The Fifth Right: To Respect Him
Allah says: “Indeed, We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. That you [people] may believe in Allah and His Messenger and honor him and respect him.” [48:8-9] Respect for the Prophet (ﷺ) includes honoring him, exalting him, calling him with the noblest titles such as the Messenger of Allah or Prophet of Allah. It includes putting his opinion over our own and defending him if he is verbally abused.
Likewise it is forbidden to curse Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Allah said: “Indeed, those who abuse Allah and His Messenger – Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter and prepared for them a humiliating punishment.”[33:57]
Respect for the Prophet (ﷺ) includes respecting his family. He said about Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn: “Whoever loves these two and their father and mother will be with me on the day of resurrection.” Abu Bakr said: “Respect Muhammad by respecting the people of his house [his family].
” It also includes respecting his companions. Allah says about those who pledged allegiance to the Prophet (ﷺ) at Al-Hudaybiyah: “Certainly was Allah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree.” [48:18]
The Prophet said: “Do not curse my companions. If any of you were to spend the weight of Uhud69 in gold, it still would not reach the measure of one of them or even one-half of it.”
It is also not allowed to even joke about the Prophet (ﷺ) or the religion of Islaam. Allah said: “And if you ask them, they will surely say, “We were only conversing and playing.” Say, “Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were mocking?’” [9:65] It is reported that in the course of the campaign of Tabouk a man came up one day and declared: “We have seen not people more gluttonous, more lying, or more cowardly in battle than the Prophet of Allah and his reciting companions.” Auf ibn Maalik rose and said: “It is rather you that are a liar. You are a hypocrite, pretending to be a Muslim. I shall tell the Prophet of Allah about you.” Awf then went to the Prophet to inform him but found that revelation had already preceded him. When the news reached the man, he mounted on his camel, sought the Prophet of Allah and said: “But we were only joking, trying to pass time while traveling.” Ibn Umar said: “He [the man] was clinging to the saddle belt of the Prophet’s camel as it ran, his feet and legs being battered by the rough ground, and apologetically repeating: “But we were only joking,” but the Prophet kept on repeating without turning his face to him: “Joking? Joking with Allah? With His revelation? With His Prophet?”
The Sixth Right: To Judge According to His Shari’ah
The sixth right of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is to judge according to his Shari’ah and to fully accept his judgment. Allah said: “And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger.” [4:59] Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to look in the Qur’an and the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when we have a question about something. We must follow the laws that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) brought and judge by them, and rule according to them.
At the time of the Prophet when he was once reciting: “They have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah, and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.” [9:31] A former Christian, Adi ibn Hatim said: “O Allah’s Messenger. They do not worship them.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “They certainly do. They (i.e., the rabbis and monks) made lawful things as unlawful and unlawful things as lawful, and they (i.e., Jews and Christians) followed them, and by doing so, they really worshipped them.
” We cannot put our own desires above the laws of Allah and that which the Messenger (ﷺ) brought. Essentially, to do so is to believe that we know better than Allah. Allah is our Creator and He knows us better than we know ourselves. “…indeed, He is Knowing of that within the breasts.” [67:13] He knows what is best for us and He has perfect wisdom and He is Just in all that He decrees. Ruling by other than what Allah revealed, therefore, is tantamount to disbelief.
The Seventh Right: To Send Him Salaah and Salaam
This right is concerned with saying the Salaah and Salaam upon him. Allah says: “Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” [33:56] Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)said: “Whoever blesses me once, Allah blesses him with ten folds and ten wrong actions are wiped away from his record and he is raised [in status in the hereafter] by ten degrees.” And he said: “The nearest people to me on the day of resurrection will be those who have said the most Salaah upon me.
”The Prophet taught one way in which to say the Salaah unto him. Abu Humayd As-Saidi narrated: “Messenger of Allah, how should we send Salaah to you?” He replied: “Say, O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family as You have blessed the family of Ibrahim. And grant blessings to Muhammad and his family as You have granted blessings to the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praiseworthy Glorious.” This is also Tashahhud. Another way is to say, ‘sallAllahualayhe wa sallam’ when the Prophet (ﷺ) is mentioned.
The meaning of sending Salaam upon the Prophet is asking Allah to preserve him from any harm coming to him and it is also a greeting to the Prophet. Abu Hurairah said that the Messenger of Allah said: “Whenever anyone greets me with peace, Allah will return my soul to me so that I can return the greeting.” The Prophet (ﷺ) also said: “I will hear whoever blesses me at my grave. If someone is far away and blesses me, it is also conveyed to me.”
Since Allah has commanded that we send Salaah and Salaam upon Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), then it is a general obligation and not restricted to a specific time. The obligation is that we must do it at least once. However, saying it more than once is highly recommended and is the Sunnah.
Other times include when one is supplicating to Allah for something. Ibn Mas’ud said: “When one of you wants to ask Allah for something, he should begin by praising and extolling Him as He deserves, and then by blessing the Prophet (ﷺ). Then his supplication is more likely to be accepted.” Likewise, the same is advocated during Athaan on Friday, when entering the mosque and leaving it, or during funeral prayer. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Whoever blesses me in a book or a letter, the angels continue to ask forgiveness for him as long as my name is on it.”
