and because of Him. Loving the Messenger ﷺ therefore demands exalting and revering him, obeying him, preferring his word to the word of any other created being, and honoring his sunnah.

The erudite Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “Every form of love and veneration shown to human beings is only permissible as a corollary of loving and exalting Allah. The love and reverence accorded to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, for instance, are part and parcel of loving and magnifying the One who sent him. His community loves him because Allah loves him, and they honor and revere him because Allah has honored him. Thus loving him is one of the natural outcomes of loving Allah.”

In sum, Allah cast into people’s hearts both awe and love for the Prophet ﷺ. For that reason no human being has ever been more beloved to another, nor more revered and awe-inspiring in someone’s breast, than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the hearts of his Companions, may Allah be pleased with them. ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ, speaking after his conversion, said: “There was no person more detested by me than he. Yet once I had embraced Islam, there was no person dearer to me than he, nor anyone held in greater esteem. If I were asked to describe him to you, I would be unable to do so, for I could never fill my eyes with his sight out of reverence for him.” (1)