Believe Him
We believe that Muhammad ﷺ was the best of Mankind, and the best of the Prophets of Allah and that he was entrusted with delivering the Message of Islām from Allāh to all mankind to guide and purify us and that he fulfilled this trust perfectly and that the only way of achieving success in this world and the hereafter is in following his prescribed path and way of life.
Obey Him
We must obey him in all he has commanded us to do and hold him is highest authority in regards to our understanding of Islām and not go beyond the guidelines he set in matters of faith and worship.
Surah An-Nisā 4:65
But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith until they make you, [O Muhammad], judge concerning all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.
Surah Al-‘Anfāl 8:20
O you who believe! Obey Allāh and His Messenger, and do not turn away from him when you hear him speak.
Surah An-Nisā 4:80
He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allāh.
Emulate Him
Believers try their best to conform to the prophetic example, and mold their lives in the light of his ﷺ Sunnah, as far as possible. For it is in him that the human perfection is found and the beauty of behaviour made manifest and as we see below following his example is linked to the achievement of Jannah.
Surah Al-‘Ahzāb 33:21
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allāh an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allāh and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allāh often.
Love Him
Surah at-Tawbah 9:24
Say, ‘If your fathers, sons, brothers, wives, tribes, the wealth you have acquired, the trade which you fear will decline, and the dwellings you love are dearer to you than God and His Messenger and the struggle in His cause, then wait until God brings about His punishment.’ God does not guide those who break away.
Sahih al-Bukhari
Loving the Prophet distinguishes believers in their perfection of faith, as Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: ‘None of you believes until he loves me more than his father, his children and the whole of mankind.’
Honour and Revere Him
True faith (iman) not only demands that he be loved, but that he be honoured and revered too.
Surah al-‘Arāf 7:157
Those who believe in him, honour him, support him, and follow the light that was sent down with him: those are the successful.
Imam al-Bayhaqi said: ‘This is a higher degree than that of love; for not all who love, revere. A father loves his child, or a master his slave, but does not revere him whereas all who revere also love.
Believe He is the Seal of the Prophets
Surah Al-‘Ahzāb 33:40
Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allāh and the Seal of the Prophets; and Allāh has knowledge of all things.
Needless to say, when a thing is “sealed”, it is complete and so there can be no further addition to it. In a like manner, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ sealed the cycle of prophethood and brought it to a close: he is the last Prophet, after whom there will be no prophet. Henceforth, revealed truths shall be revived by scholars, saints and reformers; but never again by prophets.
Send Salawat Upon Him
When telling us that Allāh and His angels are constantly raising the rank, status and honour of the Prophet ﷺ.
Surah Al-Ahzāb 33:56
Allāh and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings upon him and salute him with a worthy salutation.
There are many ahadith that speak to this.
Rasūlullāh ﷺ said: ‘Whosoever invokes one blessing upon me, Allāh will send ten blessings on him.’ [Muslim]
And he said: ‘Those closest to me on the Day of Resurrection are those who invoke most blessings upon me.’ [Tirmidhi]
And he said: ‘The miser is he who, whenever I am mentioned in his presence, does not invoke blessings upon me.’ [Tirmidhi]
Inviting Others to His Teachings
A Muslim must make the effort to him to call, with wisdom and patience, all others to the Message of Muhammad ﷺ. He should strive to inform those who are unaware and misinformed and strengthen the faith of people with weak, wavering faith.
Surah An-Nahl 16:125
Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in a way that is better and most gracious. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Most Aware of those who are guided.
This is also based on part of a hadith of Rasūlullāh ﷺ: “Convey, on my behalf, even one verse.” [Bukhāri]