Following is the Sirah:

 Dear brother, following is the first lecture on Understanding the Sirah, which will be an introduction to the Sirah.

 The universe, as you know, is a silent Qur'an and the Qur'an is a vocal universe, and the Noble Prophet PBUH is a living Qur'an. Thus when we talk about the universe, we contemplate the creation of the heavens and the earth, and when it comes to the Qur'an, our talk involves interpretation, analysis and deduction. So, if we consider that the Noble Prophet PBUH is a living Qur'an, we will in fact be dealing with the Sirah.

The Quran's call for studying the Sirah in respect of:

1. The Noble Prophet is the connection of a Muslim to the steadfastness of his faith:

 Dear brother, to begin with, we may ask whether we need to learn the Sirah of the chief created of all creatures? The first answer is reflected in Allah's statement:

“AND [remember:] out of all the accounts relating to the [earlier] apostles We convey unto thee [only] that wherewith We [aim to] make firm thy heart.”

(Surat Hud: 120)

 Now if the heart of the Foremost among prophets is made firm through hearing the account of a certain prophet, it is all the more applicable to us in the acquisition of our hearts of firmness and certitude through hearing an account of the Foremost of prophets. This is one piece of evidence.

2. The Prophet is an ideal example for people

 The second evidence is that Allah Almighty has said,

“Or is it, perchance, that they have not recognized their Apostle, and so they disavow him?”

(Surat Al-Mu'minun: 69)

 In its totality, Islam is summed up in two words: The Monotheism and The Message. There is no deity except Allah, Muhammad PBUH is the Messenger of Allah. Hence giving an account of the Messenger of Allah PBUH is one part of religion; indeed, it is an integral part of the call to Allah. This life involves a dreaming idealism which no one cares for, and it involves a hateful realism to which no one pays attention, but the attention of people is captured by a realistic idealism or an ideal realism. This is what we find in the Sirah of our Noble Prophet Muhammad may Allah's peace and mercy be upon him.

3. The Quran's calling upon man to contemplate the noble attributes of the Prophet:

 Following is another statement by Allah Almighty:

"I counsel you one thing only: Be [everconscious of] standing before God, whether you are in the company of sh3er or alone;56 and then bethink yourselves [that] there is no madness in [this prophet,] your fellow-man."

(Surah Saba’:46)

 Thus meditation over the perfection, noble attributes and qualities of the Messenger of Allah PBUH and his methodology is part of the faith.

4. Studying the Hadiths of the Noble Prophet is a duty of every Muslim:

 There is a basic rule in the discipline of basic principles of Islamic law which says: "That without the occurrence of which a fardh (an obligatory act of worship) is not complete is (itself) a fardh, and that without the occurrence of which a sunnah (a recommended act of worship) is not complete is (itself) a sunnah. Thus salat (prayer), is not complete except if preceded by wudu' (ablution). Hence wudu' ' is a fardh as well.. Now what is the relevance of the foregoing example to the study of the sunnah? Allah Almighty says,

"What the Messenger orders you to do, do it, and what he forbids you to do refrain from doing it."

(Surat Al-Hasher:7)

 How can we obey his order and how can we refrain from doing what he enjoined us not to do, if we do not know his orders and admonitions. By way of a subtle relevant digression, we must point out that every order that occurs in the Noble noble Qur'an is tantamount to an obligation, unless there occurs an indication that negates such obligation. Thus when Allah Almighty says,,

"… eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night)."

(Surat Al-Baqarah:877)

 This is a permissive order. But when He says,

"And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Sâlihûn (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves)."

(Surat Al-Noor:32)

 This is a order of recommendation. And when He says,

"Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve."

(Surat Al-Kahf:29)

 This is a threatening order.
 In the absence of an indication that negates the aspect of obligation, every order in the Noble Qur'an is tantamount to an obligation.

“What the Messenger orders you to do, do it.”

(Surat Al-Hasher:7)

 Knowledge of the refraining orders of the Prophet is a duty of every Muslim that must be obeyed. Moreover, when Allah Almighty says,

"Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much."

(Surat Al-Ahzab:21)

 How can the noble Prophet be an example for us if we are not aware of what he used to do in his house? How he treated his wives? How he treated his companions? How he behaved in war? Hence knowledge of the Prophet's statements (ahadith) is an individual duty of every Muslim in order to comply with the ayah:

"What the Messenger orders you to do, do it and what he adjoins you not to dot, refrain from doing it."

(Surat Al- Hasher: 7)

 Thus knowledge of the Sirah of the Prophet PBUH is an individual duty (fard 'ain) of every Muslim for complying with Allah's commands:

"Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day."

(Surat Al-Ahzab:21)

 It has been said that talking about human perfection theoretically has no effect, but talking about human perfection when it is seen embodied and reflected by a human being does have an effect, as the latter is a real and practical perfection that is exhibited in practice by a human person living in the midst of people. Had the noble Prophet PBUH not been a human being that possesses all human characteristics he would not be the foremost paragon of human beings. Thus you see a human being who desires what you desire, fears what you fear, hopes what you hope for, feels pain as you do. This is what the noble Prophet PBUH said about himself:

" O Allah, I am a human being; I feel contented as people do, and feel angry as people do."

(Reported by Al-Siyouti in Al-Jamea as-Saghir on the authority of Anas).

 Because he is a human being subject having all the characteristics of human beings and was able to master and control his human characteristics, he was the foremost paragon of human beings..

The Noble Prophet is an ideal example for us believers:

 Hence, the first item in this first lecture is that knowing the Messenger of Allah PBUH is a duty of all Muslims individually so that the noble Prophet PBUH would become an example to emulate by every Muslim. It is a fact that each one of us has a certain person in mind and wishes to be such a person and a person that he hates to be like him. Thus the person you like to identify yourself is you yourself, and the person you wish to identify yourself with is tantamount to your ambition, your belonging and your orientation. Tell me which person you identify yourself with and I can tell you who you are. Allah Almighty says that the believers look up to the Messenger of Allah PBUH as their example to emulate. Thus He said,

"Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much."

(Surat Al-Ahzab:21)

 A certain person comes back home and finds that lunch is not ready. Would he feel angry? Would he growl in anger? Would he scold? Would he be patient as the Prophet PBUH used to be? A believer always thinks of what the Prophet PBUH would do under a certain circumstance. Hence:

"Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day."

(Surat Al-Ahzab:21)

 If you seek this life on earth, you have the rich to emulate; if you seek this life on earth you have the powerful to emulate. But if you seek Allah Almighty and the Hereafter, you have the prophets to look up to and emulate. This is a first fact.

A characteristic of Islam is that it believes in the infallibility of its Prophet:

 In the belief of Muslims there is one person on whom Allah Almighty has bestowed infallibility in his discourse, his acts and his statements. Such infallibility is consistent with the order of Allah Almighty to obey and emulate the Prophet in everything and to refrain from doing what he enjoins us to avoid.
 If the Prophet PBUH was not infallible, the order to obey and emulate him would be an order to commit a sin. Hence,

"Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration that is inspired.”

(Surat Al-Najem:3-4)

 But human beings do speak of their own desire. Sometimes one may create a rule for promoting one's commodity. Sometimes one says things for making profit. But this man on whom Allah Almighty has bestowed infallibility was described as

"Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration that is inspired.”

(Surat Al-Najem:3-4)

How do we attribute this opinion to the Prophet PBUH?

 Thus we read in the Noble Qur'an::

"May Allâh forgive you Why did you grant them leave."

(Surat Al-Tawbah:43)

 We also read in the Qur'an:

"(The Prophet) frowned and turned away. Because there came to him the blind”

(Surat Abasa:1-2)

 The fact, dear brother, is that the Prophet PBUH was given a very limited margin for personal opinion, so that if it is right, the revelation approves such opinion, which becomes an "inspiration that is inspired". Now if the Prophet PBUH reaches an opinion that is difficult, then such opinion is a badge of honor for him.

 The blind Ibn Um-Maktum was an honorable companion who loved the Prophet PBUH, was extremely loyal to him and was always eager to be with him and talk to him. The Noble Prophet did not sit with him but with the leaders of the eminent Tribe of Quraish, who were always rejecting the message of the Qur'an. The Prophet PBUH was of the opinion that if those leaders were to adopt Islam, the whole tribe of Quraish would follow suit. That was a difficult opinion to make. But Allah Almighty indicated to him that the blind man was better in His view than the Quraish leaders. Thus Allah Almighty did not blame him (for doing something wrong) but blamed him (for his excessive concern for the guidance of all people, if possible). Thus there is a real difference between blaming your son if you see him playing on the eve of an examination and blaming your son if you see him studying till 4 a.m. What you say: No, my son. You should sleep and get some rest, because your body has a right to be given rest by you. Thus in both cases blame is involved, and Allah's blame is of the second type, as the revelation came to point out to the Prophet.

 It should be pointed out that no sin is involved unless there is an explicit provision of doing or of refraining from doing something. (This is known as taklif in Arabic) Hence there was no taklif that the Prophet PBUH has violated, but was a mere opinion to which no specific taklif applied. However, this extremely narrow margin of opinion in this particular case shows the difference between divinity and prophethood, because many prophets were worshipped as deities after their death, as, for instance, the majority of the prophets of China were considered deities, while they are in fact mere honorable prophets. Allah Almighty said,

"And, indeed We have sent Messengers before you; of some of them We have related to you their story and of some We have not related to you their story."

(Surat Ghafir:78).

 This explains why our greatly cherished Companion Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, who was the closest person to the Prophet PBUH, when the Prophet PBUH passed away to Allah Almighty, spoke loudly to the Muslims who could not believe that the Prophet PBUH had died:

"Those who worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad has died, and those who worship Allah, Allah is Ever-living, does not die."

(Quoted by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs on the authority of Aisha)

Rejection of infallibility of other than the prophets:

 Allah Almighty Has ordered to emulate the noble Prophet in all his sayings and conduct. Therefore, he is infallible. Had he been not infallible, Allah would have ordered to follow those who are not infallible, which is impossible. It follows that while we believe that the Prophet PBUH is infallible in his discourse, conduct, statements and attributes, we do not attribute infallibility to other than him. Islamic creed says that no matter how sublime and elevated a person may be, he is not considered infallible. This doctrine is quite appropriate. Thus when one deals with all believers and appreciates their station and position, one says to oneself this person is a follower of the Prophet PBUH, and if you suffer a fault against you by your brother you would say: this is because he is not infallible and you still keep loving him. Therefore, it is a gross mistake to attribute infallibility to any other than the Prophet PBUH, it is a serious slip.

 As an illustration,

the Prophet PBUH once appointed an Ansari (a Muslim of Medina with a sense of humor as a leader of a company on the way and ordered them to obey him. Once he was angry with themand said, "Did not the Prophet PBUH ordered you to obey me? They replied in the affirmative. He said I urge to collect some wood, to light a fire and to enter into it. So they collected some wood and lighted a fire and when they were about to enter it, they looked at each other. We have in fact followed the Prophet in order to escape fire. So should we go into it? In the mean time, the fire was extinguished and his anger cooled down. This was reported to the Prophet PBUH, who said, "Had you entered it you would never have got out of it. Obedience is complied with in legitimate things.”

(Quoted by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs on the authority of Ali)

 Reason should never remain idle. The one who says, "You should act like a dead man in the hands of the one who washes you when you die” could not be soberly minded, because there is no person after the Prophet who could be described as infallible. One can love all believers, can deal with all believers and can establish a strong and fruitful relationship with all believers provided you do not believe that they are infallible. Thus any wrong that befalls you is very simply the result of lack of infallibility and anything you appreciate is a result of following the teachings of the noble Prophet.

Further evidence that the Prophet does not speak of his own desire:

 Following is an anecdote that a person sometimes speak of his own desire. Once I wanted to buy curtains. I was referred to a merchant here in the district of Al-Hariqah. He told me after giving a lecture: "The width of the curtain should be twice that of the wall, i.e. an extra meter, for it to be very beautiful." I yielded to what he said. I chose a cloth for the curtain but when he measured it, it turned out that it was one meter less than double the width of the wall and I happened to like it. So he said, "This particular cloth is more beautiful when it is flat (not twice the width)." He was talking of his own desire. It was in his interest to sell that remaining piece of cloth. I do not exaggerate if I say that ninety per cent of dealers speak of their own desire in their trade, sale and purchase.

 Once, the Prophet PBUH said briefly in the battle of Badr:

"Do not kill my uncle Al-Abbas”

 One of the companions considered what the Prophet PBUH had said and did not accept it. So he said, "One of us kills his father and brother and he tells us not to kill his uncle?! There are special rules applicable to his relatives. It was realized later on that his uncle Al-Abbas in Mecca was Muslim and was transmitting to the noble Prophet all that took place in Quraish. Thus the Prophet's management was very clever and relied on accurate information. His uncle Al-Abbas had adopted Islam covertly and remained in Mecca in order to transmit all information about the movements of Quraish to the noble Prophet. Had the Prophet said, "Don't kill my uncle Al-Abbas because he is a Muslim, he would have revealed his secret and ended his task, and if he hadn't told his companions not to kill Al-Abbas while he was still in the Quraish ranks they would have killed him. The solution was for the Prophet to say a brief remark, just: "Don't kill my uncle Al-Abbas.". Soon after that man realized the situation and used to pay alms for ten years in the hope that Allah Almighty would forgive him his misguided thought. Allah Almighty said,

"Nor does he speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration that is inspired."

(Surat Al-Najem:3-4)

Such evidence is reflected in the Noble Prophet's words:

"By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, if Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad steals I will cut off her hand."

(Reported by Al=Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs on the authority of Aisha.)

The methodology of preaching from the Prophet's Sirah:

 Dear brother, just as the Prophet's Sirah provides us with a method in respect of what we must and must not do, this Sirah provides us with a preaching methodology of how the Prophet PBUH used to treat his companions? How he taught them? How he used to meet with them? How he gave them advice? How he praised them? Did he consult them? Did he behave modestly towards them? Did he serve them? Did he build his glory on their ruins? Did he love them? This is an important aspect of the Prophet's practical Sunnah, which is the preaching aspect, as every preacher who imitates the Noble Prophet will inevitably succeed with flying colors, and occupy a highly glorious position among the circles of the nation; and every preacher whose preaching runs counter to the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH will trigger a great controversy over himself.

The fruit of a kind word is putting it into practice:

 Dear brother, we are in need of a living Qur'an, we need a living Muslim. Theoretical words produce a weak effect. Why? Because people no longer believe words. Why is that so? Because all practices of people contradict their words. They come into a country and inflict all kinds of injury, demolishing houses, killing the innocent, saying, "We’ve come for the sake of freedom, so that you may enjoy freedom. Such words in the context of such practices make people no longer believe in words at all. We are now facing a problem. People have renounced belief in words and words could not recover their sacredness except through practice and implementation. We may ask: What have the prophets brought to their people? Did they bring rockets, planes, airplane carriers, sub-marines, and satellites? They brought words. Allah Almighty said,

"See you not how Allâh sets forth a parable? - A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky. Giving its fruit at all times."

(surat Ibrahim: 24-25)

 A goodly word has a magic effect on people. But today people have renounced their belief in words, because all that is said is associated with contradictory practices. A council orders a remote country to practice democracy. Fine! But for its part, it practices coercion and tyranny through veto. Thus the Council is coercive but its order is democratic. Very funny! For this reason people no longer believe in words, whose sacredness will never be recovered except through practice and implementation. Hence the Prophet's statement:

"Be straight so that sh3er would be straight with you".

(Reported by Al-Siyuti, Al-Majma' as_Saghir on the authority of Samra)

Examples of people who adopted Islam through conduct:

 While we were once on pilgrimage we saw a man with western features. I learned later on that the reason for which he adopted Islam was that a Syrian student rented a room in his house. The man had a beautiful daughter on whom the young man had never cast a look, and whenever he happened to see her he used to look down. This was something the father could not understand. What sort of a person was that student, he wondered? After a dialogue with the youth he ended up by adopting Islam. The following words should be engraved in gold: ""Be straight so that sh3er would be straight with you”.
 An American man by the name of Jeffrey Link was a major atheist in America. He had a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of San Francisco. The reason for his atheism was that when at the secondary school he had a teacher of Christianity whom he criticized in the presence of his father, whose reaction was that he expelled him from his house, after which the student became an atheist and continued his studies. He was exceptionally clever and his math teacher used to tell him to leave the class-room and would give him a full mark just to get rid of him and of his embarrassing questions. At San Frnasisco University he had such a great prestige that his professor used to consult him sometimes in connection with certain Ph.D. dissertations. The professor had a female student from the Middle East. While working on her thesis, she faced a problem. So her professor sent her to Dr. Jeffrey Link for advice. This atheist university professor saw a girl that wore a full hijab even in the summer days when American girls were almost naked. So he said to himself that such a girl must be a follower of a great religion with great convictions that prompted her to act differently from all the girls of his country. This professor swore that he didn't dare to look at her face in view of her holiness and he rushed totally to her help. On the same day, he says, I plunged myself in the reading of the Qur'an. However, felt that it was not the words of Allah and while searching for mistakes in it he read the verse:

"So this day We shall deliver your (dead) body (out from the sea) that you may be a sign to those who come after you!"

(Surat Yunus:92)

 And said to himself that he had found the mistake he was looking for. It so happened that he had a friend in France by the name of Maurice Bucai. He called him and said, "Come and see. Pharaoh has died; so how did Allah say,

"…this day We shall deliver your (dead) body?"

(Surat Yunus:92)

 His friend said, "The Pharaoh referred to in the Qur'an I saw his body myself. He is now exhibited at the Egyptian museum of pharaohs. The result was that the man adopted Islam and, believe it or not, he is now one of the major preachers of Islam in America. He wrote a book that was translated into Arabic in which he answers questions raised by his little daughter, who asked him why he had adopted Islam. The book was the answer to her question, and I have taught part of it in the Ottoman Mosque.If you read this book you will find that he is closer to you than your folks. Belief bring people together. What made this preacher adopt Islam? A girl with a hijab. The Prophet PBUH said,

"Be straight so that sh3er would be straight with you" "

 We need a living Muslim. If he speaks to you he is truthful. If he deals with you he is honest, if his lust is exauthord he is chaste. Addressing the Negev of Abyssinia, Ja'far bin Abi Taleb said,

 "O King! We were a people of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islam), we used to worship idols, to eat the flesh of dead animals, perform lewd acts, sever relations with our kith and kin, act badly to our neighbors, the strong amongst us used to maltreat the weak. Such was our condition until Allah sent us a Prophet from our midst, whose lineage, truthfulness, honesty and virtues were known to us. He invited us to recognize the unicity of Allah and worship Him, and abandon the worship of stones and idols. He told us to speak truthfully, to return what we are entrusted with, to maintain relations with our kith and kin, to be good neighbors, to abstain from performing what is prohibited and from shedding blood, enjoined us to refrain from performing lewdness, from forgery, from encroaching on the property of orphans, from slandering virtuous women. He ordered us to worship Allah alone and not to associate anybody with Him. He ordered us to pray, to pay zakat and to fast."

(Reported by Ahmad in his Musnad on the authority of Um Salamah)

Reasons of the backwardness of Muslims today

 Honorable brother

 The effect of the conduct of one person on a thousand people could be more than the effect of the words of a thousand people on one person. If a thousand preachers delivered wonderful speech to one person, but their conduct was contrary to their speech, they would not affect him.

 If you wish to uplift your society, set a good example like the companions of the Prophet PBUH. Each one of them is worth a thousand, while Muslims in times of backwardness, lusts and shirk (associating anybody or anything with Allah Almigty) thousand of them are worthless. Is it plausible that our great hero Khaled should ask The Caliph Abu Bakr for reinforcement in the battle of Nahawand? Well yes. But the Caliph sent him one: Al-Qa'qa' bin Amr. When he arrived, Khaled told him: "Where is the reinforcement?" He replied: "I am the reinforcement." He said, "You the reinforcement!" So he handed him a letter from the Caliph, which read, "O Khaled! Don't be surprised if I sent you just Al-Qa'qa', by Him in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, no army could be defeated when Al-Qa'qa' is with it." So, the Muslims were victorious. One is worth a thousand and a thousand are worthless. One billion and three hundred million have no weight today, they are not masters of their destiny and they possess no power at all. Allah Almighty said,

"Allâh has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth."

(Surat An-Nour:55)

 Are we now successors? By Allah, no. The bitter truth is better than a comfortable illusion. Allah Almighty said,

"And that He will grant them the authority to practice their religion, that which He has chosen for them."

(ibid:55)

 Are we granted authority on earth? No, by Allah. Where is the authority? Allah Almighty said,

"And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear.

(ibid:55)

 Are we safe? We are threatened every day. Why? What can we do with those ayahs? The annihilation of the universe is easier for Allah Almighty than the non-fulfillment of His promises to the believers. So what do we do with these ayas. Allah Almigty said,

"Yet they were succeeded by generations [of people] who lost all [thought of] prayer and followed [but] their own lusts; and these will, in time, meet with utter disillusion."

(Surat Maryam:59)

 Scholars are unanimous that losing prayer does not mean abandoning it. Not every person who performs prayer does pray in fact.

"I accept prayer only of those who humble themselves before my Greatness, restrained his lust from what I have forbidden and did no persist in his disobedience to me, did feed the hungry and did cloth the naked, showed pity to the afflicted and accommodated the stranger. All this is for me".

(traditionally reported as a hadith)

The Station (position) of Prophethood in the view of Allah:

 Dear brother, Obeying the Messenger of Allah is tantamount to obeying Allah. In view of the transparency of the Noble Prophet he reflects the divine truth..

 By way of exemplification, there is a kind of glass of superior quality and is so clean that it is almost not perceived and we can see through it only that which is behind and sometimes we run into it as a result of its utmost cleanliness. Yesterday I was at a hotel whose glass doors were exceedingly clean but with some words written on it to alert people of its presence and lest they keep walking without being aware of its presence. Thus the truth about the Noble Prophet PBUH is that if you obey him, such obedience is tantamount to obedience of Allah, consider:

"…… the while it is Allah and His Apostle whose pleasure they should seek above all else."

(Surat At-Tawbah:62)

 Unlike English, the verb indicating the pleasing appears in the singular as opposed to the possible dual form, which cannot be indicated in the translation. Thus the Arabic explicitly and grammatically (morphologically) uses the singular form of the verb to indicate its reference to the Prophet (being closer to the verb in Arabic). While the dual form of the verb could have been used, the singular form was used to indicate that pleasing the Messenger of Allah is tantamount to pleasing Allah Almighty.

Prophet's description of the condition of those who love Allah and His Messenger:

  Dear brother, Allah Almighty does not accept the claim of those who love Him and His Messenger except on the basis of evidence. If such a claim is accepted without being based on evidence, then every person will claim that he loves the Prophet PBUH. Consider the following verses:

All claim to love Laila
But of that Laila is not convinced

 This is a very subtle conception which I hope is clear to you. Anas bin Malek MABPWH is reported to have said that the Prophet PBUH said,

"If a person satisfies the following three conditions, he will taste the sweetness of belief: that he loves Allah Almighty and His Messenger PBUH more than any sh3er, that he loves a person for no other reason than for the sake of Allah, that he hates to revert to kufr (disbelief) just as he hates to be hurled into the Fire."

(Quoted by Al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs on the authority of Anas bin Malek)

 Just imagine what one billion and three hundred million Muslims would say if you asked them if they loved the Messenger of Allah. It is certain that they will answer in the affirmative. Hence this question is meaningless since every person claims that they love the Messenger of Allah PBUH. The Noble Prophet would like the reply to be:

"If a person satisfies the following three conditions, he will taste the sweetness of belief: that he loves Allah Almighty and His Messenger PBUH more than any sh3er”

 That is, Allah (his orders in the Quran) and the prophet (in his Sunnah) are more loved to you than the whole world in case of contradiction. When your benefit contradicts with a legal verdict but you adhere to the legal verdict, and say: Allah forbids that I could disobey Him, in this case you taste the sweetness of belief, which is not known except to those who taste it. There is a great difference between the facts of belief and the sweetness of belief.
 If you have the map of a great palace, the reception is so big, fine, but this is not the palace, it is only paper. That is like the facts of belief, while the sweetness of belief is the palace itself. There is a great difference between having the map of a palace and living in it.
 It is he who believes in Allah as his Lord, Islam as his religion, and Muhamad as his prophet that would taste the sweetness of belief. Thus, Allah does not accept a claim of love without a proof. Allah says:

“Say (o Muhamad): if you (really) love Allah, then follow me so that Allah will love you.”

(Surat Al-Imran:31)

 By the way, if you believe in the last Day and your conduct is contrary to that belief, this would be more dangerous. Loving the prophet is an individual obligation, but it means acting in accordance to this love.

Muslims must understand the character of the prophet well:

 Dear brother, once I was performing Umrah, and I wished to pray where the prophet (PBUH) used to pray (i.e. in the sacred room) which was so crowded. I could hardly pray there, and I cried a lot. I had a thought that if there was a worker for a professor who has written more than two hundred books, and he came in the professor’s absence and sat on his seat, would he have a better position? He could have a better position if he learned and got a certificate. So following the prophet is what upraises us and not seeking the blessing (which I don’t deny, but I deny taking it alone). If an ignorant man is a son of a great scholar, wherever he goes he talks about his father, he would still be in his place, but if he follows his father’s footsteps he would be upraised. We should not be satisfied with seeking the blessing of the prophet (PBUH); we should be also keen to follow him.
Saying a hundred thousand pounds is something and owning this amount is something else. This life is short, leaving is close, and the one who is forty is so near to the hereafter. A poet says:

No matter how the night is long….. Dawn must come after it
And no matter how life is long….. Man must enter his grave

 And another one says:

Every man no matter how long he lives
Must be carried to his grave
So be sure if you carry a dead person to his grave
That there will come a day when you are carried to grave

 Dear bsh3er, those who have no goal are useless. If you want to be happy you have to make sh3er happy, and if you think of other Muslims and have a principle you could be the happiest person.

In the next lectures inshallah:

 Dear brother, long ways start with a step. In the coming lectures, we will continue discussing the details of the prophet’s life inshallah, because he was a living Quran, and this course could be a light for us in our life.