Bismillah.
The Command to say Salah upon the Prophet (ﷺ)
Allah ﷻ says in His Book,
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
“Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.”
[Surah al-Ahzab, v. 56]
Al-Bukhari said that Abu Al-Aliyah said:
“Allah’s Salah is His praising him before the angels, and the Salah of the angels is their supplication.”
This was narrated from Sufyan Ath-Thawri and other scholars, who said:
`The Salah of the Lord is mercy, and the Salah of the angels is their seeking forgiveness.’
A Noble Gift from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Laylā (رحمه الله) said: “Kaʿb ibn ʿUjrah (رضي الله عنه) met me and said: ‘Shall I not give you a gift I received from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)?’ I replied: ‘Yes of course, gift it to me.’ So he said: ‘We asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), how should we invoke ṣalāh upon you, the members of the family, for Allah has taught us how to send salām upon you?” He (ﷺ) replied:
“Say:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Transliteration: Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammad wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad, kamā ṣallayta ʿalā Ibrāhīma wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm, innaka Ḥamīdu-m-Majīd, Allāhumma bārik ʿalā Muḥammad, wa ʿalā āli Muḥammad, kamā bārakta ʿalā Ibrāhīma wa ʿalā āli Ibrāhīm, innaka Ḥamīdu-m-Majīd.
Translation: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent your Blessings on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious.”
(Bukhārī 3370)
Saying Salah upon the Prophet (ﷺ) before the Supplication
Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi reported the following Hadith and graded it Sahih;
An-Nasa’i, Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban recorded in their Sahihs that Fadalah bin Ubayd, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) heard a man making supplication in his prayer when he had not praised Allah or said Salah upon the Prophet. The Messenger of Allah said:
عَجِلَ هَذَا
This man is rushing.
Then he called him over and said, to him or to someone else,
إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَبْدَأْ بِتَمْجِيدِ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَالثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ لْيُصَلِّ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ثُمَّ لْيَدْعُ بَعْدُ بِمَا شَاء
When any one of you supplicates, let him start by praising and glorifying Allah, may He be exalted, then let him send Salah upon the Prophet, and after that let him make supplication as he wishes.”
The Virtue of saying Salah upon the Prophet (ﷺ)
At-Tirmidhi recorded that Ubayy bin Ka`b (رضي الله عنه) said:
“When two thirds of the night had passed, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would get up and say,
يَاأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اذْكُرُوا اللهَ اذْكُرُوا اللهَ جَاءَتِ الرَّاجِفَةُ تَتْبَعُهَا الرَّادِفَةُ جَاءَ الْمَوْتُ بِمَا فِيهِ جَاءَ الْمَوْتُ بِمَا فِيه
‘O people, remember Allah, remember Allah, the first blast of the Trumpet has come and will be followed by the second blast, death has come with all its horrors, death has come with all its horrors.’”
Ubayy said, “I said, `O Messenger of Allah, I send a lot of Salah upon you, how much of my prayer should be Salah upon you!’
He said,
مَا شِيْت
(Whatever you want.)
I said, `A quarter.’
He said,
مَا شِيْتَ فَإِنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَك
(Whatever you want, but if you increase it, it will be better for you.)
I said, `Half.’
He said,
مَا شِيْتَ فَإِنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَك
(Whatever you want, but if you increase it, it will be better for you.)
I said, `Two thirds.’
He said,
مَا شِيْتَ فَإِنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَك
(Whatever you want, but if you increase it, it will be better for you.)
I said, `Should I make my whole prayer for you!’
He said,
إِذَنْ تُكْفَى هَمُّكَ وَيُغْفَرُ لَكَ ذَنْبُك
This would be sufficient to relieve your distress and earn you forgiveness of your sins.”
Then he said: “This is a Hasan Hadith.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said in Jalā’ al-Afhām (p. 79): Our Shaykh, Abū ‘Abbās (i.e., Ibn Taymiyah), was asked about the meaning of this ḥadīth.
He said: Ubayy ibn Ka‘b had a du‘ā’ that he would recite for himself. He asked the Prophet (ﷺ) whether he should devote one-quarter of it to sending blessings upon him. The Prophet (ﷺ) explained that whoever sends blessings upon the Prophet, Allah sends blessings upon that person tenfold. And when Allah sends blessings upon someone, He relieves his worries and forgives his sins.
It says in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: “How much of my prayer (du‘ā’) should be for you?” meaning: how much of it should replace my du‘ā’ for myself. This was stated by al-Qāri. Al-Mundhirī said in al-Targhīb: What it means is: I say many du‘ā’s—so how much of my du‘ā’ should I devote to sending blessings upon you? I said: “Should I make all my du‘ā’ for you?” meaning: should I spend all the time that I used to dedicate to my personal du‘ā’ on sending blessings upon you?
“Then your concerns will be taken care of and your sins will be forgiven.” The word concerns refers to everything a person seeks—both in this world and in the Hereafter. What it means is: if you spend all the time of your du‘ā’ sending blessings upon me, you will be granted what you hope for in this world and in the Hereafter. End quote.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (رحمه الله) said in al-Radd ‘ala al-Bakrī (1/133): This is the highest form of du‘ā’ that a person can make for himself in seeking good and repelling harm, for du‘ā’ encompasses attaining what one desires and warding off what one fears.
One of the commentators on al-Maṣābīḥ said: The Prophet (ﷺ) did not set a fixed limit for him, so that the door to doing more would not be closed. He left the choice to him while encouraging him to increase it, until he said: “Should I make all my du‘ā’ for you?” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: “Then your concerns will be taken care of,” meaning all of your concerns, whether related to religious or worldly matters. This is because sending blessings upon him includes remembering Allah and honoring the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), which is similar to making du‘ā’ for oneself. [Quoted by al-Sakhāwī in al-Qawl al-Badī‘ (p. 133).]
Occasions for saying Salah upon Him (ﷺ)
It is reported that we should send blessings upon him on many occasions, such as following the call to prayer, as in the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from Abdullah bin ‘Amr Al-‘As, who said that he heard the Messenger of Allah say:
إِذَا سَمِعْتُمْ مُوَذِّنًا فَقُولُوا مِثْلَمَا يَقُولُ ثُمَّ صَلُّوا عَلَيَّ فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ بِهَا عَشْرًا ثُمَّ سَلُوا اللهَ لِيَ الْوَسِيلَةَ فَإِنَّهَا مَنْزِلَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ لَا تَنْبَغِي إِلاَّ لِعَبْدٍ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللهِ وَأَرْجُو أَنْ أَكُونَ أَنَا هُوَ فَمَنْ سَأَلَ لِيَ الْوَسِيلَةَ حَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّفَاعَة
When you hear the Mu’adhdhin, repeat what he says, then send Salah upon me, for whoever sends Salah upon me, Allah will send Salah upon him tenfold. Then ask Allah to grant me Al–Wasilah, which is a status in Paradise to which only one of the servants of Allah will be entitled, and I hope that I will be the one. Whoever asks Allah for Al–Wasilah for me, it will be permitted for me to intercede for him.
This was recorded by Muslim, Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi and An-Nasa’i.
Other occasions when we should send Salah upon the Prophet include when entering or exiting the Masjid, because of the Hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad from Fatima (رضي الله عنها), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah who said:
“When the Messenger of Allah entered the Masjid, he would send Salah and Salam upon Muhammad, and say,
اللْهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي وَافْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِك
O Allah, forgive me my sins and open for me the gates of Your mercy;
When he exited, he would send Salah and Salam upon Muhammad, and say,
اللْهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي وَافْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ فَضْلِك
O Allah, forgive me my sins and open for me the gates of Your bounty.”
We should also send Salah upon him (ﷺ) during the Funeral prayer.
The Sunnah is to recite Surah Al–Fatihah following the first Takbir,
to send Salah upon the Prophet (ﷺ) during the second Takbir,
to make supplication for the deceased during the third Takbir,
and in the fourth Takbir to say,
اللَّهُمَّ لَا تَحْرِمْنَا أَجْرَهُ، وَلَا تَفْتِنَّا بَعْدَهُ
“O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward, and do not test us after him.”
It is recommended to conclude supplications with Salah upon the Prophet (ﷺ)
At-Tirmidhi recorded that Umar bin Al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) said:
“A supplication remains suspended between heaven and earth and does not ascend any further until you send Salah upon your Prophet (ﷺ).”
This was also narrated by Mu’adh bin Al-Harith from Abu Qurrah from Sa’id bin Al-Musayyib from Umar, as a saying of the Prophet (ﷺ).
“If a servant was to send salāh upon the Prophet (ﷺ) equivalent to his every breath, he will still not have fulfilled his right.” (Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله)
It was also recorded by Razin bin Mu`awiyah in his book, where he also attributed it to the Prophet (ﷺ) reporting that he said:
الدُّعَاءُ مَوْقُوفٌ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالاَْرْضِ لَا يَصْعَدُ حَتَّى يُصَلَّى عَلَيَّ فَلَ تَجْعَلُونِي كَغُمْرِ الرَّاكِبِ صَلُّوا عَلَيَّ أَوَّلَ الدُّعَاءِ وَاخِرَهُ وَأَوْسَطَه
“A supplication remains suspended between heaven and earth, and does not ascend any further until a person sends Salah on me. Do not treat me like a spare water container; send Salah upon me at the beginning of your supplication, at the end, and in the middle.”
Sending Salah upon the Prophet is even more strongly encouraged in the Qunut supplication. Ahmad, the Sunan compilers, Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban and Al-Hakim recorded that Al-Hasan bin Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“The Messenger of Allah taught me some words to say during Al–Witr:
اللْهُمَّ اهْدِنِي فِيمَنْ هَدَيْتَ وَعَافِنِي فِيمَنْ عَافَيْتَ وَتَوَلَّنِي فِيمَنْ تَوَلَّيْتَ وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيمَا أَعْطَيْتَ وَقِنِي شَرَّ مَا قَضَيْتَ فَإِنَّكَ تَقْضِي وَلَا يُقْضَى عَلَيْكَ وَإِنَّهُ لَا يَذِلُّ مَنْ وَالَيْتَ وَلَا يَعِزُّ مَنْ عَادَيْتَ تَبَارَكْتَ رَبَّنَا وَتَعَالَيْت
“O Allah, guide me along with those whom You have guided; grant me health along with those to whom You have granted health; be an ally to me along with those to whom You are an ally; bless me in that which You have bestowed; and protect me from the evil You have decreed, for verily You decree and none can decree over You. Verily, he whom You show allegiance to is never abased, and he whom You take as an enemy is never honored. O our Lord, blessed and Exalted are You.”
In his Sunan, An-Nasa’i has the addition,
وَصَلَّى اللهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّد
“and may Allah bless Muhammad.”;
at the end of this Qunut.
It is also recommended to send abundant Salah upon the Prophet (ﷺ) on Friday and on the eve of Friday
Meaning:
Sending blessings (Salah) upon the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) is highly encouraged, especially:
- On Fridays (Yawm al-Jumu’ah)
- The night preceding Friday (Thursday evening)
Imam Ahmad recorded that Aws bin Aws Ath-Thaqafi, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمُ الْجُمُعَةِ فِيهِ خُلِقَ ادَمُ وَفِيهِ قُبِضَ وَفِيهِ النَّفْخَةُ وَفِيهِ الصَّعْقَةُ فَأَكْثِرُوا عَلَيَّ مِنَ الصَّلَةِ فِيهِ فَإِنَّ صَلَتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَي
One of the best of your days is Friday; on this day Adam was created and died, on this day the Trumpet (Sur) will be blown and all will have swoon away. So on this day send plenty of Salah upon me, for your Salah will be presented to me.
They said, `O Messenger of Allah, how will they be shown to you after your body has dispersed into the earth.’
He (ﷺ) said,
إِنَّ اللهَ حَرَّمَ عَلَى الاَْرْضِ أَنْ تَأْكُلَ أَجْسَادَ الاَْنْبِيَاء
Allah has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the Prophets.”
This was also recorded by Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i and Ibn Majah, and it was graded Sahih by Ibn Khuzaymah, Ibn Hibban, Ad-Daraqutni and An-Nawawi in Al-Adhkar.
It’s mentioned in ‘Awn al-Ma’bud: Friday is singled out because it is the best of days and the chosen day. So there is an advantage to sending blessings upon him (ﷺ) on that day that is not present on any other day.
[Adapted from Tafseer Ibn Kathir, 33:56]
“Know that no Muslim servant sends abundant ṣalawāt on Muḥammad (ﷺ), except that Allah illuminates his heart, forgives his sins, puts his heart at ease, and makes his matters easy. Send abundant ṣalawāt, so that Allah will make you from the followers of his path, make you act upon his sunnah; and make him (ﷺ) our companion in Paradise.” (Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله)
40 Benefits of Sending Salawat Upon the Prophet (ﷺ)
1. Following the command of Allah.
2. Conformity with Allah sending blessings upon him.
3. Conformity with the angels sending blessings.
4. Receive ten blessings from Allah.
5. Ten levels are raised for the servant.
6. Ten good deeds are written for the servant.
7. Ten sins are erased from the servant.
8. Du’ā’ is accepted if preceded with salawāt on the Prophet (ﷺ).
9. Intercession of the Prophet (ﷺ).
10. A means for forgiveness of sins.
11. Allah will suffice the servant.
12. Closeness to the Prophet (ﷺ) on the Day of Judgement.
13. (Reward of charity.)**
14. A means of the fulfilment of your needs.
15. Allah and His angels send blessings upon the servant.
16. A means of cleansing and purification.
17. (Glad tidings of Paradise before death.)**
18. (Protection from the terrors of the Day of Judgement.)**
19. The Prophet (ﷺ) responds to him.
20. (A means for the servant to remember what he has forgotten.)**
21. A means of blessings on the gathering and lack of regret on the Day of Judgement.
22. (A means to repel poverty.)**
23. It repels the description of being a miser.
24. Protection from the Prophet’s (ﷺ) curse.
25. Leads to the path towards Paradise.
26. A protection from the stench of a gathering where Allah and His Prophet (ﷺ) are not mentioned.
27. It completes speech, after Allah’s praise.
28. (Abundance of light on the Sirāt.)**
29. Protection from hardness of the heart.
30. Allah bestows favourable praise upon the servant.
31. A source of blessings for the servant himself.
32. A means of receiving Allah’s mercy.
33. A means to continuously love the Prophet (ﷺ).
34. A means of the Prophet (ﷺ) continuously loving the servant.
35. A means of guidance and a ‘living’ heart.
36. (The servant’s name is presented to the Prophet (ﷺ).)**
37. (The servant’s feet will be firm on the Sirāt.)**
38. The servant fulfils a small portion of the Prophet’s (ﷺ) right.
39. Comprises gratitude to Allah.
40. It is a du’ā’.
[Note: (**) The verifier of the book, Zā’id an-Nushayrī, indicates that these points (nos. 13, 17, 18, 20, 22, 28, 36, and 37) are based on weak aḥādīth.]
Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said: “Allah, may He be glorified, enjoined sending blessings upon the Prophet (ﷺ) straight after telling us that He and His angels send blessings upon him. What is meant is that if Allah and His angels send blessings upon His Messenger, then you should send blessings upon him, for it is more appropriate that you should send blessings upon him and greet him with salaam, because of what you have received of the blessing of his message.”
Allāhu ʾakbar!
[Adapted from Jalā’ al-Afhām by Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله]
“Protect yourself from the punishment of the Fire, and lighten the burden of your sins, by sending abundant blessings upon the Chosen Prophet (ﷺ).” (Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله)
Do not deprive yourself of that virtue.
May Allah ﷻ help us to make the most of our acts of obedience and protect us from the evil of our own selves, aameen.
May our salawat upon the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) be accepted! Aameen.
The Enduring Good Deeds 