The strength of love for the Messenger (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) is connected to the Muslim’s faith. When his faith increases, his love for the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) increases. Loving the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) is an act of obedience to Allah and a means of drawing closer to Him. Loving him is one of the obligatory duties in Islam.
It is narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
In his response to a question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
“Our love of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) is bound to be enhanced if we read his seerah (biography) and study the examples from his life as diligently set out in the Sunnah. Such studies have moved thousands of scholars throughout the centuries to dedicate their entire lives to learning and transmitting them. The library is full of their works.
In order to enhance your love of the Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam), think of the following:
1. Think of this humble servant of Allah who never tired of reminding himself that he was a humble servant of Allah. He said, “I am a servant of Allah; I eat like a servant, sit like a servant and walk like a servant.”
2. Think of his lofty morals and his compassion towards the most vulnerable, the women, children and animals. We learn that he would be moved to tears at the death of a child, and he would commiserate with a child at the death of his nightingale.
3. Think of his qualities as a boss who never picked faults. The young man who had served him ten long years said, “I served the Messenger of Allah ten years, and yet not even once did he condemn me for something I did wrong or failed to do right!”
4. Through his excellent morals and conduct, he earned the love of everyone around him, men and women, young and old. Even his enemies noted that they never saw such expressions of love shown towards any temporal or spiritual leader before him.
5. His selfless and self-effacing behavior turned his hardened enemies into his ardent admirers who were ready to give their lives for the sake of him and his mission. Look at `Umar, Safwan, `Ikrimah and Khalid (radhiallahu 'anhum) and many others who had been once his fiercest adversaries.
6. The Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) was born an orphan and died like an orphan. In other words, his lifestyle never changed. He reminded a person who feared his might, “Take it easy! You have no reason to fear me! I am not a king, but the son of an old woman of Quraysh who used to survive on dry meat!”
7. He consistently and vigorously opposed any forms of self-adulation and self-adoration so that he even forbade his people to stand up in reverence for him. Prior to his death, one of his stern warnings addressed to his followers was, “Do not venerate me as the Christians venerated Jesus, son of Mary. I am only a servant of Allah and His Messenger!”
May Allah shower His choicest blessings on His servant and chosen Messenger Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) and his family and companions; and may the Beneficent Lord raise us all up under his flag on the Day of Resurrection. Aameen