Who is the best person of the Ummah?

Oh devotees of the Prophet! It is a huge honour to give an invitation towards goodness and invite people towards Islam with softness, loving manner, wisdom and appropriateness of the situation at hand. As such, it is narrated from the blessed Companion, Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ, that the final Prophet of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is reported to have said: ‘خِیَارُ اُمَّتِیْ مَنْ دَعَا اِلَی اللہِ تَعَالٰی وَ حَبَّبَ عِبَادَہٗ اِلَیْہِ’ Translation: ‘The best person of my nation is he who calls towards Allah Almighty, and instils the love of Allah in the hearts of His servants.’ (Jami’-us-Sagheer, p. 378, Hadith 3979)

In the aforementioned hadith, our master, the beloved of Allah, the leader of all Prophets, Sayyiduna Muhammad Mustafa صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, specified signs of the best individual of the Ummah. As such, within the blessed sight of our master and helper, Sayyiduna Muhammad Mustafa صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, the best of the Ummah is he within whom two qualities are found:

1.   He calls people towards Allah; meaning that person invites others to the religion of Allah Almighty, towards correct core Islamic beliefs (Aqeedah), towards establishing Salah, towards fasting, towards recitation of the Holy Quran, towards good character, towards fulfilling the rights of others, and to encompass all of this, however many righteous and good works there are, to invite towards each and every one! This will be deemed as calling towards Allah Almighty, as every good deed is a means of gaining closeness to Him.

2.   Alongside this, the second quality found in this individual must be that he places the love of Allah Almighty in the hearts of the servants of Allah Almighty. For example, he may incline people towards piety with wisdom, an attractive personality and compelling speech. Also, this second quality means that this individual removes the love of this world from the hearts of people, and instil consideration for the Hereafter in them. Adding to this,