THE POWER OF LOVE FOR THE PROPHET

As the lyrics of a very popular song goes, “… Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all …”

However, I beg to differ.

Love for the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) must manifest itself completely within the heart of every believer as mentioned in the following Hadith:

لَا يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ والِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ

None of you have truly believed until I am more beloved to him than his father, his son and all of humankind. [Narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim]

Similarly, Anas ibn Malik reported a Hadith in which the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) said:

وددتُ أنِّي لقيتُ إخواني قالَ : فقالَ أصحابُ النَّبيِّ – صلَّى اللَّهُ عليهِ وعلى آلِهِ وسلَّمَ – أوليسَ نحنُ إخوانَكَ قالَ : بل أنتُم أصحابي ولكنْ إخواني الَّذينَ آمَنوا بي ولم يرَوني

“I wish I could meet my brothers.” The Companions said, “Are we not your brothers?” The Prophet said, “You are my companions, but my brothers are those who believe in me although they never saw me.” [Narrated by Imam Ahmad]

For the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) to express his longing to meet with his brothers (and sisters) who never had the opportunity to meet with him in person over 1,400 years ago, but still believed in him speaks volumes about his sincere love for his Ummah.

As mere mortals, we can only hope to match this genuine longing of the most beloved Servant and Prophet (‘abduhu wa rasuluh) of Allah to meet with us by loving him back unconditionally, including following in his footsteps to love those whom he loved who were sincere in their devotion to Allah Almighty.

This amazing ‘Power of Love’ for the Seal of the Prophets has even been proven to provide slight relief for those who initially loved the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) before vehemently turning on him later in life when he spread the message of Islam as evident in the following Hadith found in the Sahih of Imam al-Bukhari:

‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr narrated a long Hadith which mentioned Thuwayba, the first wet-nurse of the beloved Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) and slavewoman of his cruel uncle, Abu Lahab. ‘Urwah added a note at the end of his narration, saying:

“And Thuwayba was the freed slave of Abu Lahab. Abu Lahab freed her [after hearing about the birth of his nephew, Muhammad], and then she nursed the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam). So when Abu Lahab died [in disbelief], he was shown to someone in his family [in a dream] in the most wretched of conditions, and [that relative was said to be ‘Abbas] said to him: ‘What did you find [after death]?’ So Abu Lahab replied, ‘I didn’t find [any rest] since I left you all, except that I was given to drink ‘this little amount’ because of my freeing Thuwayba.’” [al-Bukhari, Sahih]

In a similar narration:

On the day the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) was born, Thuwayba rushed to her master Abu Lahab in joy and said, “Have you heard? Aminah has just given birth to a son for your brother Abdullah!” As was the custom of Arabs to show generosity at receiving good news, and since this was the newborn son of his recently deceased brother, Abu Lahab gestured with his thumb and forefinger, saying to Thuwayba, “Go, for you are free.” For this, his punishment in the Hereafter is lessened by a small sip of water equal to what could be held in the small curve of flesh at the base of the thumb till the forefinger. [‘Abdur-Razzaq, Mussanaf]

At 24 Qirats, we aspire to show our love and affection for the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) in the only way we know best with over 36 years of combined knowledge and experience, by minting gold dinars and silver dirhams according to the Prophetic weights and measures that were prevalent since the time of the Prophet’s great grandfather, Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, a Hanif (follower of Prophet Ibrahim ‘alaihissalam) who initiated and established the two great trade caravan journeys of Quraish from Makkah; the Caravan of Winter to Yemen and the Caravan of Summer to north-west Arabia, and beyond it to Palestine and Syria, which were then under Byzantine rule as part of the Roman Empire.

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) was himself a very successful trader as he  first followed the Caravan of Summer led by his beloved uncle, Abu Talib (the only full brother of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib from the same mother) from a very young age of about 12 years old, and was recognized by Bahira the Monk as showing signs of Prophethood when they arrived in the town of Bosra in al-Sham. 

Being the protégé of Abu Talib, the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) would have been familiar with the gold currency, solidus (dinar) of the Byzantines and the relevant weights and measures of its denominations.

Accordingly, when the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) followed his uncle on the Caravan of Winter to Yemen, he would have been familiar with the silver currency, drahm (dirham) of the Sasanian Persian Empire and he would have been trained in how to recognize and weigh them while conducting trade.

With newly acquired knowledge from our years of dedicated research in understanding these Prophetic weights and measures, and in commemoration of the Maulid of the most beloved Prophet of Allah Almighty, 24 Qirats will soon introduce the latest addition to the Nabawi range of silver coins in the form of the second version of the Ten Nabawi Silver Dirham which is scheduled to be launched in the month of Rabi’ul-Akhir, 1443 Hijri insha Allah. 

“Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet, O you who believe! send your blessings on him, and salute him with a thorough salutation.” [Surah al-Ahzab 33:56]

Staying true to the theme of Salawat (sending blessings on the Prophet) as inscribed on the Five Nabawi Silver Dirham, the new Ten Nabawi Silver Dirham will display the opening lines of a world-famous Qasidah (Arabic poem) in praise of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam) with the hopes that our hearts will be filled with love and longing to meet with him.

May Allah Almighty accept all our sincere efforts in seeking His Mercy, and may our love for Muhammad Habibullahguide us in this lifetime until we reach the safety of our eternal abode in the Hereafter in order to finally meet with our beloved Prophet and brother, Ameen Ya Rabb.