Loving the Beloved (1)

There are certain gestures that, while not requiring much effort, can make the difference in anyone’s day. In a closer relationship, these gestures may be taken for granted and perhaps trivialized, but it is often the little things that make us feel loved and valued on a day-to-day basis.

Learning how the Prophet ﷺ would interact with people gives rise to a nostalgia for something that, it seems, we lost. It results in a yearning in the heart for prophetic character. He was sent as a ‘mercy to the worlds’ from the One who created us and who knows us, and thus even the minutiae of his behavior is not only significant, but something that our soul craves.

Ponder over this: The Prophet ﷺ, when talking to someone, would turn his whole body towards that person (Tirmidhi). Making people feel included was important. He advised that, "When you are three persons sitting together, then no two of you should hold secret counsel excluding the third person until you are with some other people too, for that would grieve him." (Bukhari). We find it hard to turn away from our phones enough to have a conversation with someone.

He cared about how people felt, and did his utmost to make people know that they had worth. ‘Amr bin al-’Aas (ra) was one of the righteous companions. He said, “The Prophet ﷺ would give his full attention to even the worst people, in order to create warmth between people. He would be so attentive to me and talk to me until I thought I was the best of the people. So I asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, am I better or Abu Bakr?’ The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘Abu Bakr’. So I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, am I better or Omar?’ The Prophet ﷺ responded: ‘Omar’. So I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, am I better or Uthman?’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Uthman.’ When I asked and he told me the truth, I wished that I had never asked!" (Tirmidhi)

Despite not being the best of the companions, ‘Amr bin al-’Aas felt that he was simply because of the way the Prophet ﷺ treated him. He felt valued and seen because the Prophet ﷺ made him feel like that.

These days, it seems that everyone is busy. But giving life to the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ in the little things is a start to healing the relationships around us.