An obligation
Allah has commanded us to know the Prophet Muhammad . This is an obligation that Allah has put upon us. There are over 50 verses in the Qur’an that tells us to take the Prophet as an example. For example,
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad SAW) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.
Qur’an [33:21]
From the Seerah, we can gain religious knowledge, we can learn about manners and morals. Also, from the Seerah, we get to know how he was as a leader. How he was as a father and as a husband. No matter in which angle we look at, we will find an example in him to follow.
Love of Prophet Muhammad
Studying Seerah is the number one way to increase our love for the Prophet . There are no other ways as effective and as powerful to increase our love for the Prophet than by studying his life and times. This is a sad fact that unfortunately we have neglected this study.
If you truly love him, you will study him. Because, a sign of loving someone is to want to know more about that person. Studying the Seerah is a sign of love and through studying the Seerah we increase our love. It is a circle – the more we study the more we love, the more we love, the more we study.
Helps us understand the Qur’an
Understanding the Seerah also helps us understand the Qur’an. The Qur’an is a very profound book and it cannot be understood without context. Without context, we cannot appreciate the Qur’an. For example, let us look at the following verse from the Qur’an,
Your lord has not abandoned you nor has he shown you any harshness.
Qur’an [93:3]
We will not understand this verse until we study the Seerah – when it was revealed and why it was revealed.
A source of optimism
The Seerah raises our hopes, lifts our spirits and blesses us with optimism. By studying the Seerah we can understand that the people before us suffered even more. In fact, in the Qur’an, Allah tells the Prophet ,
So, our Prophet heard the stories of the earlier prophets and it gave him optimism, increased his Iman. How about us then? Don’t we need to increase our Iman even more?
By studying Seerah, we can also learn about the lives of the companions. They are called the best of generations, as mentioned in the Qur’an,
By studying the Seerah, we study the stories of Abu Bakr and Umar and Ali, the stories of Anas and Jabir, Talha and Jubair – they were all legendary people. They inspire us by their sacrifices, struggles, patience and perseverance. Each and everyone of them is a role model for us.
