How should we follow the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?

Praise be to Allah who sent His Messenger with guidance and the true religion so that it would be superior to other religions even if disbelievers hate that. I send peace and blessings upon the one who was sent as a mercy for the worlds, our Prophet Muhammad, upon his family, and upon his Companions.

So, there must be ways and methods to follow the Prophet (peace be upon him) for he is the leader of all Muslims. Following him should be built on sound bases and regulations. Those bases and regulations are the Shari`ah of Allah which He ordained in the way that pleases Him, and that what we shall speak about: How to follow the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and what are the practical and verbal things and the impacts of this following?

* The first element in the practical following of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is loving him, for loving removes hardships and facilitates difficulties because the loving person easily follows his beloved. The definition of loving according to scholars is: A person's inclination to things which he loves and approves for certain reasons.[1]

Given that the definition of loving is as mentioned, the loving of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is: The inclination of a Muslim's heart to the Prophet through which a person prefers the Prophet (peace be upon him) to everything such as parents and other people because of the Prophet's high attributes and manners besides the blessings which he brought to his nation and to the people because of his mission and message, in addition to other causes of loving him.[2]

So, the first element in following the Prophet (peace be upon him) is love which is one of the most beloved hearty actions that Allah ordained in the Glorious Qur'an. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight ? are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah)." [Surat At-Tawbah: 24]. Moreover, the Prophet (peace be upon him) exhorted to it where he said: "By Him in Whose Hands my life is, none of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father and his children."[3]

* Obeying the Prophet (peace be upon him):

One of the strongest methods in following the Prophet (peace be upon him) is obeying him, but rather following him is not achieved but through obeying him, for it is a proof to the first element [i.e., loving him]. So, Allah (Glory be to Him) made the following of His Prophet (peace be upon him) a proof to loving Him where He says: "Say (O Muhammad SAW to mankind): If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Surat Al `Imran: 31].

So, we have to obey him in eating, drinking, sleeping, wakefulness, and his worship, manners, and all conditions. All these actions are parts of following him which are divided into many sections, of which are the following:

Following the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his manners:

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most perfect in manners and descriptions and Allah described him by the best and most wise phrase: "And verily, you (O Muhammad SAW) are on an exalted standard of character." [Surat Al Qalam: 4].

1- The truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): He was the most truthful of all when he spoke and he did not tell a single lie during his entire life, moreover he prohibited lying even if it had been for joking, he said: "Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to Al Fujur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al Fujur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar."[4]

Furthermore, Allah informed the people that a believer may fall into sins and faults but he never tells lies because Allah described the believers with: "And he (Muhammad SAW) who has brought the truth (this Quran and Islamic Monotheism) and (those who) believed therein (i.e. the true believers of Islamic Monotheism), those are Al Muttaqun (the pious and righteous persons)." [Surat Az-Zumar: 33].

2- The Prophet's patience: There was no one had inflictions, troubles, hardships, and crises like our Prophet (peace be upon him) had but he observed patience all his life long. He observed patience for orphanhood, poverty, and being away from his homeland. He was never tempted by the worldly decorations or posts, so Allah called him from Heaven: "And endure you patiently (O Muhammad SAW), your patience is not but from Allah. And grieve not over them (polytheists and pagans, etc.), and be not distressed because of what they plot." [Surat An-Nahl: 127].

3- His generosity: He was the most generous and the more accelerating with goodness than the wind. He used to give in charity as if he never feared poverty and used to say: "Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously."[5]  This is a small part of his manners, but what is hidden is greater.

* Following the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his worship:

1- His night worship: Our Prophet was the model example in worshipping Allah (may He be Exalted) where he used to stay up at night for worship as `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to offer prayer at night (for such a long time) that his feet used to crack. I said: O Allah's Messenger! Why do you do it since Allah has forgiven you your faults of the past and those to follow? He said: Should not I love to be a thankful slave (of Allah)? When he became old, he prayed while sitting, but if he wanted to perform a bowing, he wound get up, recite (some other verses) and then perform the bowing."[6]

2- His mention to his Lord: He was the most mentioning to his Lord; his eyes used to sleep but his heart was always awake, and used to exhort people to mention Allah: "Al Mufarradun have gone ahead. They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet) said: Allah's Messenger, who are Al Mufarradun? He said: They are those males and females who remember Allah much."[7] The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The example of the one who celebrates the Praises of his Lord (Allah) in comparison to the one who does not celebrate the Praises of his Lord, is that of a living creature compared to a dead one.”[8]

3- His courage: As for his courage, he never escaped a fight, for he was the bravest of all, and when the fight was getting intensifying, the Companions used to take refuge in the Prophet (peace be upon him). Whoever follows the Prophet (peace be upon him) shall gain his pleasure as well as the pleasure of Allah because the one who obeys the Prophet (peace be upon him) obeys Allah and shall gain the full guidance in the Hereafter. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad), has indeed obeyed Allah, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad) as a watcher over them." [Surat An-Nisa': 80].

Obeying the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the cause for divine mercy as Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "And obey Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad) that you may obtain mercy." [Surat Al `Imran: 132]. And for the complete guidance, Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Say: Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad SAW) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allah's Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way)." [Surat An-Nur: 54].

Obeying the Prophet (peace be upon him) is the reason for entering Paradise "All my followers will enter Paradise except those who refuse. They said: O Allah's Messenger! Who will refuse? He said: Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me is the one who refuses (to enter it)."[9] Imam Ahmad reported on the authority of Al Fadl ibn Ziyad: "I looked into the copy of the Qur'an and I found out that obeying the Prophet is found in thirty three positions." Moreover, obeying Allah generates the love of Allah to a person, Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "Say (O Muhammad SAW to mankind): If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Surat Al `Imran: 31].

So, whoever obeys the Prophet of Allah shall be in bliss in the world as well as the Hereafter.