conveying his Lord’s message, for any reward whatsoever; rather, his reward rests with Allah, as He says:
“Say, ‘I ask you no reward for it, nor am I one of those who make false pretenses.’”
[Surah Sād: 86]
And He says:
“Or do you ask them for a reward, leaving them burdened with debt?”
[Surah al-Tūr: 40]
And He says:
“Say, ‘Whatever reward I may have asked of you is yours. My reward rests only with Allah.’”
[Surah Saba: 47]
However, the exception here (1) is a discontinuous exception, as He says:
“Say, ‘I ask you no reward for it, except that whoever wills may take a path to his Lord.’”
[Surah al-Furqān: 57]
There is no doubt that loving the household of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—is obligatory. However, its obligation is not established by this verse, nor is loving them a reward for the Prophet (2)—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Rather, it is among the things Allah has commanded us (3) to do, just as He has commanded us to perform all other acts of worship.
It is authentically reported that he addressed his Companions at a pond called Khumm, between Mecca and Medina, and said:
“I remind you of Allah regarding my household. (4) I remind you of Allah regarding my household.” (5)
It is also related in the Sunan that he said:
“By Him in whose hand is my soul, they will not enter Paradise until they love you (6) for Allah’s sake and because of your kinship to me.” (7)
Thus, whoever makes
(1) (M) reads: *hādhā* (“this”).
(2) (S) and (B) read: *al-nabī* (“the Prophet”).
(3) (M) reads: *amara* (“commanded”).
(4) Omitted from (S) and (B). The hadith was cited earlier at 4/240–241. See also *al-Musnad* (Halabī ed.), 4/366–367; *Musnad al-Dārimī*, 2/431–432 (Book of the Virtues of the Quran, Chapter on the Merit of One Who Recites the Quran).
(5) Omitted from (S) and (B). The hadith was cited earlier at 4/240–241. See also *al-Musnad* (Halabī ed.), 4/366–367; *Musnad al-Dārimī*, 2/431–432 (Book of the Virtues of the Quran, Chapter on the Merit of One Who Recites the Quran).
(6) (N) and (S) read: *yuhibbūnakum* (“they love you”).
(7) I could not find the hadith with this exact wording. A hadith from al-Abbās ibn Abd al-Muttalib—may Allah be pleased with him—is, however, recorded in *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 5/317–318 (Book of Virtues, Chapter on the Virtues of Abū al-Fadl, namely al-Abbās ibn Abd al-Muttalib). Its wording in al-Tirmidhī is: “Al-Abbās ibn Abd al-Muttalib entered upon the Messenger of Allah while angry, and I was with him. He asked, ‘What has angered you?’ He replied, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what is the matter between us and Quraysh? When they meet one another, they do so with cheerful faces, but when they meet us, they do not treat us in the same way.’ The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—became angry until his face reddened. He then said, ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, faith will not enter a man’s heart until he loves you for the sake of Allah and His Messenger.’ He then said, ‘O people, whoever harms my paternal uncle has harmed me, for a man’s paternal uncle is like his father.’” Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is a *hasan sahīh* (good and authentic) hadith.”
This hadith is also recorded in *al-Musnad* (Maārif ed.), 3/206, 207, 210, and (Halabī ed.), 4/165. It is related with similar wording in *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 1/50 (Introduction, Chapter on the Virtues of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah … The Virtue of al-Abbās ibn Abd al-Muttalib). In *Daīf al-Jāmi al-Saghīr*, 6/46, al-Albānī graded the versions transmitted by al-Tirmidhī and Ahmad as weak, but stated that the other portion of the hadith is authentic.