These days there are disbelievers who overstep the limits with regards to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Insults from such people have occurred often during our present time. Such acts from the disbelievers are not unusual through history, but what is truly unusual and unexpected is the attitude of some Muslims who ignore such insults, not taking any notice of them at all and not being concerned about such attacks against their religion. In this way, these Muslims do not fulfill the duty of supporting Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In fact, is there any good left in us if the disbelievers and mockers try to undermine the standing of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but we do not support and defend him (peace be upon him)?!! There are many different ways of supporting Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), for example: [A summary of an article written by the International Committee to Support the Seal of the Prophets]
1. Be aware of your love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in your hearts when telling the Muslims about his perfect appearance and noble manners and moral, and when reminding them about what a great character Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had and that he (peace be upon him) was the most handsome and most well-mannered person to have lived on this earth. 2. Appreciate the great benefits he gave us all, as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told us about Allah’s religion in the best and most thorough way. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spread the Message, fulfilled the trust Allah gave him (of telling us about Islam) and advised his nation. 3. Love Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) more than we love ourselves, our families and our children. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, [related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. 1. Be polite when dealing with Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and also his Sunnah (collection of sayings, deeds and silent approvals of Prophet Muhammad ), and lower your voice in his presence. Allah (Glorified is He) says, {O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and do not be as loud when speaking to him as you are when speaking to one another, lest your actions should come to nothing without your realising it} [Surah Al-Hujurat: 2] Similarly, one should lower one’s voice in his mosque and at Prophet Muhammad ’s grave. Allah (Glorified is He) says, {Those who lower their voices when they are with the Messenger of Allah are people whose hearts Allah has tested and proved to be aware of Him. They will have forgiveness and an immense reward} [Surah Al-Hujurat: 3] Do not mention his name without referring to the fact that he is a Messenger and Prophet. Allah (Glorified is He) says, {Do not make your summoning of the Messenger the same as your summoning of one another} [Surah An-Nur: 63] 2. Read the authentic biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), learning from his way of life and contemplating about the different events to learn the wisdom, lessons and benefits that can be gained from all his responses, and try to relate what one learns to our lives today. 3. Follow Prophet Muhammad ’s guidance, his Sunnah, his morals, manners and ways in every aspect of his life: how he (peace be upon him) used to eat, drink, sleep and dress….being eager to follow his ways (peace be upon him) in all aspects of our lives. 4. Be careful not to be sarcastic about any of Prophet Muhammad ’s Sunnah, even if one is only joking. 5. Be happy when knowledge of Prophet Muhammad ’s Sunnah is spread among the people and people begin to follow his Sunnah. Similarly, one should be upset if some of his Sunnah disappears. 6. Openly reject and show that one dislikes the bad remarks against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or his Sunnah, until the people stop insulting him. 7. Cut relations with anyone who makes fun of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) or makes sarcastic remarks about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in front of others. In fact, one should encourage others to cut relations and avoid such people, warning others from carrying out any dealings with them at all.
The role of Imams, p...
