Bismillah.

In the class, Women and Men Around the Messenger, Ustadha Noura described the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wasalam) as a man with the greatest love for His Ummah.

The Prophet (sallahu alayhi wasalaam) said (as reported in Sahih Muslim):

“The metaphor of me and you is that of a man who lights a fire and the grasshoppers and moths begin to fall into it and he chases them away from it. I pull you by your belts back from the Fire while you are doing your best to slip from my hand.”

Isn’t it true that bugs are attracted by light? Even if one moth sees another fly into a light and die, the moth is still attracted to the light. We may think that the moth is not an intelligent creature and therefore cannot think about consequences of its actions, but we would all agree that humans at least possess some degree of intelligence. However, we read about the dangers of the dunya and we know about the torment of the Hellfire. We know about the punishment of the grave, we know that we will be held accountable for our actions. Yet, aren’t we just like those insects and moths? We know but do not take heed and do not act. We are attracted by temporal happiness. We run towards that which is not good for us.

Yet, there was a man (sallahu alayhi wasalam) who knew the truth and tried to save us from the things that do not benefit us. His speech was a revelation from the Creator who was bestowing upon us His Mercy. This man- Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him)- was not selfish and would weep for His Ummah. He was trying to prevent us all from heading towards the fire. The Prophet (sallahu alayhi wasalam) is that man who has been trying to save us while we have been resisting. We should love him- and loving him entails knowing him.

One cannot truly love someone unless one knows them. And we can only know the Prophet (sallahu alayhi wasalam) by learning about him. He (sallahu alayhi wasalam) is a man whose enemies attested to his truthfulness and honor. He is a man who people loved and adored- and people to this day still do. He (sallahu alayhi wasalam) is the man who Allah sent as a mercy to the worlds.

“Say:If you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your faults, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful”. (3:31)