Salawat: sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ

The Companions asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) how to invoke Allah's blessings upon him after learning how to greet him in At-Tahiyyāt: "As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha an-nabiyy wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh (O Prophet, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you)..." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed them of the manner of invoking Allah's blessings upon him and its meaning: "O Allah, bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad," i.e., mention him, as well as those who follow his religion and the believers from among his relatives, with good praise among the highest assembly of angels. "Just as You bestowed Your grace upon the family of Abraham." As You bestowed Your favor upon the family of Abraham (peace be upon him), namely Abraham, Ismā‘īl (Ishmael), Is-hāq (Isaac), and their offspring and their followers from the believers, so bestow Your favor upon Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). "Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious," i.e., You are the Praiseworthy in Your essence, attributes, and acts; the All-Encompassing in Your greatness, sovereignty, and bounty. "O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You blessed the family of Abraham," i.e., grant him the greatest of goodness and honor and increase it and establish it.

Benefits

• The righteous predecessors used to gift each other with knowledge-related matters.
• It is obligatory to invoke Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) during the last Tashahhud in prayer.
• The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions how to greet him and invoke Allah's blessings upon him.
• This is the most perfect form of invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).

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This noble Hadīth clarifies the permissibility of the prostration of gratitude on receiving blessings, hearing good news, or receiving glad tiding, as happened to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He was praying when Jibrīl (peace be upon him) came to him and brought him the glad tidings that whoever sends blessings on or greetings of peace to him from his Ummah, Allah will send His blessings on and greetings of peace to him. Also, it is an act of Sunnah to prolong the prostration of gratitude, because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did that until the Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) were worried that he might have died.

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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against refraining from invoking Allah's blessings upon him upon hearing his name, nickname, or description. He said: The complete miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned, but he does not invoke Allah's blessings upon me. This is justified because:

First: He acted stingily regarding something that would not cause him to lose anything small or big and would not require him to spend money or exert effort.

Second: He acted stingily regarding himself as he deprived it of the reward of invoking Allah's blessings upon His Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) because by refraining from this, he withheld a right that he is required to fulfill in compliance with the command and a means of attaining a reward.

Third: Invoking Allah's blessings upon him fulfills part of the Prophet's right, as he is the one who taught us, guided us, called us to Allah Almighty, and brought us this revelation and this Shariah. In other words, he is the cause of our guidance after Allah Almighty. So, the one who does not invoke Allah's blessings upon him is stingy with himself and with his Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), as he withholds one of his simplest rights.

Benefits

• Refraining from invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is the epitome of miserliness.
• Invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is among the best means of drawing close to Allah and one of the best acts of obedience at all times, especially when he is mentioned.
• An-Nawawi said: When one invokes Allah's blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), let him combine the blessings with peace without mentioning one of them alone. He should not, thus, say: "May Allah's blessings be upon him" only, or say: "Peace be upon him" only.
• Regarding the verse in which Allah Almighty says: {Indeed, Allah sends His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him}, Abu al-‘Āliyah said: The Salah of Allah Almighty upon His Prophet means: praising him, and the Salah of the angels and mankind upon him means: supplication.
• Al-Halīmi said: The meaning of "Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad" is: O Allah, make him revered in this world by exalting his mention, making his religion prevail, and preserving his Shariah; and make him revered in the Hereafter by granting him intercession on behalf of his Ummah, rewarding him generously and abundantly, showing his superiority for the former and later generations through the Praiseworthy Station, and giving him precedence over all the witnesses who are brought close.

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The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated against three types of people that their noses be stuck to dust, as a sign of humiliation, disgrace, and loss: First type: The one in whose presence the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned, yet he does not invoke blessings upon him by saying: May Allah's peace and blessings be upon him and the like. Second: The one who witnesses the month of Ramadan, and then the month passes before he is forgiven, due to his negligence in performing acts of obedience. Third: The man whose parents reached old age with him, yet they were not a cause for him to enter Paradise due to his undutifulness and negligence in fulfilling their rights.

Benefits

• As-Sindi said: In conclusion, each of these individuals had an opportunity, and if it were not for their negligence, they would have gained an abundant share of goodness. Since they fell short and missed out on that, they have indeed failed and lost.
• Encouraging the act of invoking blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) whenever his name is mentioned.
• Encouraging diligence and industriousness in worship during the month of Ramadan.
• Encouraging diligence in expressing dutifulness towards one's parents and honoring them, especially in old age.

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