Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) - Part 1

بلغ العلى بكماله

He attained the height of eminence by his perfection

كشف الدٌُجى بجماله

He dispelled the darkness (of the world) by his grace

حسنت جميع خصاله

Excellent were all his qualities

صلٌُو عليه و آله

Pray for blessings on Him and his Progeny

(A poem by Sheikh Sa'di Sheerazi)

Who is this Muhammed person?!

We have to know and understand who this man is, for it is through him the final revelation descended from the Lord and it is through him we will know more than just what Islam is or what religion is. It is through him we will discover who Allah (God) is and thus who we are, our purpose or goal in this life and how to achieve enlightenment. As Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said: "Whoever knows himself knows his Lord". [Mizan al-Hikmah, Vol6, p142, No.11923, reported from Ghurar al-Hikam; Bihar al-Anwar by Muhammed Baqir Majlisi, Vol2, p32, no.22 and Vol95, p456, no.1].


So basically by knowing this Prophet we will achieve knowledge of 3 things which are clearly mentioned in the hadith by Imam Ali that declares: 'Allah has mercy on he who knows his origin (from where we have come i.e From Allah), his present (our present life and its purpose i.e To attain Allah's satisfaction which in turn is only benefiting ourselves), and his future (the afterlife which is both our final destination, and wherein we will abide for ever)', as 'we are from Allah and to Him is our return'. [Al-Asfar al-Aqliyat al-Arba'ah, vol8, p355]


More yet is to understand how this one man became, as Michael H. Hart (a Christian author) states: 'The most influential man in all of history', who brought about more than 1.2 billion followers and a religion that is the fastest growing even till today, gaining more and more followers as we speak. This was a man who unwittingly won the hearts of many simply through the beauty of his character and was, as Hart claims, "...the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels...".


In the country of Arabia, about six hundred years after the life of Jesus, there lived a man called Muhammed, may Allah bless him. Muhammed had been a shepherd, and then a merchant but he was never taught to read or write, and yet he presented the world with a book - a book he had received from God - a book containing a new message, a new way of life, and God's Last Testimony to complete all that which has preceded,and to found of a vast and powerful civilization.


It is as Annie Besant (famous British author) has said: "It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence (admiration/awe/amazement) for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme." [The Life And teachings of Muhammad by Annie Besant, p.4]

Muhammed's Prophet-hood

Here I will provide a brief introduction and I will also deal with most, if not all, the misunderstandings and false notions attributed with this great man inshallah.


Every Prophet is given a sign to show he is a Prophet from God. There are two things common between all the Prophets; (1) No mistake or lie has ever been attributed to them previous to receiving the message, not just amongst their friends or disciples but amongst their enemies as well. This is an important point since what an enemy tries to do is search with all his power to find a fault in order to ridicule a Prophet and show he is not a Prophet from God. So a Prophet must have a pure life filled with truthfulness, piety and devoutness, as well as a caring and merciful nature. Allah has said in this respect [3.161] 'And it is not attributable to a Prophet that he should act unfaithfully...'. (2) He must provide a sign or miracle which may be breaching a law of nature or a piece of knowledge that cannot be matched by anybody from the beginning till the end of time.


It is important to note that a Prophet is destined to be a Prophet from birth (or even before) so it is wrong to attribute any sin or fault to him before the declaration of his Prophet hood (when he was 40 years old) stating that he is not yet a Prophet. For a Prophets life is filled with piety and pureness from the beginning of his life
till the end, as it cannot be placed upon one that is corrupt at times but only pure after his declaration. Since a Prophet is chosen a Prophet as he is worthy of it, thus Allah's justness prevails in making Muhammed (PBUH) a Prophet and not any other person since Muhammed had been chosen prior to his existence on
the bases of Allah's omniscient knowledge - which thus declared that he, Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was more worthy than any other.


Maintaining that a Prophet is a Prophet of Allah from birth can be clearly seen in the Quran, regarding Prophet Isa (PBUH) (Jesus).

وَيُكَلِّمُ النَّاسَ فِي الْمَهْدِ وَكَهْلاً وَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

فَأَشَارَتْ إِلَيْهِ قَالُوا كَيْفَ نُكَلِّمُ مَن كَانَ فِي الْمَهْدِ صَبِيًّا

قَالَ إِنِّي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ آتَانِيَ الْكِتَابَ وَجَعَلَنِي نَبِيًّا

وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنتُ وَأَوْصَانِي بِالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا

وَبَرًّا بِوَالِدَتِي وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْنِي جَبَّارًا شَقِيًّا

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيَّ يَوْمَ وُلِدتُّ وَيَوْمَ أَمُوتُ وَيَوْمَ أُبْعَثُ حَيًّا

ذَلِكَ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ قَوْلَ الْحَقِّ الَّذِي فِيهِ يَمْتَرُونَ


[3.46] (Angel Gabriel said to Mary (AS)) And he (Jesus) shall speak to the people when in the cradle and when of old age, and (he shall be) one of the good ones.

[19.29] (After Jesus' birth) But she pointed to him (Jesus). They (the Jews) said: How should we speak to one who was a child in the cradle?

[19.30] He (Jesus) said: Surely I am a servant of Allah; He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet;

[19.31] And He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long as I live;

[19.32] And dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me insolent, unblessed;

[19.33] And peace on me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am raised to life.

[19.34] Such is Isa (Jesus), son of Marium (Mary); (this is) the saying of truth about which they
dispute.

Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was, from his birth, brought up in the sight and under the care of God. He was deprived of his father while still in his mother's womb and from his mother when he reached the age of six. Then Muhammed was placed under the care of his granddad Abdul Muttalib. Once at the age of twelve, the young Messenger of Allah accompanied his uncle, Abu Talib, on his trade caravan to
Syria. A caravan is a large procession of people and their merchandise and property on carts pulled by camels. As they entered Syria they reached a town called Bushra and there, near a monastery, they stopped to set up their tents to rest. There lived there a monk called Bahira, who wore a long, unbleached tunic, and had a shaven head and a long beard. Under a nearby tree he saw the caravan and as he watched he saw a simple tree bent over until it's leaves and branches overshadowed the figure of a handsome little boy - the same boy he had seen in a vision while praying in his cell. Bahira knew that this young man was special and went on to invited the caravan to dine. All accepted the monk's invitation. But Abu Talib told Muhammed (PBUH) to stay back to guard the camels and supplies.Bahira noticed the small boy was not present and he asked hastily if everyone was present. They explained that they left the small boy behind to protect the caravan, but Bahira
insisted he also must come. All through the meal Bahira could not tear his eyes away from the young lad. How noble looking he was, in spite of his youth, how polite and humble, yet frank and steadfast in his gaze. As soon as the feast was over, Bahira called him to his side. Bahira said: 'I will ask you some questions and I swear you to Lat and Uzza to answer me. (Lat and Uzza were the two idols worshiped by the people of Mecca). The Young Messenger said 'Do not ask me by Lat and Uzza, for nothing is more hateful to me than these two'. So Bahira, astounded by his words, said 'then let me swear you to the One God that you will answer my questions' wherein Muhammed happily accepted. He then began to ask him questions about his life, how he spent his time and what he loved most etc. and in all the answers the Muhammed gave there was something that pleased the old man and made him feel certain that this boy was indeed someone blessed. Finally Bahira asked if he could look between his shoulders and thereupon he saw a black mole. Bahira both happy and astounded went to Abu Talib and told him that Muhammed had a bright and marvelous life ahead of him. He continued "If others see what I have seen and they recognize him, they would kill him. Hide and protect him from enemies. In his eyes are the marks of a Prophet and likewise on his back. This child is the very Prophet of whose coming the previous Prophets have given glad tidings. I have read his signs in the Scriptures. Soon he will receive his prophetic mission and his religion will spread throughout the world. Know the truth of this child and make every effort to guard and protect him." How true Bahira's words turned to be and how happy he was to have seen God's greatest creation on earth. [Marvelous Stories from the life of Muhammad by Mardijah Aldrich Tarantino, ch.5]

Throughout Muhammed's (PBUH) life, he was known by all the residents in Mecca (his birth place) as 'The Truthful and Trustworthy' ('al-sadiq al-ameen'). Even the Mushriks, Munafiqs, Kafirs, Christians and Jews used to call him by this title. His tribe, the Quraish, would always entrust him with their belongings whenever they traveled as they were certain they would be safe. No one in history has ever called the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) a liar, even his enemies knew him as being the truthful and trustworthy. Abu Lahab, who was both his uncle and his arch enemy, who after the Prophet declared and proclaimed his Prophecy, would throw dirt and stones at him and put nettles in his way and hurt him constantly, and Allah became angry with him and sent down verses about him:

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ

مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ

سَيَصْلَى نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ

وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ

فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ


In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[111.1] Perdition overtake both hands of Abu Lahab, and he will perish.

[111.2] His wealth and what he earns will not avail him.

[111.3] He shall soon burn in fire that flames,

[111.4] And his wife, the bearer of fuel,

[111.5] Upon her neck a halter of strongly twisted rope.

But even Abu Lahab didn't call him a liar, saying: "You are truthful and trustworthy but what you invite us towards (The worship of One God) is wrong (Batil)". For Abu Lahab did as many do today, stick to what they have been brought up to believe and to him and people like him Allah says:

وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ

[2.170]
And when it is said to them, Follow what Allah has revealed, they say: Nay! we
follow what we found our fathers upon. What! and though their fathers had no
sense at all, nor did they follow the right way.

Since they knew they could not call him a liar they resorted to calling him a poet, but he was illiterate and history testifies that he never used to talk in a poetic dialogue. The Arabs at that time were masters of eloquence, literature and clarity yet Muhammed was not known to read or write, and was not known to
have learnt reading or writing from anyone. However he brought a literary work that still remains an absolutely unique masterpiece. Otherwise the Arabs could have easily competed with him in the Quran, but their inability to compete with him in producing such a work proves that no human being is able to challenge the Holy Prophet in bringing the likeness of the Holy Quran, the words of God.

وَإِن كُنتُمْ فِي رَيْبٍ مِّمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَأْتُواْ بِسُورَةٍ مِّن مِّثْلِهِ وَادْعُواْ شُهَدَاءكُم مِّن دُونِ اللّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ

[2.23] And if you are in doubt as to that which We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a
chapter like it and call on your witnesses besides Allah if you are truthful.

Yet we see that not one has been successful in this challenge brought from 1400 years ago. If there was anybody successful in defeating this challenge, then the Christians and the Jews at that time would certainly have used that book or writing in order to refute the claim of Muhammed's Prophecy, as they were so eager to do so. But since there is no trace of such a thing in history in this respect, it proves sufficiently that all opponents of the Holy Prophet failed completely to bring another book similar to the Holy Quran. Since the non-existence of a proof for the existence of something is itself a proof of its non-existence (e.g. If you find no person in this room then there is no person in this room).

Others resorted to calling him a wizard or magician. But if this was the case he could have then cast a spell on them for them to believe or do what he wanted. It is therefore sufficient to say that all there claims were
contradictory. Bear in mind that all those who called him as the above could never claim he was a liar. So I ask, if this devout worshipper is unable to lie to people how then can he lie about his Lord who he devotedly
worshipped and whom he would go to the cave to be alone in worship with his Lord?

Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) was complete in every way, infallible, purified, and one close and loved by his Lord,

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى

مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى

وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى

إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

[53.1] I (God) swear by the star when it goes down.

[53.2] Your companion (Muhammed) does not err, nor does he go astray;

[53.3] Nor does he speak out of desire.

[53.4] It (the Quran) is naught but revelation that is revealed,

He (PBUH) is known by many names & titles: The Praised One (Muhammed), The Most Deserving of Praise (Ahmed), The Chosen One (Al-Mustafa), The Prophet of Allah (Nabiullah), The Messenger of Allah (Rasool
Allah), The one Dear to Allah (Habibullah), The Seal of the Prophets and Last of the Messengers and Prophets from Allah to humankind (Khatim al anbiyah wel mursaleen), The best of Allah's Creation (Khairu Khelgillah) and The Servant of Allah (Abdullah).

The personality of Muhammed

Only glimpses of this sublime personality can I present, a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes. There is:
Muhammed the Prophet; there is Muhammed the General; Muhammed the King; Muhammed the Warrior; Muhammed the Businessman; Muhammed the Preacher; Muhammed the Philosopher; Muhammed the Statesman; Muhammed the Orator; Muhammed the Reformer; Muhammed the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammed the Protector of Slaves; Muhammed the Emancipator of women; Muhammed the Law-giver; Muhammed the Family Man; Muhammed the Judge; Muhammed the Saint; etc. And in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he was a hero!


Therefore we see that from the cradle to the grave the Prophet passed through a diversity of circumstances - a diversity which can hardly be met within the life of a single man. Orphan-hood is the extreme of helplessness, while kingship is the height of power and from being an orphan he climbed to the summit of royal glory, but that did not bring about the slightest change in his way of living. He lived on exactly the same kind of humble food, wore the same simple dress, and in all particulars led the same simple life as he led in the state of orphan-hood. This was a man that caused so much change in people through out the ages, but he himself wouldn't change his life or ways according to the needs of people or society but he remained himself at all times; a saint sent from Allah.


Allah has purified Him in every way and has brought him close to him in the ascension where he was 'the measure of two bows or closer still' to Allah (SWT) in the highest ranks of heavens.


Allah the Almighty has said in his regards

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ

[68.4] And surely thou (Muhammed) hast sublime morals. 

And in the same respect the Prophet say's: 'I have been sent to complete the moral conduct'. A radiant trait of his character was that he extended equal justice to all, irrespective of friend and foe. Allah has said in regards to Prophet Muhammed (PBUH):

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

[21.107] And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.

Muhammad is unique as a perfect model to humanity in almost all the spheres of life and for this very reason, Allah reveals in His Book:

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيراً

Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him
who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much. [33.21]

This Prophet is an example for us to follow in his footsteps and in his manners, bringing people towards Islam
with out the requirement of speaking a word. Through the example of the Prophet people see how great Islam is and how different it is to the example of the unbeliever and the criminal. Allah has sent Muhammed (PBUH)
as a mercy for the whole world and we, as his followers, should treat all human beings with that same mercy and dignity as taught by the Prophet of Allah, as his successor and cousin Imam Ali (AS) has said: "There are two kinds of people: either your brother in faith, or your equal in creation." [Nahjul Balagha, the letter Ali (AS) sent to Malik al-Ashtar (RA)]

The Prophet of Allah who was such a great and powerful man but yet he was so humble and modest, he was so gentle, loving and kind, that he would not even lift his head from the state of prostration (sujood) incase
either of his two young grandsons (hasen/hussain) who climbed onto his back would get hurt. This was a Prophet wherein history testifies that no sin has been recorded on him, and no injustice has he ever made. This great man, when the people including the children and slaves of Taif were throwing stones and rocks at him until he bled, instead of cursing them and asking God to punish them, he humbly asked God to guide them! Such was the mercy and compassion of the one who is the 'mercy for all the worlds' who would not even harm a fly. He taught kindness to animals, he spoke softly, never abused anyone, forgave even his worst enemies and lived a very simple life. He even taught anti-racism; In the Plain of Arafat, he gave a sermon of unsurpassable beauty and lasting value: 'No man has any superiority over another man; all men (people) are equal, whatever their origin, colour or nationality.'

Once when the Prophet was nearing his time (of death) and had become weak, he went towards his companions and said: The Most High has sworn that he will not pardon tyranny and injustice. I adjure you then By God That if anyone has a claim on me for a injury I have done him, to rise. A man rose and said: 'On such a day, your staff struck me, But whether it was intentional on your part, I do not know'. The prophet PBUH replied "God forbid that it should have been intentionally done. He then sent for the same staff and told
the man to retaliate the blow. The man said: 'but when your staff hit me I wasn't wearing a shirt, so you hit my bare body', so the Prophet lifted his shirt. But the man then, instead of striking back, he kissed The Prophet's (PBUH) body, and he took refuge in the Prophet's honor and pardoned the accident". [Hayat Al-Qulub by
Al Majlisi, English Translation by Rev. James L. Merrick, Volume 2 "The Life and religion of Muhammad", page 374]. Prophet Muhammed was the Supreme leader of the Muslims and the greatest and most powerful man at his time, where he had control of everything was yet so modest and justly allowed a simple soldier to act to his hearts desire where he even lifted his shirt to allow for a simple man to hit him! Can any other system besides Islam offer such justice? Imam Sadiq (AS) was talking to a group of people and asked them why they had annoyed the Messenger of Allah. Surprised by what the Imam was saying, someone asked the Imam (AS) how had they annoyed the Messenger of Allah when he (SAW) was not among them, and he (AS) said: 'Do you not know that your deeds are reported to him (SAW)? When he (SAW) observes a sin against Allah among the people, he becomes displeased. Therefore do not hurt the Messenger of Allah but instead do please him.' [Usul-I-Kafi, vol. 1, p.219]

النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ وَأُوْلُو الْأَرْحَامِ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِبَعْضٍ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ إِلَّا أَن تَفْعَلُوا إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِكُم مَّعْرُوفاً كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي الْكِتَابِ مَسْطُوراً

[33.6] The Prophet has more authority over the believers than they have on themselves...

How can anyone claim to be a believer and truly love the holy Prophet (SAW) whilst sinning and doing that which neither Allah or the Prophet would accept or be pleased with. In fact, the Prophet would be annoyed, so how then can you claim you are a believer, a true Muslim who loves the Prophet whilst you are doing something sinful, bearing in mind the Prophet said:

Not one of you is a believer until I am more beloved unto him than his own children and all of mankind together. [Kanz al-Ummal by Al-Hindi, vol1, hadith#70,72]

A servant (of Allah) is not a believer unless i am more beloved to him than his own soul; and my descendents are more beloved to him than his own descendents; and my family is more beloved to him than his own family. [Bihar al-Anwar, vol17, p13; 'Ilal al-Sharayi', Ch117 hadith#3; Manaqib al-Imam Amir al-Mu'mineen by Muhammed b. Sulayman al-Kufi, vol2, hadith#619,700]

The Quran and The Sunnah

Previously, we identified above that one thing which proves that a Prophet is indeed a Prophet are his miracles. We also identified above the miracle of all miracles, a miracle that still continues to exist, unlike the splitting of the moon into two halves (by Prophet Muhammed - NASA also later declared that the moon has been split in half before - or the curing of the blind like Prophet Jesus' (PBUH) miracle) but Prophet Muhammed has brought a miracle that is for all generations and for all times, the Holy Quran. It is clear that as well as being in it's original form from 1400 years ago and being revealed to an illiterate Bedouin in the desert of Arabia, it contains much scientific miracles only discovered in this century and more yet there is no scientific fallacies or any contradictions within the this Holy Book, which has brought much fascination and admiration to the reader.

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ

وَلَوْ جَعَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا أَعْجَمِيًّا لَّقَالُوا لَوْلَا فُصِّلَتْ آيَاتُهُ أَأَعْجَمِيٌّ وَعَرَبِيٌّ قُلْ هُوَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا هُدًى وَشِفَاء وَالَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ فِي آذَانِهِمْ وَقْرٌ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمًى أُوْلَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِن مَّكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ

لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هَذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَى جَبَلٍ لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ

[2.2] This Book, there is no doubt in it, is a guide to those who guard (against evil).

[41.44] And if We had made it a Quran in a foreign tongue, they would certainly have said: Why have not its communications been made clear? What! a foreign (tongue) and an Arabian! Say: It
is to those who believe a guidance and a healing; and (as for) those who do not believe, there is a heaviness in their ears and it is obscure to them; these shall be called to from a far-off place.

[59.21] Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you would certainly have seen it falling down, splitting asunder because of the fear of Allah, and We set forth these parables to men that they may reflect.

And Allah himself has declared the safeguard of this Holy Book: [15.9] We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).

The Quran contains Allah's orders such as: pray, give zakat (charity), go do hajj; But it is the Holy Prophet
that declares How to pray, how many times a day and the form of prayer, and same goes with giving zakat and how to do the rituals of hajj. Doing these things as taught by the Prophet is following his Sunnah. The Sunnah compliments the Quran. It is as such clear that we, as Muslims, must follow the Quran and the Sunnah, the example of the Prophet (PBUH).


So after knowing about who the Prophet of Allah is, we must understand how to approach in following him. There is little ambiguity on how to follow the Quran for it's teachings and message is clear although it lacks detail, while following the Sunnah of the Prophet may be a difficult issue since the companions held contradictory ideas on what the Prophet did and which was the right conduct and form of prayer although it is
detailed. It is also evident that two things cannot both be correct if they both contradict each other, so it cannot be said that following any of the companions will mean you are on the right path, as Anas Narrates:

'The Prophet said: 'Some of my companions will come to me at my Lake Fount, and after I recognize them, they will then be taken away from me, whereupon I will say, 'My companions!' Then it will be said, 'You do not know what they innovated (introduced or forbade) in the religion after you.'" [Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith: vol.8 hadith no.584; Sahih Muslim,
part.15, pg. 53-54]

So how do we become followers of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH)? Well without doubt this great man couldn't have left this world without allowing us to know how we can become his followers as his mission would thus be incomplete and people would deviate following who they wished as his successor, leading to many sects.

The messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "I am leaving for you two precious and weighty Symbols that if you adhere to BOTH of them you shall not go astray after me. They are, the Book of Allah, and my progeny, that is my Ahlul-Bayt. The Merciful has informed me
that These two shall not separate from each other till they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise)."
[ Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, pp 662-663,328, report of 30+ companions, with reference to several
chains of transmitters; al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim, Chapter of "Understanding (the virtues) of Companions, v3, pp 109,110,148,533 who wrote this tradition is authentic (Sahih) based on
the criteria of the two Shaikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim); Sunan by Daarami, v2, p432; Musnad
by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, pp 14,17,26,59, v4, pp 366,370-372, v5, pp 182,189,350,366,419; Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p585, Tradition #990; al-Khasa'is by al-Nisa'i, pp 21,30; al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah by Ibn Hajar Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p230; al-Kabir by al-Tabarani, v3, pp 62-63,137; Kanz al-Ummal by al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Chapter al-Iti'sam bi Habl Allah, v1, p44; Tafsir Ibn Kathir (complete version), v4, p113, under commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran (four traditions);

So to follow the Ahlulbayt is nothing but to follow the true Sunnah of the Prophet of Allah! (This will be discussed with further input from both Sunni and Shia viewpoints in a future article inshallah).

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

'Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet; O
you who believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.' (Quran: 33:56)