Bismillahir rahmanir raheem
Asalaamu alaykum readers,
The phrase salallahu alayhi wasalam roughly translates to “peace be upon him”. It is highly recommended by the scholars of islam and by the Ulaymah that we send salawaat upon the Messenger (saw) whenever we mention is name.
“And We have raised for you your mention” (94:4) a powerful ayat from a surah of the Qur’an referring to Muhammad (saw) and a reminder that it is a command from Allah swt that we should send salawat on the Messenger (saw) because He (saw) is not only being mentioned by us, he is being mentioned by Allah swt. “Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you that believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.” (33:56)
When we pray the fardh (obligatory) prayers 5 times a day, we send salawat on the Prophet (saw) in the attahiyat, the dua we make in our prayer, and in the Ibrahimiyyah.
In the Qur’an it also states:
“It is He Who has sent amongst the unlettered a Messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to them His Signs, to purify them, and to teach them the Book and Wisdom (Sunnah),- although they had been, before, in manifest error;-As well as (to confer all these benefits upon) others of them, who have not already joined them.” [62:2-4]
In this verse, Allah swt is confirming the rank and station of our Beloved Prophet (saw) and telling us why we should have the highest levels of respect and admiration for Rasulullah (saw). he was sent as a means to purify and teach us subhanAllah and if it were not for Allah’s mercy sending us Him (saw) as a means of guidance we would be lost and in manifest error.
Looking for quick ways of sending salawaat? Then the next one is for you inshaAllah!
“Allahumma sali wa sallim alaa Nabiyyina Muhammad” (O Allah send Your praise, prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad (saw)), is just one way of sending salawaat. It’s quick, simple and can be used at any time inshaAllah.
Two more authentic ways of sending salawaat can be found in the sunnah.
Abu Muhammad Ka’b bin Ujrah (ra) reported: The Prophet (saw) came to us and we asked him, “O Messenger of Allah, we already know how to greet you (i.e., say As-salamu alaykum), but how should we supplicate for you?” He said, “Say: `Allahumma salli `ala Muhammadin, wa `ala aali Muhammadin, kama sallaita `ala aali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum Majid. Allahumma barik `ala Muhammadin, wa `ala aali Muhammadin, kama barakta `ala aali Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum Majid [O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you exalted the family of Ibrahim. You are Praised and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are Praised and Glorious.]”’ [Bukhari and Muslim]
As you’ll notice from the hadith, this is infact the Ibrahimiyyah that we recite in every prayer, subhanAllah. Even at the time of the Prophet (saw), they knew the virtues of sending salawaat upon the Messenger (saw). May Allah swt bless them, Ameen.
It comes in another hadith narrated by Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi (ra): The Companions of the Messenger of Allah said: “O Messenger of Allah! How should we supplicate for you?” He sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam replied, “Say: `Allahumma salli `ala Muhammadin wa `ala azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi, kama sallaita `ala Ibrahima; wa barik `ala Muhammadin wa `ala azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi, kama barakta `ala Ibrahima, innaka Hamidum-Majid [O Allah, exalt the mention of Muhammad and his wives and offspring as You exalted the mention of the family of Ibrahim, and bless Muhammad and the wives and the offspring of Muhammad as you blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Glorious’].” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Still not convinced of the benefits of sending salawaat? Then the following should lighten your heart inshaAllah. The angel Jibreel (as), the greatest of Allah’s angels, will send salah and salaam upon you if you send salawaat upon the Messenger (saw). It comes in a hadith narrated by AbdurRahman ibn Awf (ra) in which he said, I came to the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam while he was in prostration and he elongated his prostration and then said, “Jibreel came to me and he said, ‘whoever sends blessings (salah) upon you, I will send blessings on him, and whoever sends greetings (salaam) upon you, I will send greetings upon him,’ so I prostrated out of thankfulness to Allah.’” [Haakim, Saheeh Al-Albani]
There are a number of ways you can send salawaat upon the Messenger (saw) in our daily lives. One of them is when making dua to Allah swt, which we should be doing frequently.
Umar (ra) said, “Duaa is suspended between heaven and earth and none of it is taken up until you send blessings upon your Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam.” [At-Tirmidhi, Hasan Al-Albani] Based on this scholars recommend that when making dua, you also send salawaat. More info on the correct way of making dua can be found in the book ‘Dua- The Weapon of the Believer.’
Knowing the importance of sending the salawaat is integral to your imaan as a Muslim and helps to increase your love for the Prophet (saw). Don’t humiliate yourself by forgetting or even leaving off from sending the salawaat as it says in a hadith narrated by Abu Hurairah (ra): The Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “May his nose soil with dust in whose presence mention is made of me and he does not supplicate for me.” [At-Tirmidhi, Saheeh Al-Albaani]
Don’t we want his intercession on the Day that no one will be able to interceed for another without the mercy and permission of Allah swt. Every time you send salawaat on the Messenger (saw) it is taken to him by an angel that conveys it to him (saw) and tells the Prophet (saw) your name. How is he supposed to recognise you on the Day of Qiyyamah, how is he supposed to know your name if you don’t glorify his with the correct adab?
Ibn Mas’ood (ra) reported: The Messenger of Allah sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said: “The people who will be nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who supplicate Allah more often for me.” [At-Tirmidhi, Hasan li ghayrihi Al-Albani]
This last hadith says it all. Send salawaat upon the Messenger (saw) often and with ihsan!
The next ‘Things Muslims Say’ post will be all about the phrase “Astaghfirullah”. I feel strongly about this one so prepare for a potential rant!
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Wasalaam – Peace Be With You