Companions love for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him)

Allah Almighty says about what the disbelievers said, this is an ayah in the Quran,

Why wasnt this Quran revealed on one of the great men of the two towns? (Surah Zuhkruf Verse 31)

Referring to Makkah and Taiíf. The disbelievers suggested two candidates for Prophet-hood because some of them were protesting the fact that Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah on him) was a Prophet!

But Allah Almighty says,

Allah knows best where to have Prophet-hood (Surah An’am Verse 124)

Anyway, one of these candidates, one of the men whom the Kuffar suggested was Urwah bin Masoud as-thaqafi, who was from Taif. Years later, the non-believers of Makkah would send Urwah bin Masoud as-Thaqafi on a mission as an envoy to meet with Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah on him) to negotiate with him a peace agreement, a truce, which was known as the Truce of Hudaibiyah. Even though he was not successful in reaching an agreement -the agreement was reached with a later envoy that was Suhail bin Amr- but Urwah bin Masoud when he visited the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) at the Muslims camp that was set in Hudaibiyah (south of Makkah, a days travel) he came to a different world!

Urwah bin Masoud may Allah be pleased with him- came in to meet the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) and he saw with his eyes, things that amazed him. When the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) would make Wudu, the Sahabah would jump, to grab the water that would drop off his body in order to rub it on their faces and hands to get the blessings from the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him)! When a hair would fall they would jump to take it! When he would give them an order, they would rush to fulfill it!

When Urwah bin Masoud was talking to the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him), there was a man covered with armor from head to toe, only his eyes could be seen. Whenever Urwah bin Masoud would extend his hand to hold on to the beard of the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) this man standing next to the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) would strike him with the butt of his sword and tell him Pull your hand away before it doesnít come back to you! So Urwah bin Masoud said I think that this man is the most wicked among you and the most rough, who is he? The Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) smiled and said, This is your nephew, Al Mughirah ibn Shubah!

This was the nephew of Urwah bin Masoud! Now, because he was a Muslim, he was so devoted to the protection of the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessing of Allah on him) that he would not allow his uncle to extend his hand and touch the beard of Rasullah (peace and blessing of Allah on him), Urwah was obviously shocked by this! Brothers and sisters, you might hear me say this again and again, whenever we talk about those stories, transport yourself to their society, put yourself in their shoes and try to think the way they used to think and try to understand the circumstances that were around them! This was the tribal society where the tribe and family ties were everything, and Urwah bin Masoud was obviously in

a shocked state to see how Islam has changed his own nephew al Mughirah ibn Shuíbah, and how he was dealing with him now.

Urwah bin Masoud went back to Quraysh and told them, O people of Quraysh, I have visited the kings of the world, and I have had audiences with Caesar and with Kisra -the Persian emperor, and with the Negus, and I have never seen the followers of a king so devoted to their leader like the Sahabah (the Companions) in their devotion to Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! And I have never seen any obedience amongst the followers of the kings like I have seen of the Sahabah with the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Whenever he would give them a command they would rush to do it, and whenever he would speak they would be silent as if birds are on their heads, and whenever he would make Wudu they would rush to get the droplets of water falling off his body, whenever a hair would fall from him they would try to get it! So O people of Quraysh! Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has given you an offer, accept it, because I dont think that his followers will ever give him up!