Most people probably reply: To Love the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is to follow his Sunna; and to defend him against the attacks of the enemy; and to continuously mention and remember him ...

while this answer is definitely true;

It is a reference of obligatory love for prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): love that is related to obeying the commands of the Prophet, in all that is mandatory and refraining from all that he prohibited; "loving with your mind".. But there is another side to loving the prophet (pbuh); which is having the intense emotional feeling in your heart; that you deeply love him, with all what comes with that; from missing him, longing to see him, dreaming of touching his hand... feeling your heart is joyous when you hear something sweet about him, and feeling the heartache when you hear the hardships he felt

Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported that a man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said:  "O messenger of Allah! You are dearer to me than my family, my children and even myself....  when I am sitting in my home and I remember you; I feel overwhelmed with the desire to come to see you...   and when I think about your death and mine; I realize that when you die you will be at the highest rank in Paradise... but I fear that if I enter paradise, I will not be able to see you (At-Tabari and others).

This companion loves the prophet so much, he can't wait to leave his home, his wife and his kids, to go to see Rasoul Allah (pbuh), he is totally convinced that he will not be happy in Janna unless he sees the prophet there.... That is the kind of love that should be in the hearts of all the Muslims towards Muhammad (pbuh)

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But how do you attain love like that?

How do you love Muhammad with all your heart - intense emotional love?

Simple .....

You get to know him.  When you really know him; you can not help but to love him... It is our fitra, an instinct in us humans, when we see beauty in anything, we love it; and no human has more beauty in him, inside and out, more than him.

That is why the companions of the prophet had the highest degree of this love ... because they have seen him and lived with him ... 

The most comprehensive description of prophet Muhammad is found in the book of Al-Qadi Iyad كتاب الشفا بتعريف حقوق المصطفى
In it he narrates that :
Al-Hasan, son of Ali [R A A] said: "I asked my uncle Hind, son of Abu Hala about the description of the Prophet

Hind was known to be a prolific describer of the Prophet, and I wished him to relate some of it for me so I might hold on to it."

So Hind said:
"The Prophet of God, (pbuh), was of mighty significance to God, and profoundly honored among the people.
His face radiated light like the moon on its fullest night.
He was a bit taller than the medium stature:
and a bit shorter than the tall and skinny.
His head was large.
His hair was wavy. and it would not be long enough to pass his earlobes.

His complexion was fair.
He had a wide forehead, arched, beautiful eyebrows with a space between them.
There was a vein between them that would swell and pulse when he was angry.
His nose was aquiline; thin and slightly curved; it had a brightness about the upper part
He had a thick beard.
His eyes were very black and the whites very white.
His cheeks were not prominent, and he had a wide mouth.
His teeth were white and there was a space between his front teeth.

His figure was well proportioned, full bodied and strong.
There was no slackness in his muscle arrangement;
his chest didn't protrude over his belly, nor the reverse.
His chest was broad and his shoulders wide and muscular.

The parts of his body that could be seen while he was clothed were luminous.
His body from the neck to the navel was joined by hair which flowed down like a line. There was no hair on his nipples or around them.

His forearms, shoulders, and upper chest had hair on them.
The bones of his forearms were long.
His palms were wide and generous.
His hands and feet were thick.
His limbs were long...

His insteps were high.
His feet were smooth
When he would move off, he would move with determination. ...
He would step surely and unhurriedly and not proudly.

He walked gently and with dignity, and he would take wide steps when he wanted to walk quickly.
When he walked, it was as if he was descending from a slope...

When he would look at someone, he would turn to him fully....
He would lower his gaze, and look down more often than up.
He didn't stare. He would lead his companions by walking behind them out of modesty and would always be the first to greet them."

"The Prophet was continuously full of concern and constantly deep in thought. He had no rest, and would not speak without a reason. He would be silent for long periods of time. He would begin conversations, and end them clearly and distinctly
and would speak in a way that combined many meanings in few words.
He spoke with excellence, and there was no excess in his speech, nor unnatural briefness.

He was gentle by nature

He would praise the favors he received;
even when they were few and small. He never found fault with them.
He never criticized the food or drink that was prepared for him,
nor did he overly praise it.

He would gesture with his whole palm to point.
When he was astonished, he would turn his palm's face upwards.
He used his hands frequently as he spoke, and would strike his left palm with his right thumb.
When he would get angry, he would turn away and avert his gaze,
and when he was full of joy he would lower his eyes...

Most of his laughing was as smiling; when he did laugh, it was not loud, and he would show his teeth a bit like they were hailstones."  

When he goes home:
"He always asked permission to enter his home, from God, and those within. When at home, he would divide his time into three parts, one for God, one for his family, and one for himself.
Then he would divide his own portion between himself and the people.......

His closest companions would mostly share this time with him,
and they would convey his words to the rest of the people.

He didn't like meaningless conversations, he preferred to talk about how to help people."

 "The Prophet would hold his tongue except in matters which concerned his companions. He would encourage affection and peaceful coexistence between them and would say nothing to alienate one from another.

The most significant people to him were those most beneficial to others;

He never sat down or stood up without mentioning Allah swt, nor did he reserve for himself fixed places among the people to be seated, and he forbade others to reserve places for themselves [especially in mosques and public gatherings].

When he would go to visit a group,
he would sit in the nearest available spot, and ordered that others follow THIS practice.

Whenever someone would tell him of his needs, he would bear with that person until that person is done.

When someone would ask him to solve a problem, he would not turn him away without solving it for him if possible; or saying comforting words or prayers for its fulfillment.

"The Prophet was unfailingly cheerful, easy going by nature, and mild mannered.

He would speak of nothing unless he hoped a reward from God for it.

When he would talk, those sitting with him would be so still and quiet:
you would imagine birds were sitting on their heads.

He was patient with the stranger who had roughness in his speech...
He would say: ‘Whenever you see someone seeking to solve a problem, help him out.' He was loved by his companions so much that they could not bare life after his death,

When Bilal was dying on his bed, he was singing of Joy "tomorrow I will meet the loved ones; Muhammad and his companions".

A man came to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and said: WHEN is the day of judgment? The prophet said: What have you prepared for it? .......   the man said: I did not prepare lots of Prayers and fasting, but I love Allah and his messenger.. so he (pbuh) answered;

You will be with whom you LOVE.....

The companions of the prophet rejoiced upon hearing him saying that...  they said we have never been happier; to hear him saying that on the day of Judgment you will be with whom you love ...

قُلْ إِن كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَآؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُم مِّنَ اللّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُواْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللّهُ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ (24)  

Allah Swt said in surat Al Tawba: Say: If your fathers, and your sons, and your brothers, and your wives, and your tribe, and the wealth you have acquired, and your success in business, and your homes: are dearer to you, than Allah and His messenger and striving in His way: then wait .......till Allah brings His command to pass. And Allah will not guide the wrongdoers..

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It was said that some people spoke with the man in Denmark who produced the cartoons about the Prophet, that he made a big mistake by insulting Muhammad (pbuh).

And it was explained to him how merciful and civilized and loving and dedicated the prophet was to all humanity...

The cartoonist then said a statement that will break your heart;

"I thought he was like his FOLLOWERS" !

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Brothers and sisters;

There are about 5 billion non Muslims in this world..

They will not read Sahih Al Bukhari to learn about Rasoul Allah..

They will not read Sahih Muslim to discover his personality.

They will not read the Seerat Ibn Hisham to know who is Muhammad (pbuh)

They will look at you and me, and based on what they see, they will judge who is Muhammad (Peace be upon him)

Allah SWT honored the Muslim Umma with Muhammad, when they loved him more than their lives and their children, and followed his sunna in every detail, Allah gave them leadership of the whole world;

And unless we do what they did, unless we love Muhammad and honor Muhammad and learn about Muhammad and follow the Sunna of Muhammad;

This Ummah will never stand on it's feet...

BUT you can never love Muhammad (pbuh) more than you love yourself unless you know him as you know yourself; and you can never know him that well, unless you start learning about him,

Educate yourself about every single detail in his life, then apply what you learn in your life:

Act as if you are a companion of his, though you have never seen him..

Be honest like he was..

Be brave like he was..

Be passionate about Islam;

Love Islam, defend Islam, serve Islam as he (peace be upon him) wanted you to..

And be as caring and respectful to all humans as the prophet was..

Be an advocate of the sunna of Muhammad "S"

Then teach people about him.

Start with your own Kids.... Make them love him while young, so they will grow up on his love..

May Allah make us of those who will be resurrected in the company of Prophet Muhammad...

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By: Br. Hassan Radi - MuslimBridges

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