You Will Be with Those Whom You Love?

Allah has created the human being, the jinn, and even animals with many strong emotional feelings. One of these feelings is called love. Love is so powerful that it can override pain and stress, and even make us perform miracles at times. We have probably all heard of stories, whether true or not, of people walking through fire and walking on water just to go across and meet their beloved ones. Love is so weighty, but it cannot be measured in grams, metres, on any physical units. You can only measure it through words and actions. If someone dresses like someone and talks like someone, then, he most likely likes that person and wants to be like him. 

At the time of the Prophet ﷺ, there was a slave named Thawbaan. The Prophet ﷺ actually freed him, and Thawbaan was extremely elated and happy. Whenever he would see the Prophet ﷺ, he would get very happy and his iman would increase. Due to these reasons, Thawbaan would try to see the Prophet ﷺ a few times every day. Just by looking at the Prophet ﷺ, he would spiritually reach a higher level and he would forget all of the struggles and difficulties he was going through. There was a particular day when Thawbaan did not see the Prophet ﷺ, and so when he met the Prophet ﷺ later on, the Prophet ﷺ noticed that Thawbaan was actually sad and upset. The Prophet ﷺ enquired, “Thawbaan, you look worried. How are you feeling today? Why are you looking unhappy today?” Thawbaan replied, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, do you know that I love you so much and I need to look at you on a daily basis. When I look at you, it makes me happy, it rejuvenates me and it revives my soul. But the day I did not see you, I told myself, that in the Akhirah, you will be taken to Allah. You will be taken to the highest place in Paradise. You will be with the prophets and messengers, and I don’t think I will ever see you again. Even if I enter Jannah, I will be in another rank. Therefore, what will happen to me as I won’t see you like I do here every day? As soon as the comment was made, the angel Jibreel came down and revealed the ayah:
وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّـهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَيْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَـٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا 
“And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favour of the Prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions.” [4:69] 

So, here, Allah is promising that whoever follows Allah and Muhammed ﷺ will be granted the companionship of Muhammad ﷺin the Akhirah, in Jannah, and will be with the other prophets and pious people. At hearing this, Thawbaan began to smile and celebrate. 

If we want to be with the Prophet ﷺ, all that we have to do is do as much good as possible, and avoid as much as we can from the things he has forbidden us. All that is required is to become better Muslims. 

One day one of the companions asked the Prophet ﷺ, “What if someone loves a person but he cannot be with them?” The Prophet ﷺsaid, “On the Day of Judgement, you will be amongst those whom you love.” [Bukhari] 

So, if you want to be in the company of all the Prophets, starting with Adam and all the way to the Prophet ﷺ, then you have to love them and follow in their footsteps. 

When you love the Prophet ﷺ, even death becomes a joyful event. When Bilal was on his death bed, his wife said, “What a sad day for us. What a day of grief for us.” Bilal replied, “No, say, “What a day of joy and happiness!” Tomorrow, I get to meet my beloved ones, the Prophet ﷺ and his companions.” 

Abu Bakr, when he was dying, asked Aisha, “What day is it today?” She replied, “Monday.” He asked, “On what day did the Prophet ﷺ die?” She replied, “Monday.” Abu Bakr said, “If I am dying, do not try to resuscitate me and do not bury me tomorrow. I want to go today.” 

To conclude, we need to actively talk about the different ways in which we can show love for our Prophet ﷺ, and we need to start off with the small actions. Spend 5 minutes every day reading about the Prophet’s ﷺ life. We should spend a few minutes each day thinking about our connection with the Prophet ﷺ and how much we obey and follow him. 
May Allah unite us with our Prophet ﷺ and the righteous pious slaves. Ameen.