His rights upon his ummah ﷺ

Obeying him is part of obeying Allah, the Almighty

Narrated Abu Hurayrah radiyallahu 'anhu: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah; whoever obeys my leader has obeyed me, and whoever disobeys my leader has disobeyed me" [Muttafaqun 'alayh].

• Obeying him ﷺ = obeying Allah — an obligatory duty with no option
• Disobeying him ﷺ = disobeying Allah — and we seek refuge in Allah
• Refusing to obey him is refusing entry into Paradise

The obligation to follow him and emulate his guidance ﷺ

He, the Exalted, said: "Say, 'If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you'" [Aal 'Imran:31]. As for advice to the Messenger ﷺ after his death: it is to show reverence and veneration, intense love for him, persistence in learning his Sunnah and deepening in his Shari'ah, and love for his Ahl al-Bayt and his companions.

• Sincere following is proof of love for Allah — by the explicit wording of the Qur'an
• Defending his Sunnah from the misinterpretations of the ghulat and the attacks of the atheists
• Adopting his noble character and manners is an act of worship and a means of drawing near to Allah
• Sending blessings upon him ﷺ is an obligatory duty in every prayer

Loving his Ahl al-Bayt and his companions, radiyallahu 'anhum

Among his rights ﷺ upon his ummah: loving and honoring his noble Ahl al-Bayt, and loving his companions, radiyallahu 'anhum all of them. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah, Allah regarding my companions; do not make them a target after me; whoever loves them, loves them because of my love, and whoever hates them, hates them because of my hatred" [At-Tirmidhi, Ahmad].

• Loving the Ahl al-Bayt is from loving the Prophet ﷺ — it was his counsel to his ummah
• Loving the companions is faith, and hating them is hypocrisy
• Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said: "Be watchful concerning Muhammad with regard to his household" [Al-Bukhari]