Answer
Asalamu Alaikum Salma,
Thank you for contacting About Islam with your question. Please find part one of the answer to your question at this link. Please find the second and final part below.
God deems understanding of the station of the messenger to be part of the message itself. He requires His messengers to communicate this as they would any other part of the revealed truth; and He sets an expectation that believers will act in accordance with their knowledge of and reverence for the messenger’s rank.
The Quran declares:
{As for those who malign God’s Apostle–grievous suffering awaits them (in the life to come).} (At-Tawbah 9:61)
The Quran reminds Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him-PBUH),
{Have we not opened up your heart? And lifted from you the burden that had weighed so heavily on your back? And have we not raised high your renown?} (Ash-Sharh 94:1-4)
And he was required to teach, as part of his message, that high renown:
I am the noblest of the children of Adam, and this is not a boast. (Ibn Majah)
It is, therefore, imperative, that we ourselves feel the love and reverence that are so essential to the relationship between the believer and a messenger, who shouldered an extraordinary burden to bring comfort and guidance to the believer.
More than a commandment to be fulfilled, this is an expectation of an attitude that will come to exist in the soul that has understood the truth of revelation. Once that step is taken, the significance of the verses in question becomes clear:
{Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet and do not speak loudly to him as you would speak loudly to one another lest your deeds come to naught without you perceiving it.} (Al-Hujurat 49:2)
There are several accounts of the specific context in which these verses came to be revealed, each recounting some incident where one or more individuals simply lost sight of the station of the messenger and acted, in his presence, without reverence.
The most telling of these accounts is one involving Abu Bakr and Umar (may God be pleased with them). A particular tribe had come to the Prophet (PBUH) to request that he appoint for them a leader or teacher. Unprompted, Abu Bakr suggested a particular person. And then Umar responded with a different recommendation.
Abu Bakr assumed, and declared, that Umar merely wanted to oppose his recommendation. Umar insisted that he had nothing of the sort in mind.
The back and forth that ensued resulted in raised voices and a tension that visibly pained the Prophet (PBUH). The two, realizing their error, subsided.
The verses in question came down, and one observer commented:
The two people of excellence were almost ruined! (Al-Bukhari)
The community had understood the significance of what happened. Insidious suspicion had entered the hearts of these two great men with respect to each other’s intentions.
And despite their greatness, they fell prey to suspicion to such an extent that even their reverence to the Prophet (PBUH) fell by the wayside. And that would have been the door to ruin had they not responded to the divine teaching.
Abu Bakr and Umar set the beautiful example for believers in their response to this instruction.
From that point onward, it became their habit to remain silent in the presence of the Prophet (PBUH) until they were addressed. And when they did speak, they spoke in whisper.
Allah Almighty uses the Quran to instruct the Prophet (PBUH) himself and his close companions in such a way that teaches believers for all time and does not take away any of the Prophet’s or the companions’ rank or stature.
For subsequent generations the lesson is no less relevant. Love and reverence for the Prophet (PBUH) need to be simultaneously cultivated in the heart. This cultivation requires assiduous attention and tender nourishment.
It is brought about by knowledge and understanding, not only of the story of the Prophet’s (PBUH) life, but also of the experience that he lived and the significance of his struggle so that we might have knowledge of our own selves, our Lord, and our place in the Universe.
Muhammad Asad notes,
This has both a literal and a figurative meaning: literal in the case of the Prophet’s Companions, and figurative for them as well as for believers of later times–implying that one’s personal opinions and predilections must not be allowed to overrule the clear-cut legal ordinances and/or moral stipulations promulgated by the Prophet.
If we are successful in illuminating our intellects with love and reverence for the Prophet (PBUH), this will manifest itself in the way we study his Sunnah and are receptive to his guidance. And if we are successful in warming our hearts with this love and reverence, we will be able to respond to the Truth with which he came and manifest it in our lives.
I hope this answers your question. Please keep in touch.
Walaikum Asalam.
Please continue feeding your curiosity, and find more info in the following links:
Following the Prophet: Our Deen is Full of Love
Were Prophets and Companions Infallible?
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): A Model of Change