Reciting poetry and singing praises of the Prophet, individually or in a group, is a common practice in certain communities. Is this practice an innovation? When the Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived in Madinah, he was welcomed with girls singing poetry full of praises of God's messenger. Can we draw a parallel?
Yes we may draw a parallel, but we should be very careful what parallel to draw. Those people who received the Prophet, peace be upon him, with so much joy and pleasure, and expressed their love of him in a fine poem which they, men and women, sang did not confine their expression of love to this type of singing. They were keen to do the Prophet's bidding whatever he asked them. They laid their lives and sacrificed all their belongings for the cause of Islam.
If we do likewise, we may occasionally have the pleasure of singing an enchanting poem which extols the Prophet, peace be upon him, and describe his work and character. But if all the manifestation of our love of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is to sit in groups listening to such praises or singing them, and when it comes to practical matters we forget about the Prophet's guidance, then we have no true love of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Unfortunately, most Muslim communities these days are ready to sing praises, but when it comes to action, they show no enthusiasm. Thus their professed love of the Prophet, peace be upon him, has no true substance, and their claims are false. They should review their attitude and realize that only by following the Prophet's guidance they demonstrate their true love of the noblest soul that walked this planet.
Once they have formed this realization, they should give practical manifestation of it. Their actions must be in line with his guidance. Then and only then they can be described as loving the Prophet, peace be upon him. Otherwise, they would be making a wild claim which remains unsubstantiated.
How accurate is the report that wherever the Prophet went in daytime, a cloud overshadowed him, as well as angels, so that he did not feel the hot sun in the summer?
The report about a cloud overshadowing the Prophet is mentioned in connection with the meeting between the Prophet and the Christian monk Bahira, when the Prophet was traveling with his uncle, Abu Talib, to Syria. At that time, the Prophet was only 12 years old. The reports concerning the whole episode are not particularly authentic.
Although the Prophet's companions have reported everything that was connected with the Prophet, they do not particularly mention anything about a cloud overshadowing him wherever he went. Hence, such matter should not be given excessive importance.
• Prophet's stools, urine and shadow
I have read in a book that the stools and urine of the Prophet were not impure. How far is this true?
Some people tend to ascribe certain things which they consider as virtues to the Prophet, without having any sound basis for them. The point you have raised is one such thing. Recently, I answered a question on whether it is true that the Prophet had no shadow. I said then that it was a false notion and that it neither gave a distinction to the Prophet to have no shadow nor did it detract from his honor and position to have a shadow.
To say that Prophet's urine and stools were not impure is just an attempt to say that the Prophet was unlike other human beings or to ascribe to him an air of holiness which he was keen to dispel. Certainly, it is not true at all to suggest that what he discharged as a human being was any different from what is discharged by other people. He certainly washed his clothes from any impurity and he was keen to purify himself every time he went to the toilet. To suggest otherwise, is to deviate from the teachings of the Prophet.