All Praise is due to Allah Azza wa Jal, Salutations upon His most Perfect, unique, and cream of creations, the Intercessor of the Sinners, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah Sallallaahu Alaihi wa Aalihi  wa Sallam, upon his family, upon his companions and the righteous servants till Doomsday.

Sayyiduna Anas Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu narrated that the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam said,

لا يؤمن ‏أحدكم حتى أكون أحب إليه من والده وولده والناس أجمعين
“None of you truly believes (has Imaan) until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all of mankind.”

Loving the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam is a part of Imaan, and Allah SubHanuhu wa Ta’ala has made it obligatory for us to love the Messenger Alaihis Salat wa as-Salam. Why? It is because loving the Prophet shows that you love Allah. It is because Allah sent him SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam that we are Muslims. There should be no one in this world more beloved to us than Allah and His Messenger.

We all claim to love the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam with our tongues, but do our actions show this?

When we love someone, how do we act? We want to be just like them. We think about them a lot. Whenever we remember them, we become happy. Their words comfort us. Their actions teach us. We love to hear about them all the time.

Do we really love the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam? Do we practice his Sunnah? Do we read his words? Do we learn from his teachings? Do we read about his life? Do we defend him? Do we spread his message? Alaihis Salaatu Rabbuna wa as-Salaam!

There are so many stories displaying the love of the Sahaba for the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam that we can regurgitate them all, because we have memorized them and not internalized them.

Here are some stories of non-human living beings that loved him Alaihis Salaatu Rabbuna wa as-Salaam more than we do!

Narrated Sayyiduna Jabir bin ‘Abdullah Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu: The Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam used to stand by a tree or a date-palm on Friday. Then an Ansari woman or man said. “O Allah’s Apostle! Shall we make a pulpit for you?” He replied, “If you wish.” So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, he proceeded towards the pulpit (for delivering the sermon). The date-palm cried like a child! The Prophet descended (the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhuma narrated: The Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam used to deliver his sermons while standing beside a trunk of a date-palm. When he had the pulpit made, he used it instead. The trunk started crying and the Prophet went to it, rubbing his hand over it (to stop its crying).

Narrated Sayyiduna Jabir bin ‘Abdullah Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu: The Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam used to stand by a stem of a date-palm tree (while delivering a sermon). When the pulpit was placed for him we heard that stem crying like a pregnant she-camel till the Prophet got down from the pulpit and placed his hand over it.

These Ahadith are classified as Mutawaatir, meaning so many Sahaba narrated it that it cannot be fabricated. The different narrations show that they all witnessed it in the masjid. This is a miracle of the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, and the narrations of the Sahaba are all authentic, found in Bukhari and Muslim. This tree trunk, which seems like a lifeless being to us, is actually alive and was so affected by the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam. Allah ta’ala says the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam is a “raHmatan lil ‘Aalameen”, a Mercy for all that exists, and we see this in how he comforted this stump. Imagine the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam soothing and hugging this tree stump!!

Illustrating this in very beautiful poetry, Hadrat Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi Alaihir raHmah says:

اُستن حنّانه از هجر رسول *** ناله میزد همچو ارباب عقول
The pillar of Hannanah due to Prophet’s separation, lamented like those endowed with intellect;

گفت پيغمبر: چه خواهى اى ستون *** گفت: جانم از فراقت گشت خون
The Prophet asked the pillar: what do you want? The pillar said: Due to your separation my soul has turned into blood;

مسندت من بودم از من تاختى *** بر سر منبر تومسند ساختى
I was your support; now you are away from me; you have devised a place to lean against upon the pulpit

… In the end Rumi hits in the center of our hearts and says:

بشنواى غافل كم از چوبى مباش
“Hearken, O heedless one! Be not thou less than a piece of wood!

Indeed such phenomena are utter realities for those endowed with insight!!

Narrated Sayyiduna Anas Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu: Allah’s Apostle SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam ascended the (mountain) of Uhud with Sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Sayyiduna Umar al-Farooq and Sayyiduna ‘Uthman al-Ghani Radi Allahu Anhum Ajma’een and it shook. Allah’s Apostle said, “Be calm, O Uhud!” He stroked it with his foot and added, “There is none on you but a Prophet, a Siddiq and two martyrs.”

The Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam was traveling once: “and when Uhud was within sight, he said: This is the mountain which loves us and we love it.”

This is a mountain, made up of rocks and stones, yet we are made of flesh and have been given hearts that beat… do we love the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam as this mountain? Do we shake like this mountain out of love for him?

The Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam said, “I know a stone in Makkah that used to salute (give salaams) me before I received the revelation, I still know it now.”

How often do we salute/send salawaat on the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam? The Prophet knew this stone, and if we send salawaat on him, especially on Fridays, they will be presented to him from us in sha Allah and not only this, The Messenger of Allah said, “No-one greets me except Allah has returned my soul to me so that I can return his Salam.

Narrated by Ya’la ibn Murrah ath-Thaqafi Radi Allahu Ta’ala Anhu: “Once we were walking with the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam and he stopped at a place to spend the night. When the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam went to sleep, a tree uprooted itself and came to the Prophet and enveloped him. When the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam woke up, he said: ‘this is a tree that when it saw the Prophet, it asked Allah to give salaams to the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam, and Allah gave it permission.’” [Musnad Ahmad, Tabarani and Bayhaqi: Sahih]

Do we ask to see the Prophet SallAllaho Alaihi wa Aalihi wa Sallam in our dreams? Yet a tree is asking to send Salaams on the Prophet Alaihis Salaatu wa as-Salam.

These are not the only stories mentioned in the sacred traditions and witnessed by the Companions. Let us strive more to love the Prophet Alaihis Salaatu wa as-Salam: learn about his life, read about his companions, act upon his authentic statements and teachings, send Salawaat upon him and defend him, Alaihis Salaatu wa as-Salam.