The Alchemist of Prophetic Love

The Alchemist of Prophetic Love

by 'Deenpoet'


"They say, Imam Busiri, the author of the Burda, died of a broken heart. A broken heart caused by the immense love of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him.  And Allah and His Prophet, know best."

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I begin in the name of Allah, the Kind, the Great, the Merciful, the Beneficent, the Trustworthy, the Creator of all, the Giver of life, and the Taker of life, the One who has no children, nor was He born of anyone and there is no other besides Him.

Peace and salutations upon our master, perfect example, Prophetic light and beloved, the Prophet Muhammad. And upon his noble family, his righteous companions and all those who follow him.

It has taken a while to pen this article. Planning, writing, deleting and re-writing, but I guess love is not an easy thing to express. It is a complicated emotion. It soothes the body and soul, but yet it can hurt terribly. It soothes when you think of the one you love.  How you wish to be with them all the time.  It hurts when you are away from your beloved.  You’ll do anything to be near them, to see them and to embrace them.

Love evolves as you grow. It begins when you’re an infant. Suckling on your mother’s breast, you rely upon her for everything.  For nourishment, for affection and for upbringing…It’s hard not to love someone you have been with for 9 months. As you grow, your love grows, when you make friends, whether at school or on the playground. You create a fellowship which could potentially last for many years to come.

Your love evolves even further when you marry your spouse, creating a companionship for the sake of Allah. Finally, your love evolves when you have children. You raise them and take care of them. You’ll do anything for them, to make their lives as easy as possible. Most likely, you will even be willing to sacrifice your life for them.

Yet there is a love that outweighs all of the above, and that is to love Allah and His Messenger, peace and salutations be upon him. To love the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, is to love Allah. There is no distinction between the two.

Learning to love the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, is not easy and it takes time. It takes time to love your teacher, for you need to get to know them properly and learn about their qualities, so why should the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him, be any different? For he was Al Mu’alim, the Teacher of all teachers.

There are many ways we can learn to love the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him. One of these is by learning his seerah and sunnah.  Books can only take us so far, but teachers can take us further. The teacher who truly loves and practices the way of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him, will remind his student of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him. One of the greatest teachers and lovers of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him, is Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi. He is the alchemist of prophetic love.

The alchemist teaches a student of alchemy how to turn metal in to gold. Shaykh Muhammad is the alchemist who can turn hearts into gold with the love of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him. This blessed and great teacher helps us love the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, through words and actions. A lover remembers the sayings of his beloved, and Shaykh Muhammad is a Muhaddith, an expert on the Hadiths (sayings) of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him. A lover practises the way of his beloved and tries to impersonate all the characteristics of his beloved. Shaykh Muhammad truly practices the way of his beloved and will not contradict the sunnah for anyone. Lastly, a lover remembers the subtle characteristics of his beloved, such as their walk, and Shaykh Muhammad back in April 2007, whilst in Birmingham, England, showed his students the walk of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him! What better way to learn how to love the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him, than to learn from a great individual who deeply loves the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him?

For those who question why we should love the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, let me refer you to a hadith, transmitted in Bukhari, Muslim and an-Nasa’i:
“Anas reported that the Messenger of Allah said, ‘None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father and all people.’ ”[1]

We can learn so much from those who love the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him. Bilal, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, left Madina after the death of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, because he was stricken with grief.  He loved and missed his beloved so much he couldn’t bear to live in the city where he would be reminded of his beloved. When he did return, he was asked by Hassan,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to recite the Adhan as he used to once before.  Bilal,may Allah bless him and grant him peace, couldn’t refuse this request as Hassan, ay Allah bless him and grant him peace, was from Ahl ul Bait, the house of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him. When Bilal, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recited the Adhan, the people of Madina came out of their homes and began to weep, for it reminded them of the days that had gone by, the days of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him.

Qadi Iyad, in the book of Ash Shifa writes,
“When Bilal was near death, his wife called out, ‘O sorrow!’  Bilal said, ‘What joy!  I will meet those I love, Muhammad and his party!’ ”[2]

This is the love we should strive to have for our Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him. If we truly loved the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, and practised his sunnah, we wouldn’t have the need to burn down embassies and burn flags, for that is not the Prophetic way. When the children of Taif pelted him with stones, so that he bled, he did not ask for their homes to be burned down. He prayed for their guidance.

Defend the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, by following his way and teaching the ignorant what a beautiful and great man he was.

When discussing the signs of someone who loves the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, Qadi Iyad in the book of Ash Shifa writes,
“The first sign is that he will emulate him, apply his sunna…Another of the signs of love for the Prophet is to mention him often.  Whoever loves someone mentions him often.  Another is great yearning to meet him.  Every lover yearns for their beloved.”[3]

Next time you see Shaykh Muhammad, I challenge you to look out for these signs and you will definitely see them. For when I have seen Shaykh Muhammad, I have seen these signs, masha’Allah!

In an article by Ustadha Asra Adiba, entitled ‘The Face of Light’, she writes,
“Students attending classes of hadith often report the ecstatic Elysium of having dreams of the Prophet, sallah Allah alayhi was sallam, towards the conclusion of class. One sister had the double bounty of a dream with the Prophet, peace be upon him, and Sheikh Muhammad. She documented the dream just a few days after we completed the “Shama’il.”[4]
This is the impact Shaykh Muhammad has on his students. This is what Shaykh Muhammad can give us. The honour of seeing our beloved Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him!

Mawlana Rumi, in his Masnavi writes,
“Love wants its tale revealed to everyone,
But your heart's mirror won't reflect this sun,
Don't you know why we can't perceive it here?
Your mirror's face is rusty - scrape it clear!"[5]

Now is the time to scrape the heart clear of the rust of this world. Now is the time to awaken the heart from its spiritual slumber and bring life to it with the love of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutation be upon him. Thus, by using the mirror of the heart, we will be able to reflect the bright light of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him.

Shaykh Muhammad has been inflicted with many trials and tribulations, some of which we would not be able to handle. He lost his beloved father who was also his teacher. The jewel of Damascus, spiritual guide and Wali’ullah, Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Yaqoubi, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. In April 2006, he lost his beloved wife and their unborn child. Her name was Umm Ibrahim (Ferizeh Rabbat), the mother of Shaykh Muhammad’s three children. May Allah bless her and grant her peace. Just recently, in December 2007, he again lost his second wife Umm ul Huda (Mariam Obeid), may Allah bless her and grant her peace. Yet, this illustrious shaykh continues with his dawah.  Continues spreading the love of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, continues to spread the Haqq (Truth).

Ustadha Asra Adiba in her recent obituary to Umm Ul Huda writes,
“Sheikh Sa’eed Ramadhan al Buti upon visiting Sheikh Muhammad for condolence said, “I offer you not consolation but congratulation.”
He and the other scholars of Damascus, including Sheikh Hassan al Hindi have said that the travails that Allah places for Sheikh Muhammad are a sign of his stature, insha Allah, as only a true lover disregards any blow that comes from the Beloved.”[6]

Indeed, Shaykh Muhammad is the true lover she speaks of, and with every trial and tribulation, Allah will raise the Shaykh’s level insha’Allah.

I love Shaykh Muhammad immensely. It’s hard to describe how much I love this great individual, this scholar, this Gnostic, this great lover of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him.  He has touched my heart so much that, when I last sat in front of the Shaykh back in January of this year, I cried when he left. I still cry to this day because I have not seen and learnt from him for so long. I pray that all those like me, who want to learn from Shaykh Muhammad can go to Damascus and do so. Ameen.

Yes, the fact that Shaykh Muhammad has the shortest spiritual chain leading to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and salutations be upon him, is attractive. However, it’s the knowledge and ilam one receives from this beautiful individual that is attractive as well. I love Shaykh Muhammad, and I hope you will do as well, insha’Allah.

The seventeenth century poet, Matsuo Bashō, wrote,
“Learn about the pines from the pine, and about bamboo from the bamboo.”
Therefore, I say, learn about the beloved, peace and salutations be upon him, from the lover of the beloved, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi. The alchemist of Prophetic love.

They say, Imam Busiri, the author of the Burda, died of a broken heart. A broken heart caused by the immense love of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him.  And Allah and His Prophet, know best.

I pray Allah makes our hearts crumble with the love of the Prophet, peace and salutations be upon him, and may we see his blessed and radiant face in our dreams, and may we truly respect and practise his sunnah.

May Allah bless and increase the rank of Shaykh Muhammad. May He bless the Shaykh’s family, his teachers and his students. May He give this wonderful Shaykh a long life, and may He grant Shaykh Muhammad all that he asks for of this world and the next. Ameen.

JazzAllahu anna Sayidina Muhammadan, sallallahu alayni wassallam, maa huwa ahlu.
JazzAllahu anna Sayidina Muhammadan, sallallahu alayni wassallam, maa huwa ahlu.
JazzAllahu anna Sayidina Muhammadan, sallallahu alayni wassallam, maa huwa ahlu.


1.    Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad.  Translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley.  Page 224.
2.    Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad.  Translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley.  Page 226.
3.    Muhammad, Messenger of Allah, Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad.  Translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley.  Page 227.
4.    The Face of Light by Asra Adiba.  URL: http://deenport.com/iframes/childscroll.php?page=../main/rvws/content/index.php?reviewid=2
5.    Rumi The Masnavi, Book One, a new translation by Jawid Mojaddedi.  Page 6.
6.    An Eid Lover Story: Sheikh Muhammad and Mariam, by Asra Adiba.  URL: http://deenport.com/ufind/jump.php?dpid=25&t=op