We would like to state that the strength of love for the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is connected to the Muslim’s faith. When his faith increases, his love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) increases and vice verse. Loving the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is an act of obedience to Allah and a means of drawing closer to Him. If one does not love the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) more than anything else (as the hadith affirms) he is still Muslim but his faith is not complete.
As muslims we are recommended to do our best to love him more than all valuable things in this life even more than parents, sons or even yourself. This is one of the signs of the pious and God fearing people.It was narrated that Anas said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The eminent Muslim scholar and renowned Da`iyah, Sheikh `AbdelKhaliqHasan Ash-Shareef, states:
“Love for the Prophet Muhammad is a measure of one’s faith and inner conviction, and our faith is completed and perfected only when our love for the Prophet exceeds our love for everything else in this world, including our own lives.
This is a definitional sentence that tells us what it takes to be a believer: preferring the Prophet even to one’s own life. In confirmation of this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported in a Hadith to have said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people.” (Al-Bukhari)
In conclusion, the one who does not love the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) more than anything else is not a Kafir. It is only his faith is incomplete.”