Loving the Beloved

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Love of the Prophet (ﷺ) is an essential component of the faith of every Muslim, and there are innumerable anecdotes, poems and stories that essential revolve around it.

So much so that it is considered to be the foundation of faith itself, as stated in these verses from an anonymous poet, which connect to a well known hadith :

روح ایماں مغز قرآن اصل دین
ہست حب رحمة للعالمین

The spirit of faith, the essence of the Qur'an and the reality of religion is the love of the "Mercy to the Worlds" (ﷺ) 

مغزِ قرآں روح ایماں جان دیں
ہست حب رحمة اللعالمین

The essence of the Qur'an, the spirit of faith, and the life of religion is the love of the "Mercy to the Worlds" (ﷺ) 

I received these last verses via a messaging service, and were probably written by Abu Sulayman (عبدالله الخربوش):

كالغيثِ ذكرُكَ يا حبيبي لمْ يزلْ

 يسقي القلوبَ محبَّةً ونعيمَا

Remembering you o beloved (ﷺ) is like those rain showers that flood the heart with incessant love and joy 

 يا سيدَ الثقلينِ حُزتَ مكانةً
 ومقامَ عزٍّ في النفوسِ عظيمَا

O sayyid us thaqalayn (master of the two weighty things ﷺ), you possess the station of great glory amongst all souls

يا مَنْ سلكتُمْ نهجهُ وسبيلهُ
 "صلُّوا عليهِ وسلِّمُوا تسليمَا"

O you who travel his path and follow his way, send peace and blessings upon him ﷺ

How can one not love the beloved Prophet(ﷺ), when referring to a hadith, Allama Iqbal in this poem said even a dead piece of wood wept due to separation:

من چہ گوئم ازتولائش کہ چسیت
خشک چوبے در فراقِ او گریست

من چه گویم از تولایش که چیست
خشک چوبی در فراق او گریست

How shall I speak of the devotion he ﷺ inspires?
(Even) a dry block of wood wept on separation from himﷺ.

Numerous scholars wished they could reach Al-Medina just so they could die and be buried near the beloved.  This quatrain written supposedly by the nephew (Payami) of Shaykh Al Hind Mahmud ul Hasan :

گلستان میں جاکر ہر اک گل کو دیکھا
نہ تیری سی رنگت نہ تیری سی بو ہے
نکل جائے دم تیرے قدموں کے نیچے
یہی دل کی حسرت یہی آرزو ہے

I have looked at every flower in the rose-garden

None of them have your beauty or fragrance

I give up my life under your feet

Is the only desire of my heart, and my only wish

I would like to end here with a supplication, which in the books of hadith is known as the supplication of the Prophet Dawud :

اللَّهمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ، وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ، وَالعمَل الَّذِي يُبَلِّغُني حُبَّكَ

 اللَّهُمَّ اجْعل حُبَّكَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِن نَفسي، وأَهْلي، ومِن الماءِ البارِدِ

O Allah! I ask You for Your Love, the love of those who love You, and deeds which will cause me to attain Your Love. 
O Allah! Make Your Love dearer to me than myself, my family and cool water