Close your eyes for a second. Really close them.
Now imagine: you’re standing on the plains of Judgment Day. The sun is unbearably close—so close that people are drowning in their own sweat according to how much they sinned. The earth is flat, no shade, nowhere to hide. Billions of people from every generation are gathered, waiting, terrified.
And then you see him.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The man whose name you’ve been saying your entire life. The man you’ve sent peace upon in every single prayer. The man you’ve claimed to love more than your own parents, your children, even yourself.
He’s there. In front of you. Real. Not a story anymore. Not a historical figure. Him.
This will happen. You will meet the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It’s not metaphorical. It’s not symbolic. It’s a guaranteed encounter that every Muslim will experience.
The question that should terrify you: Will he recognize you?
Will he look at you and say, “Yes, this is one of mine. This is someone who followed my example. This is someone who loved me not just with words, but with their life”?
Or will he look at you with sorrow and say, “I don’t know you. You claimed to be part of my ummah, but you lived like you never heard of me”?
The Hadith That Should Make You Cry
Let me give you the hadith that keeps Islamic scholars reminding Muslims to examine their relationship with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih Bukhari: “Some people from my Ummah will be brought close to me at my Cistern, and when I recognize them, they will be taken away from me. I will say, ‘My Ummah! My Ummah!’ It will be said to me, ‘You do not know what they innovated after you.'”
Read that again slowly. People who thought they were Muslims—people who prayed, fasted, said the shahada—will be brought to the Prophet ﷺ on Judgment Day. He’ll start to recognize them: “Yes, these are my followers.”
And then they’ll be pulled away from him. Dragged away from the Cistern (the fountain from which he’ll give water to his true followers). And the Prophet ﷺ will try to claim them: “But they’re my ummah! They’re supposed to be with me!”
And Allah ﷻ will inform him: “You don’t know what they did after you died. They changed the religion. They abandoned your way. They’re not really yours.”
According to Islamic scholars who explain this hadith, this refers to people who introduced innovations (bid’ah) into Islam, who abandoned the Sunnah, who claimed to follow the Prophet ﷺ while living completely contrary to his teachings.
Are you one of them?
What Does It Actually Mean to Love the Prophet ﷺ?
Everyone says they love the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. You say it. Your parents say it. Every Muslim says it. But according to Islamic teachings on true love, love isn’t just an emotional feeling—it’s demonstrated through obedience.
Allah ﷻ says in the Quran:
[Surah Aal-e-Imran, Ayah 31]
“Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.'”
Notice the formula? If you love Allah ﷻ, you follow the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Following isn’t optional—it’s the proof of love.
You can’t claim to love someone and then ignore everything they taught. That’s not love—that’s emotional attachment to an idea while rejecting the reality.
Think about your actual life right now:
Do you pray the way he ﷺ prayed? Or do you rush through salah, barely present, just checking it off like a task?
Do you speak the way he ﷺ spoke? Or do you gossip, backbite, lie, and use foul language?
Do you treat people the way he ﷺ treated people? Or are you harsh with your family, rude to service workers, judgmental toward other Muslims?
Do you prioritize what he ﷺ prioritized? Or do you chase wealth, status, and entertainment while neglecting Quran, prayer, and character development?
If the answer to these questions makes you uncomfortable, you’re not alone. According to surveys on Muslim practice, most Muslims struggle to consistently follow the Sunnah. But struggling is different from not caring. The question is: are you trying?
How the Prophet ﷺ Described His Love for You
Here’s what breaks hearts when you really understand it: the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ loved you before you were born.
He never met you. He never saw your face. He never heard your name. But he loved you.
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported, as recorded in Sahih Muslim: “The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘I wish I could meet my brothers.’ The Companions asked: ‘Are we not your brothers, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said: ‘You are my Companions. My brothers are those who believe in me without having seen me.'”
That’s you. If you’re reading this, if you believe in the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ despite never seeing him in this life—you’re one of the brothers and sisters he ﷺ longed to meet.
According to Islamic biographical accounts, the Prophet ﷺ would make dua for future generations. He would cry thinking about the Muslims who would come after him, worried about whether they’d stay on the right path.
He loved you enough to spend his nights worrying about you. Do you love him enough to spend even five minutes a day learning about his life and following his example?
The Pool of Al-Kawthar
On the Day of Judgment, according to authentic Islamic teachings, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will be standing at a massive pool called Al-Kawthar—a river Allah ﷻ granted him in Paradise.
This pool will be filled with water whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, and whoever drinks from it will never feel thirst again. The Prophet ﷺ will personally give water to his true followers while everyone else is dying of thirst in the heat of that Day.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih Bukhari: “My Cistern is larger than the distance between Aila and Aden. Its water is whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. Its cups are as numerous as the stars of the sky. Whoever drinks from it will never feel thirsty again.”
But here’s what should concern you: not everyone who claims to be Muslim will get to drink from it. The hadith we mentioned earlier makes it clear—some people will be pushed away.
The ones who drink from Al-Kawthar are those who truly followed the Prophet’s ﷺ Sunnah, who didn’t innovate in the religion, who prioritized his teachings over cultural traditions and personal desires.
The ones who are pushed away? Those who said “I’m Muslim” but lived like they’d never heard of the Prophet’s ﷺ example.
Which group will you be in?
What He ﷺ Will Ask You About
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will intercede for his ummah on the Day of Judgment. But that intercession isn’t automatic. It’s not a free pass regardless of how you lived.
When you meet him, imagine he asks you:
“Did you pray the way I taught you to pray?”
Will you be able to say yes? Or will you have to admit that you barely knew how he ﷺ prayed, that you never studied his prayer, that you just did the bare minimum without trying to perfect it?
“Did you treat your parents the way I told you to treat them?”
Or will you remember all the times you were harsh, disrespectful, too busy to call, too annoyed to help?
“Did you control your anger like I taught you?”
Or did you justify your rage, your harsh words, your destroyed relationships by saying “I was just being honest” or “they deserved it”?
“Did you lower your gaze and guard your modesty like I commanded?”
Or did you consume content, engage in behaviors, and dress in ways that completely contradicted what he ﷺ taught?
These aren’t hypothetical questions. You will be questioned about your life. And one of the criteria for judgment is whether you followed the Prophet’s ﷺ example.
The Companions Who Couldn’t Bear to Be Away From Him
Let me tell you about the love the companions had for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—the kind of love that makes your emotional attachment look shallow.
Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him), the former slave who became the first muezzin, loved the Prophet ﷺ so much that when the Prophet ﷺ died, Bilal couldn’t bear to give the adhan anymore. The sound of the adhan reminded him of the Prophet ﷺ so intensely that he wept and couldn’t continue.
He left Madinah. He couldn’t stay in the city where the Prophet ﷺ had lived because every corner reminded him of the man he loved more than life itself.
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), when the Prophet ﷺ died, came into the room, uncovered his face, kissed his forehead, and said, “You are good in life and in death, O Messenger of Allah.” According to biographical accounts, Abu Bakr’s (RA) grief was so deep that he could barely function.
The companions would compete to get water that the Prophet ﷺ had used for wudu. They would treasure strands of his hair. They would imitate his every movement, memorize his every word, and live their entire lives trying to be like him.
That’s love. Not the superficial “I love the Prophet ﷺ” that you say without even knowing how he lived.
The Sunnah You’ve Been Ignoring
According to Islamic teachings on following the Prophet’s example, the Sunnah isn’t just about big things like prayer and fasting. It’s about the small details of how the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ lived every aspect of life.
And most Muslims today—despite claiming to love him—don’t even know what those details are, let alone practice them.
When you eat: Do you eat with your right hand, say Bismillah before starting, and say Alhamdulillah when finished—the way he ﷺ taught?
When you enter your home: Do you say Salam, even if no one’s there, because he ﷺ did?
When you see someone suffering: Do you rush to help them the way he ﷺ would drop everything to assist someone in need?
When you’re angry: Do you follow his advice to sit down if you’re standing, lie down if you’re sitting, and make wudu to calm yourself?
When you wake up: Do you say the dua he ﷺ taught for waking up, or do you immediately grab your phone?
These aren’t minor cultural practices. According to Islamic jurisprudence, these are the Sunnah—the path he ﷺ showed us to live in a way that’s pleasing to Allah ﷻ.
And you’re ignoring most of them while claiming you love him.
Why You Don’t Actually Know Him
Be honest: how many books have you read about the Prophet’s ﷺ life? Not articles. Not Instagram posts. Actual biographies written by scholars who spent decades studying his سيرة (seerah).
According to research on Islamic literacy documented, most Muslims can tell you more about celebrities, athletes, or fictional characters than they can about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
You know LeBron’s stats. You know Taylor Swift’s album drops. You know Marvel’s entire timeline. But do you know:
- What the Prophet ﷺ did on a typical day?
- How he treated his wives?
- What made him laugh?
- What made him cry?
- How he dealt with enemies who tried to kill him?
- How he raised his children?
- What his daily routine looked like?
If you don’t know these things, how can you claim to love him? According to Islamic teachings on love, you can’t love someone you don’t know.
You love an idea of the Prophet ﷺ. A romanticized version. A cultural symbol. But the actual man—the one who will meet you on Judgment Day—you barely know him.
The Intercession You’re Hoping For
Every Muslim knows that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ will intercede for his ummah on the Day of Judgment. But according to Islamic scholars, intercession isn’t guaranteed for everyone who says “I’m Muslim.”
The Prophet ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih Bukhari: “My intercession will be for those of my ummah who committed major sins.”
That’s mercy—he ﷺ will intercede even for sinners. But there’s a condition that scholars emphasize: you have to die as someone who genuinely tried to follow Islam, who believed in him, who attempted to live according to his teachings even if you failed sometimes.
The people who get pushed away from Al-Kawthar aren’t those who sinned and repented. They’re those who abandoned the Sunnah entirely, who changed the religion, who lived like Islam was just an identity label rather than a way of life.
So yes, the Prophet ﷺ will intercede for you if you’re a sinner. But not if you’re a hypocrite. Not if you claimed to follow him while ignoring everything he taught.
How to Prepare for That Meeting
You will meet him. That’s guaranteed. The question is whether that meeting will be joyful or devastating.
According to Islamic guidance on spiritual preparation documented, here’s how you prepare:
Learn about him. Read his biography. Study his hadith. Watch lectures by qualified scholars. You can’t follow someone you don’t know.
Send salawat (blessings) on him regularly. Every time you say “Allahumma salli ala Muhammad,” you’re building a connection with him that transcends time.
Follow his Sunnah in small things. Start with simple daily practices: eating with your right hand, saying the morning and evening duas, greeting people with Salam. Small consistent actions build love faster than big sporadic efforts.
Defend his honor. When someone disrespects the Prophet ﷺ—whether it’s non-Muslims mocking him or Muslims ignoring his teachings—stand up for him. Not with violence or harshness, but with knowledge and dignity.
Love what he loved. He loved the Quran. He loved night prayer. He loved feeding the poor. He loved children. He loved good character. If you love him, you’ll naturally start loving what he loved.
Hate what he hated. He hated lying, backbiting, arrogance, oppression, and wasting time. Aligning your values with his values is proof of real love.
The Dream of Seeing Him ﷺ
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, as recorded in Sahih Bukhari: “Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me, for Satan cannot take my form.”
Some of the companions, after he ﷺ died, would weep saying they wished they could see him just one more time—even in a dream. Righteous Muslims throughout history have reported seeing the Prophet ﷺ in dreams, and those dreams transformed their lives.
If you want that blessing—if you want even a glimpse of him in this life before you meet him in the next—increase your salawat on him, study his seerah, follow his Sunnah, and make sincere dua.
Some scholars say that those who love him most in this life will be closest to him in Paradise. According to hadith documented, a man asked the Prophet ﷺ: “When will the Hour be?” The Prophet ﷺ said: “What have you prepared for it?” The man said: “I have not prepared much of prayer, fasting, or charity, but I love Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “You will be with those whom you love.”
If you genuinely love the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, you’ll be with him. But that love has to be real—demonstrated through obedience, not just claimed with words.
The Moment You See His Face
Imagine it again. The Day of Judgment. You’re standing there, and finally—after a lifetime of only hearing about him, only reading about him, only imagining what he looked like—you see him.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the most beautiful human ever created. His face would shine like the full moon. His presence radiated peace and dignity.
The companions said that when you were with him, you felt like you were the most important person in the world. He gave you his full attention. He remembered your name. He cared about your problems.
That man—that perfect embodiment of mercy and character—will look at you.
And in that moment, all your excuses will evaporate. “I was too busy” won’t make sense when you’re standing before someone who led an entire nation while finding time to play with children. “It was too hard” won’t hold up when you’re facing someone who endured torture, starvation, and exile for the sake of this message.
The only thing that will matter is: did you try? Did you genuinely love him and attempt to follow him, even imperfectly?
Or did you spend your whole life saying “I love the Prophet ﷺ” while living like you’d never heard of him?
The Bottom Line
The moment you meet the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is coming. It’s not a maybe. It’s not a metaphor. It’s a guaranteed event that every Muslim will experience.
And what happens in that moment depends entirely on how you live right now.
Start today. Don’t wait until it’s too late and you’re standing on the plains of Judgment wishing you’d spent less time on Netflix and more time learning about the man you claimed to love.
Read his biography. Study his hadith. Follow his Sunnah. Send blessings on him. Live in a way that would make him proud to call you part of his ummah.
Because on that Day, when he looks at you, you want him to smile and say: “Yes. This one is mine. This one followed me. This one loved me not just with words, but with their life.”
May Allah ﷻ make us all worthy of meeting His beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, drinking from his Cistern, and being granted his intercession. Ameen.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in presenting Islamic teachings, readers are strongly advised to consult qualified Islamic scholars in their local area for specific religious rulings, detailed interpretations, and matters requiring expert guidance.