Many of us have heard this story before, but let's revisit it.

What happened between 'Amr ibn al-As (RA) and the Prophet ﷺ that day reveals something profound about how prophetic love worked.

Picture 'Amr ibn al-As (RA), this is the same man who had waged war against the Prophet ﷺ for years.

He tried to convince the Najashi to send back the Muslim refugees from Abyssinia.

He persecuted Muslims in Mecca.

He was one of the main architects of the plot at Uhud that led to the deaths of many believers.

But then he embraced Islam, and something remarkable happened: the Prophet ﷺ treated him with such warmth, gave him such attention, spoke to him in such a special way that 'Amr started thinking, "Wow, I'm his best friend now."

The Prophet ﷺ even put him at the head of an army.

This wasn't just a casual friendship, this was serious trust and responsibility.

So one day, feeling confident in this special relationship, 'Amr approaches the Prophet ﷺ in front of everyone and asks, "Ya Rasulullah, who is the most beloved of people to you?"

You can almost see him glancing around at the crowd with a smirk, expecting to hear his name announced publicly.

Unfortunately for him at that moment, the Prophet ﷺ never lies.

"'Aisha," he says.

You can imagine 'Amr's face.

Wait, what? Your wife?

It wasn't the expected answer, especially in that cultural context.

"No, no, no," 'Amr quickly clarifies, "I mean from the men."

"Abuha"—her father.

The Prophet ﷺ doesn't even say "Abu Bakr" directly.

He says "her father," as if his love for Abu Bakr (RA) is still connected to his love for 'Aisha (RA).

"Then who?" 'Amr persists, probably hoping he's at least third.

"'Umar."

"And then?"

"'Uthman."

At this point, 'Amr stops asking.

He says, "I didn't want to ask the Prophet ﷺ anything else because I felt horrible for even asking, and I was afraid he'd never mention my name."

But here's what makes this story so profound.

Amr himself explains what was happening.

He says the Prophet ﷺ used to speak to and show such love to “the worst person” among a people that they would start to think they were the most beloved.

This was prophetic nature but also a strategy of bringing hearts towards healing and together.

Think about what the Prophet ﷺ accomplished: he took someone who had been his enemy for years and made him feel so valued, so important, so loved that this former adversary genuinely believed he might be the most beloved person in the world to him.

How many people who had never felt valued by anyone, who had never thought they mattered, suddenly felt like they were the most important people in the world to the Prophet ﷺ?

And in many ways, they were because when they were with him, they had his full attention, his genuine care, his authentic love.

'Amr's disappointment teaches us something beautiful: the Prophet ﷺ had a way of making everyone feel special in their own right.

He could love 'Amr genuinely while still loving Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman (RA) more.

True prophetic love wasn't about ranking people or creating hierarchies of affection.

It was about meeting each person where they were and giving them exactly the love and attention they needed to feel valued, transformed, and connected to something greater than themselves.

In a world where people often feel invisible, the Prophet ﷺ had mastered the art of making everyone feel seen.