As Muslims we are taught to love our holy Prophet ﷺ more than anyone, but do we know how much he loved us? Do we know about his great compassion? Let us today take a brief look at the love and compassion which he ﷺ had for his us – his Ummah. 

He is full of concern for us: 

Allah explicitly mentions in the Holy Quran: 

لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ 

There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; full of concern for you, to the Believers kind and compassionate. [Tawbah 9: 128] 

He prayed for us after every Salah: 

لَمَّا رأَيْتُ مِن النَّبيِّ ﷺ طِيبَ نفسٍ قُلْتُ يا رسولَ اللهِ ادعُ اللهَ لي فقال: اللَّهمَّ اغفِرْ لِعائشةَ ما تقدَّم مِن ذنبِها وما تأخَّر ما أسرَّتْ وما أعلَنَتْ، فضحِكَتْ عائشةُ حتَّى سقَط رأسُها في حِجْرِها مِن الضَّحِكِ، قال لها رسولُ اللهِ صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم: أيسُرُّكِ دعائي؟ فقالت: وما لي لا يسُرُّني دعاؤُكَ؟ فقال صلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّم: واللهِ إنَّها لَدعائي لِأُمَّتي في كلِّ صلاةٍ 

Hadhrat A’ishah RA narrates “Once, when I saw the Prophet in a good mood, I said to him: “O Messenger of Allah! Supplicate to Allah for me!” So, he said: “O Allah! Forgive ‘A’ishah her past sins and her future sins, the sins which she has hidden and the sins which have been made apparent.” 

So I began smiling, to the point that my head fell into the lap of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ out of joy. 

The Messenger of Allah said to me: “Does my supplication make you happy?” I replied: “And how can your supplication not make me happy?” 

He then said: “By Allah, it is the supplication that I make for my Ummah in every prayer.” [Ibn Hibban, Al Bazzar] 

He saved his final dua for us: 

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ لِكُلِّ نَبِيٍّ دَعْوَةٌ مُسْتَجَابَةٌ فَتَعَجَّلَ كُلُّ نَبِيٍّ دَعْوَتَهُ وَإِنِّي اخْتَبَأْتُ دَعْوَتِي شَفَاعَةً لأُمَّتِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَهِيَ نَائِلَةٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْ أُمَّتِي لاَ يُشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا 

Hadhrat Abu Huraira RA said: The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said: There is for every apostle a prayer which is granted, but every prophet showed haste in his prayer. I have, however, reserved my prayer for the intercession of my Ummah on the Day of Resurrection, and it would be granted, if Allah so willed, in case of everyone amongst my Ummah provided he dies without associating anything with Allah. [Muslim 199] 

He wanted to meet us: 

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي لَقِيتُ إِخْوَانِي قَالَ فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَوَلَيْسَ نَحْنُ إِخْوَانَكَ قَالَ أَنْتُمْ أَصْحَابِي وَلَكِنْ إِخْوَانِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِي وَلَمْ يَرَوْنِي 

Hadhrat Anas ibn Malik RA reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I wish I could meet my brothers.” The Prophet’s companions said, “Are we not your brothers?” The Prophet said, “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who have faith in me although they never saw me.” (Musnad Aḥmad 12169) 

He did not want Islam to be too difficult for us: 

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ لَوْلاَ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَى أُمَّتِي ـ أَوْ عَلَى النَّاسِ ـ لأَمَرْتُهُمْ بِالسِّوَاكِ مَعَ كُلِّ صَلاَةٍ 

“Had I not found it difficult for my followers, I would have ordered them to cleanse their teeth before every prayer.” (Bukhari) 

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ـ رضى الله عنها أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم صَلَّى ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَصَلَّى بِصَلاَتِهِ نَاسٌ، ثُمَّ صَلَّى مِنَ الْقَابِلَةِ فَكَثُرَ النَّاسُ، ثُمَّ اجْتَمَعُوا مِنَ اللَّيْلَةِ الثَّالِثَةِ أَوِ الرَّابِعَةِ، فَلَمْ يَخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحَ قَالَ ‏ “‏ قَدْ رَأَيْتُ الَّذِي صَنَعْتُمْ وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْنِي مِنَ الْخُرُوجِ إِلَيْكُمْ إِلاَّ أَنِّي خَشِيتُ أَنْ تُفْرَضَ عَلَيْكُمْ ‏”‏، وَذَلِكَ فِي رَمَضَانَ‏.‏ 

The Messenger of Allah observed Taraweeh prayer in the Masjid one night and people prayed with him. He repeated the following night and the number of participants grew. The companions congregated the third and fourth night, but the Messenger did not show up. In the morning he told them, “I saw what you did last night, but nothing prevented me from joining you except my fear that it might be made mandatory on you in Ramadan.” (Bukhari and Muslim) 

عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا بَعَثَ أَحَدًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فِي بَعْضِ أَمْرِهِ قَالَ: بَشِّرُوا وَلَا تُنَفِّرُوا وَيَسِّرُوا وَلَا تُعَسِّرُوا 

When the Prophet sent any of his companions on a mission, he would say, “Gladden people and do not scare them; make things easy and do not make them difficult.” [Bukhari and Muslim] 

He was sent as a mercy to all the worlds: 

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ 

We have not sent you (O Muhammad) except as a mercy to all the worlds. [Al Anbiyaa 21: 107]