As the month of Rabiul Awwal is approaching, we will commence our Rabiul Awwal 1444 theme from today.

This year our theme is: Muhammed ﷺ the Prophet of Love.

We will discuss the things which were beloved to Nabi ﷺ, how he displayed this love and its outcomes.

Love is widely mentioned in the Quran in many ways, such as the Divine qualities of Allah in multiple verses: Al-Rauf (The kind), Al-Wali (The Protecting Friend), Al-Lateef (The Gentle), Al-Ghafur (The Forgiving), Ar-Rahim (The Merciful), Al-Wadud (The Affectionate Loving), just to name a few.

Here, love is not merely described as an action but also as one of the Divine Names of Allah – Al-Wadud. Other Divine Names mentioned also imply the meaning of love. This tells us that love plays a very significant part, not just in the lives of human beings, but also in the whole of creation. Allah says in the Quran:
وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ
And My Mercy encompasses everything. [Surah Al-A’raf, 7: 156]
Love is a gift from The Creator for His creation. It is put into the hearts of humankind and brings joy to the soul. Love is the reason life continues to blossom. It is, for the human experience; a feeling of deep affection that may inspire commitment and sacrifice.
The Holy Prophet ﷺ was a man of love! He was a loving husband, a loving father and a loving companion. He loved humanity; he loved animals! He loved the poor, the oppressed and the marginalised and, throughout his life, he strove to ameliorate (improve) their melancholy (sad) plight. But it is the love of Allah which dominated his heart. It is in his love of Allah Almighty that he excelled every other creature and creation of Allah. It is in his love of Allah that he remains an excellent exemplar for everyone else to emulate. This love found expression in his worship and in his honour of Allah Almighty; this love found expression in his obedience, his faithfulness and in the discharge of his duty to Allah Almighty.
Even before he assumed the mantle of Prophet-hood, it is patently obvious that the love of Allah and the love of His worship began to possess the Holy Prophet ﷺ. This is evident from the fact that even though his childhood, boyhood and youth had been spent in the corrupt and debased society which Makkah was at the time, he never engaged in any of the evil practices or frivolous activities of his fellow citizens. He never paid homage to an idol nor did he partake of any food presented to an idol as offering. Revolting against the many vices of the people of Makkah, he would repair, with provisions, to the solitary confines of Cave Hira, two or three miles out of town, where he would spend several days at a time in the worship, day and night, of Allah. It is indeed on one such occasion while in this very Cave Hira, that he received the Divine call inviting him to the ministry – an event which changed the course of history!