bin Abdul Aziz رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه due to some issue, he said to the Sayyid: ‘If you have any issue, you should call me or send me a letter. I am ashamed to see you standing at my door’. (Noor-ul-Absaar, p. 129)
Sayyiduna Ali Khawwaas رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه says: ‘It is the right of Sayyids over us that we sacrifice our souls for them because the blessed blood and flesh of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is infused in them. They are a part of the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and the degree of respect and honour of the part is the same as that of the whole. Just as the sanctity of any part of the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was vital in his blessed apparent life, the same rule still applies. Some scholars have even said that no matter how many generations away they are after the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in their lineage, it is their right over us that we give priority to their contentment above our own desires and that we respect them properly. If these blessed people sit on the ground, we should not sit on a high seat.’ (Noor-ul-Absaar, p. 129)
Once the voice of a needy Sayyid saying ‘Give something to a Sayyid’ fell on the ears of A’la Hadrat, so he called the Sayyid and gave him all the money he had at that moment. When the Sayyid only took a little money from him, he immediately said: ‘Your eminence! This is all for you.’ The Sayyid replied: ‘This is enough for me.’ Then when he started to leave, A’la Hadrat also went to bid him farewell. After bidding him farewell, he urged his servant: ‘Look! Make sure Sayyid Sahib does not have to raise his voice or call out in the future. Whenever you see Sayyid Sahib, immediately fulfil his needs before he departs’. (Hayat-e-A’la Hadrat, vol. 1, p. 189)
‘Allamah Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ never misses an opportunity to honour and respect Sayyids. When he meets someone and is told that this person is a Sayyid, he stands in honour, kisses the hands of the Sayyid, and seats him next to himself, to the extent that he even treats the children of Sayyids with immense love and compassion.
The love of the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم demands that we respect Sayyids. Whoever insults Sayyids, is hostile to them, or disrespects them in any way, then surely such a person is a liar in his claim of love for the Prophet, and by this action not only does he displease and hurt them but he also displeases and hurts their most noble ancestor, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.
In this regard, Imam Abdul Wahhab Sha’rani رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه says: Sayyid Sharif narrated in the Khanqah [centre for spiritual development] of Sayyiduna Khattab رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه that Kashif-ul-Buhairah hit a Sayyid Sahib and so he saw the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم in a dream that night. In the dream, the Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم turned his blessed face away from him. He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! What is my sin?' He said: ‘You hit me, even though I am your intercessor on the Day of Resurrection.’ He said: ‘O Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم! I don't remember hitting you.’ He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: ‘Did you not hit my descendant?’ He replied: ‘Yes.’ He صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said: ‘It was my wrist that your strike hit.’ Then the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم took out his blessed wrist and showed that it was swollen as if it had been stung by a bee. We ask Allah Almighty for protection. (Al-Sharaf-ul-Mua’bbad, p. 104)
May Allah Almighty enrich us and our offspring with the blessings of honouring Sayyids and grant us the taufeeq to continue to serve them.