When a group of Muslims in Kanpur recently pronounced the simple words “I love Muhammad ﷺ”, they could hardly have imagined the storm that would follow. For them, this was not a political slogan, nor a provocation, but the purest affirmation of faith – a love that lies at the very heart of Islam. Yet, in the polarised climate of today’s India, even this most natural expression of devotion has been met with suspicion, police action, and public controversy.
This reaction stands in sharp contrast to India’s own intellectual and spiritual traditions. Across centuries, India has a long and proud history of admiration for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Far from being confined to Muslims alone; his life and message drew the attention of Hindu saints, philosophers, poets, reformers, and scholars – from Swami Vivekananda to Acharya Vinoba Bhave, from Prof. Sadhu T.L. Vaswani to Swami Laxmi Shankar Acharya and many more – openly praised the Prophet ﷺ as a reformer, moral guide, and universal teacher.
Swami Vivekananda, hailed the Prophet ﷺ as “the Prophet of Equality,” emphasising his efforts to uplift the downtrodden and restore dignity to the marginalised. Acharya Vinoba Bhave, who devoted 20 years to an in-depth study of the Qur’an, expressed his profound reverence in deeply moving words:
“As soon as the name of Prophet Mohammad is mentioned, my state of mind becomes like ecstasy. What a grand inspiration he created in that desert of wild Arabia.”
(Islam ka Paigham, p. 24).
For Vinoba, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was not merely a figure of Islamic history but a source of inspiration for all humanity. Similarly, Pandit Sunderlal, a freedom fighter, summarised the Prophet’s ﷺ mission in his biography of Prophet ﷺ,Hazrat Muhammad aur Islam:
“To worship one God, break caste and tribal barriers, avoid evils like gambling, wine, theft, immorality, female infanticide, and devote oneself to good deeds – this was the essence of Muhammad’s teachings.” Further he admits Prophet ﷺ as “a great benefactor of mankind” (p. 56).
Prof. T.L. Vaswani, regarded Islam as part of India’s own heritage noting:
“Islam has made contribution to the life of India, and the Prophet of Islam has a message which the Hindus should understand and appreciate.” (The Spirit and the Struggle of Islam, p. 134).
In his biography, The Prophet of Arabia, Vaswani lauds and salutes the Prophet ﷺ:
“I salute him as one of the greatest liberators of humanity… Muhammad’s name shines in the litany of the heroes of humanity”. (Foreword).
He urged people especially those clouded by prejudice to study the Prophet ﷺ with open hearts. Vaswani believed this would dispel misconceptions and reveal his true greatness, He cited an old Arab saying:
“Whoever saw him for the first time was filled with respect: who knew him better, loved him: who described him had to say, ‘Before him and since his time, I have never seen anyone like him.” (The Prophet of Arabia., p. 35)
Other scholars such as Samanta in Theories of Government in Islam, emphasised the Prophet’s revolutionary social vision:
“Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the fundamental hero of revolutions in history… He founded a non-class society and transformed the community into a welfare society, avoiding bloody revolution.” (p. 126–127).
Prof. Ramakrishna Rao, in Muhammad: The Prophet of Islam, describes Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as the perfect model for human life; noting that: “His teachings provided universal foundations for international brotherhood.”
Similarly, Dr.Nishikant Chattopadhyay reflected after reading a biography of the Prophet ﷺ:
“What a relief to encounter a truly historical Prophet in whom one can place faith!” (Why Have I Accepted Islam p. 19)
In Prophet Muhammad and His Companions, Dr. N.K. Singh highlights the exemplary life of the Prophet ﷺ:
“Above all, the Prophet set a noble example, embodying in his own life everything he taught others, demonstrating that true leadership lies in practice, not just preaching.” (p. 21)
Regarding the lasting impact of the Prophet ﷺ, Dr. Singh notes:
“The name of Muhammad is known for building a modern era. The teachings he has left for us, if we follow them sincerely, we can have a happy life in this world.”
Other notable figures include ValjiGovindji Desai, who in Glances at Islam: Everyman’s Primer of Tolerance, advises Hindus:
“Remove negative thoughts about the Prophet and Muslims from your minds. The transmission of his teachings in India gave birth to reform movements – Kabir, Nanak, Tukaram, Chaitanya – which corrected Hindu orthodoxy.” (p. 9).
M.N. Roy, in The Historical Role of Islam, similarly concluded:
“Muhammad ﷺ embodied all human virtues that made him a universal personality. History recognises him as the founder of the purest religion.” (pp. 48–52).
Sharaddhe Prakash Dev (1907), a devoted Brahmo Samaj preacher, acknowledged in his Urdu biography SawanehUmri Hazrat Mohammad Sahab:
“The blessings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺwere not confined to the Arabs alone; the entire world has reason to be grateful for his compassion and kindness.” (p. 3).
Swami Lakshmi Shankaracharya, initially a critic of Islam, reflected on his transformation after studying the Prophet’s life, in his book titled, The Life and Teachings of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ:
“After studying the biography of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the teachings he provided, I have come to the conclusion that no person like Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has ever been born and will never be born”.
Sane Guruji, a devout Hindu, freedom fighter, and prolific writer, authored the Marathi biography, Islami Sanskriti, portraying the Prophet ﷺ as the epitome of the highest ideals of human conduct:
“He is all-powerful, an ocean of love, a boundless sea of compassion. He concludes with a heartfelt tribute: Salutations, a thousand salutations to that Great Soul!”
Gurdut Singh Dara, a barrister at the Punjab High Court and editor of India magazine, authored Rasool-e-Arabi in Urdu, a testament to his deep love and admiration for the Prophet ﷺ, as he wrote:
“Today, humanity, mired in hatred and destruction, urgently needs to study, understand, and follow the Prophet’s life.” (Qur’an e Natiq, p. 9).
Non-Muslim admiration extends to poets as well. Over centuries, countless Hindu poets expressed deep devotion and spiritual affection for the Prophet ﷺ in their works. When read without knowledge of the poets’ identities, their verses could easily be mistaken for those of Muslim mystics.
It is impossible to list all such writers and poets in a brief article. Hundreds of non-Muslims, mostly Hindus, have expressed deep love and admiration for the Prophet ﷺ. Notable examples include Munshi Premchand (Islami Subhyata), Swami Ranganathananda (The Message of the Prophet), Shri Nathuram (Hazrat Muhammad ﷺ ka Adarsh, Paighambar Muhammad ﷺ ka RaviyyaapneDushmanonkeSaath), Dr. Dutta Prasanna (AntimPaighambarpbuh), Malik Ram (Isalamiyat), Diwan Chand Sharma (The Prophet of the East), Dr. M.A. Shree Vastu (Hazrat Muhammad ﷺaurBharatiyaGranth) Rajiv Sharma (PaighambarroPaighambar in Marwari Language) Colonel B.K. Narayan (Mohammed: The Prophet of Islam – A Flame in the Desert) etc.
The Prophet’s own life also exemplified forgiveness and compassion. At the conquest of Makkah, he declared to his former enemies, “Go, you are free.” His message reminds us that love for humanity and mercy for all creation are inseparable from love for God.
In a time when religious polarization often clouds public discourse, revisiting these Indian voices reminds us that the Prophet ﷺ has long been admired across traditions as a reformer, egalitarian, and moral guide — a heritage that continues to call for recognition and justice in modern India.
If India is to heal from its present divisions, it must reclaim this broader tradition of prophetic admiration. Remembering that figures like Vivekananda, Vinoba Bhave, Vaswani, and Sunder Lal and many others recognised the greatness of Muhammad ﷺ is to acknowledge that India’s soul has never been narrow. It is a call to reclaim a vision of religion as a force for harmony, not hostility.
In defending the right to say “I love Prophet Muhammad ﷺ”, we are not only defending the rights of Muslims. We are defending the right of every Indian to love, admire, and learn from the great figures of human history – without fear, without division, and without shame. And above all, it asserts that love, not hate, lies at the core of faith.