Synopsis: The Prophet ﷻ and the Companions were dedicated to the service of the people around them, even at the expense of themselves or their own desires. This would occur through their time, their own physical bodies, or their wealth. The Prophet ﷻ highlighted this principle when he said, “A person does not truly believe until they prefer for their brother what they would want for themselves”. To truly inculcate this into our own lives we must remove the roadblocks to selflessness, and only then will we be able to truly serve others. These roadblocks include greed, jealousy, and pride. The mechanism by which we remove these barriers is the consistent dhikr, or remembrance, of Allah ﷻ, and in particular, silent dhikr. The Prophet ﷻ and the Companions were connected to Allah ﷻ to such a degree that the concept of self was removed and they were able to perform great acts of worship and service, with the sole intention of pleasing Allah ﷻ.
