Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
We find no mention in the sources that the Prophet’s companions, including the foremost of them, were in the habit of doing good works and donating the rewards for the Messenger of Allah. If it had been recommended, they would certainly not hesitate to do so.
Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
How to enhance love for Prophet Muhammad
May Allah implant in our hearts love for Allah and His Messenger. May He also honor us to join the company of His Messenger in the next world.
Allah tells us in the Quran that the Messenger of Allah is our role model and that we should follow him if we seek the pleasure of Allah.
So, there is no better way of enhancing our love for the Messenger of Allah than emulating his examples. That is the way his companions and the pious predecessors expressed their love for Allah’s messenger. Thanks to their perseverance in obeying Allah and His messenger Allah cites them as our exemplars and role models:
“[As for] the foremost, the first among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them with virtue, God is content with them, and they are content with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens with rivers running below, to abide therein forever. That is a great triumph.” (Aal `Imran 3:100)
It was thanks to their genuine love for him they were ready to give their lives. Hundreds of them willingly embraced death.
Donating Reward of Deeds to Prophet Muhammad
However, we find no mention in the sources that the Prophet’s companions, including the foremost of them, were in the habit of doing good works and donating the rewards for the Messenger of Allah. If it had been recommended, they would certainly not hesitate to do so.
Therefore, we may do well to focus on working for our salvation. Since whether whatever good works we do, the Prophet is already guaranteed rewards; there is no need for us to do so.
Furthermore, we believe that the Messenger of Allah is in the highest station of paradise. Therefore, for us to think that he needs our donation of good deeds would betray our self-righteousness and therefore not befitting our respect for him.
Having said this, I would like to point out that there is no better way of proving our love for the Messenger of Allah than witnessing the truth of the message through our words and deeds and offering salutations as Allah has instructed us:
“Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.” (Al-Ahzab 33:56)
Almighty Allah knows best.