By Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Shafee Okarvi

In this regard few people are of the view that standard of love is following and obeying the beloved because lover follows and accepts all orders of the beloved. As this has been said in the Arabic, that lover is under the control of beloved. Allaah ﷻ says in Qur’aan Surah Al-Imran verse 31, “Say (O Prophet ﷺ): “If you really love Allaah, then follow me, and Allaah shall love you and forgive you your sins. Allaah is Most-Forgiving, Very Merciful.””

This verse shows us that the condition or basis of love is following the beloved. So the sect that truly follows and obeys the Sunnah and Shariah of Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ is the true lover and Momin.

Now the question is what is meant by following and obedience that has been declared as the standard of the love? Does the obedience and following Sunnah means doing whatever Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ does or there is some condition as well?

If only copying what Prophet ﷺ does is the obedience that has been demanded in Shariah as well that those hypocrites and enemies of religion would also be termed as beloved of Allaah ﷻ and followers of Prophet ﷺ  who despite of being hypocrites used to offer prayers and fast as well. Not only this, in the books of Ahadees a Hadees has been narrated that near the Day of Judgment a wicked and illiterate nation would appear who will recite the Qur’aan but it will not go beyond their throats, and they will go out from (leave) Islam as an arrow darts through the game’s body.

True Muslims would consider their prayers inferior to their; their tongues would be sweeter than sugar but their hearts would be like that of wolves, their trousers would be above ankles and heads would be shaved etc.

In such a situation how merely following Sunnah and obedience can be termed as standard of love and evidence / authority of faith? In such a situation merely copying Prophet ﷺ cannot be termed as obedience and following of Sunnah as evidence of Love of Prophet ﷺ. So we need to revisit the meanings of following and obedience in order to define the true standard of love.

In the Qur’aan Allaah has told us that obedience of Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ results in being loved by Allaah ﷻ. The enemy of the beloved can never be beloved than how enemy of Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ can be beloved of Allaah ﷻ? Thus it is clarified that this verse means that one should follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ as a demand of the love of Prophet ﷺ, if one converts his life according to the Sunnah for loving Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ than one will be loved by Allaah ﷺ. Such obedience is the evidence of love of Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ.

But how can we decide that this sect is the true follower of Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ and acting upon Sunnah of Prophet ﷺ with true love and that sect is merely copying Prophet ﷺ. So let’s research and try to find the true standard of love. Hazrat Abu Daudرضی اللہ عنہ narrated that Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ said, “when one loves someone then he gets blind and deaf to the defects of beloved”.

This Hadees makes it clear that undeniable and true standard of love is that lover does not see and listen to the defects of the beloved. The true standard of love in the light of common sense is that it is impossible that lover sees any defects in the beloved and if a lover sees the defects in the beloved than love of the lover is nothing more than a lie. The loving eye cannot see defects in the beloved and Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ is defect-less.

Hazrat Hass’aab Bib Thabitرضی اللہ عنہ said about Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ that his eyes has not seen anyone beautiful like Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ because no mother ever gave birth to such a beautiful man; it seems Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ was created according to his own wishes without any defects.

It has been clarified that Prophet Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ is without any defects and one who finds any defect in Prophet ﷺ his claim of Love is false.