Virtues of Salawāt
By Abdur-Rahim Rydhan
In the name of Allāh,
the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and
thanks is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-'ālamīn.
I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh,
and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His Messenger.
In al-Qur’ān, Allāh Subhānahu wata’ala has described the good qualities and praises of a number of Prophets; for instance, when Adam (‘alayhissalam) was created all the angels were ordered to prostrate before him. Ibrāhīm (‘alayhissalam) is described as Khalilullah, Friend of Allāh. Various other Prophets have been mentioned with praises. However, our Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has been given a distinguished place by Allāh Subhanahu wata’ala in al-Qur’ān.
Allāh Says: “Inn Allāha wamala-ikatahu yusallūna ‘ālannabiyyi, Ya ayyuha allathīnāmanū Sallū ‘ālayhi wasallimū taslīma (Allāh sends His Salāt (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam) and also His angels too (ask Allāh to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salāt on (ask Allāh to bless) him (Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and (you should) greet (salute) him with Taslim (the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-salāmu `alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh).”) [See the Tafsir of Muhsin: Al-Ahzab, 33: 56]
The Salawāt
indicates the honour, love, belief, attachment to him as our Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) which signifies to be the deep faith in Allāh.
Anas ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu’anhu)
narrated the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “No one of you truly believes
until I am dearer to him than his father, his son, his own self and all the
people.” [Narrated by al-Bukhāri,
15; Muslim, 44]. The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) also said: “Whenever
someone seeks Allāh’s blessings for me, Allāh
returns the soul to my body until I reply to his salutation." [Reported by Abu Dawud] And the
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) likened those who do
not salawāt upon him when his name is mentioned
as a miser: "The
miser (scrooge; mistaken; misguided) is the one who hears my name mentioned and
does not seek blessings for me.” [Reported
by At-Tirmidzi]
The
Salawāt
This verse of al-Qur`ān
starts with the word "inna," which lays down more stress and
emphasis. Whenever a sentence starts with the word ‘inna,’ it implies the
continuity and perpetuity of an act. Therefore Allāh
and the angels perpetually shower blessings upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam).
Ismā`il
Haqqī al-Bursawī (rahimahullāh)
wrote:
"To shower blessings upon the
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) by Allāh
means to honor him for the praised status: ... which is the Position of
Intercession .... And to send blessings by the angels upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) means to pray for the raising of his position and to pray for pardon
from Allāh
(Subhanahu wata’ala) for his followers; and to ask blessings upon Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) by us is actually to praise him with his good qualities and to
follow his ways with love and sincerity."
The honor given to the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) is more than what was given to Adam (`alaihissalam) when the angels
were ordered to respect him; whereas in the case of Rasulallāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam), Allāh Himself is honoring him. In the above
verse, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has been addressed as
the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and not Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam), unlike the other Prophets, who have been addressed so frequently
with their names. It is due to his magnificence, nobility and utmost respect. A
similar case could be cited in the following verse of al-Qur’an, where Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam)is mentioned with Ibrāhīm (`alaihissalām): "Lo!
Those of mankind who have the best claim to Ibrāhīm are those who followed him and this
Prophet ...." ['Āli-
‘Imrān,
3:68]
Here too, it has been called "this
Prophet" (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) rather than as Muhammad
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam). The point is: Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) is addressed by his name in al-Qur`ān,
only a few times, and that is also due to some special reasons... [It is
important to note that the word salat which in this verse refers to Allāh,
His angels and to the believers is a common word which is used for several
meanings and purposes at various places in al-Qur`an.
The scholars give a number of
explanations to the word salāh used in this verse. These explanations
have been given according to the positions of the personage referred to in the
verse. According to some scholars "Salāh Alan Nabi (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)"means: To praise and respect him in
order to show favor. And the praise and the respect for the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) will differ according to the personality who sends salāt (blessings). A
similar difference may be noted in the meaning of the word ‘kindness.’ The salāt
of Allāh
upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)would mean his praise
and regard for Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)with kindness and
mercy; and the salāt of angels would mean their praises and
respect for the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam)with favor, love, sincerity, obedience and submission.
Imām
Bukhari (rahimahūlah)
narrates from Abu ‘Aliyah(rahimahūllah): "The blessings of Allāh
upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)means His praises for
the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) before the
angels; and the blessings of the angels upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam)means their benedictions and prayers for him." Ibn
`Abbas (radiallāhu`anhu) said: "Yusalluna (the
angels send blessings), means Yubarrikuna (the angels pray for abundance in the
eminence and status of Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam)....”
[Ruh al Bayan]
1: In
his Tafsir of ayat, Al-Ahzab, 33: 56, Al-Bakhari recorded Ka`ab
bin ‘Ujrah (radiallāhu`anhu)
reported, “It was said, “O Messenger of Allāh, we already knows how to greet you [i.e ‘As-salāmu
‘alaika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuh’
as in the Tashahhud], but
how should we but how about Salāh [Supplicate; Ask blessings for
you]?'' He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
«قُولُوا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ
عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ
عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، إِنَّكَ
حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ
بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا
بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد»
"Say: “Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama sallaita ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd; Allāhumma bārik ‘ala
Muhammad, wa ‘ala āli Muhammad, kama bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm; Innaka
Hamīdum Majīd.”
(O Allāh! Send Prayers on Muhammad and on the
family of Muhammad, as You sent Prayers on the family of Ibrāhīm,
Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full of Glory; O Allāh!
Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent your
Blessings on the family of Ibrāhīm, Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full
of Glory.)''’
[Al-Bukhari ( Fathul-Bari 8:392) ; Ahmad;
Nasā’ie
and Abu Ya’la in his Musnad (44/2) with
a sahih: (reaffirmed the narration thru Ibn Abi
Layla’ informed by Ka’ab) ; Muslim (804-805); Humaidi (138/1)
and Ibn Mandah (68/2):
Sahih: Reported by Sa’īd bin Mansūr,
‘Abd bin Hamīd, Ibn Abi Hātim
and Ibn Mardawiyah and ‘Abd ar-Razzāq, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ahmad ‘Abd-Hamīd,
theSihah Sittah all from Ka’ab bin `Ajrah.; this narration uses ‘Kama Sallaita ‘ala [Ibrāhīm,
wa `ala] āli Ibrāhīm’;
‘Allāhumma
Bārik’
in second part and ‘Innaka Hamīdum Majīd’
in both part.]
2: Muslim recorded in his Sahih under ‘The Book on
Blessings on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) after Tashahhud’ that ‘Abdullāh bin Zaid, one
who was shown the adzān (the call for solat) in a dream,
narrated it on the authority of Abu Mas’ud Al-Ansari (radiyallāhu’anhu)
said: "We came to the Messenger of Allāh and we were with Sa’ad bin ‘Ubadah. Bashir
bin Sa’ad said to him, “Allāh has commanded us to send Salāh
upon you, O Messenger of Allāh. How can we send Salāh
upon you” The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) remained quiet for so long that we wished that he had not asked him,
then the Messenger of Allāh said [For blessing me]:
«قُولُوا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ
مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ
إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ
وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ
إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي الْعَالَمِينَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ ,وَالسَّلَامُ
كَمَا قَدْ عَلِمْتُم»
“Say:
“Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kamā sallaita ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm;
Wa bārik ‘ala
Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm fil-‘ālamīn; Innaka Hamīdun
Majīd”
(O Allāh! Send Prayers upon Muhammad and the
members of his household as You Sent Prayers upon the members of Ibrahim's household;
And Send Blessings to Muhammad and the members of his household as You
granted Blessings upon the members of the household of Ibrahim, among all the
nations’ Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full of Glory)”,
“And the
Salutation [i.e
‘As-salāmu
‘alayika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuh’] as you about knows it.”
[Muslim (803): Book on Blessings on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) after Tashahhud; this narration uses the phrase: ‘ala āli
Ibrāhīm,
fil-‘ālamīn;
Innaka Hamīdun Majīd”]);
this narration is Linguistically sound; more comprehensive] This
was also recorded by Abu Dawud, An-Nasā`ie, At-Tirmidzi and Ibn Jarir.
At-Tirmidzi said, "It is Hasan Sahih.''
3: Imām Ahmad recorded
from Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi (radiyallāhu’anhu) that
they said: "O Messenger of Allāh, how can we send Salāh
upon you'' He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said,
«قُولُوا: اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ
وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا
صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ
وَأَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى
آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيد»
"Say: ‘Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad, wa [‘ala] azwajihi wa
dzurriyatihi kama
sallayta ‘ala Ibrāhīm;
Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammad, wa [ ‘ala] azwajihi wa
dzurriyatihi kama bārakta ‘ala[ali] Ibrāhīm, Innaka
Hamidum-Majīd’
(O Allāh Send Prayers on Muhammad and [on] his wives and progeny, as You Sent Prayers on [the family of]
Ibrāhīm;
And Send Blessings on Muhammad, and [on] his wives and progeny, as You Sent
Blessings on [the family of] Ibrāhīm; Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full
of Glory).
[Ahmad, It was also recorded by the rest of the
Jama’ah, apart Muslim
(807), Abu Dawud; at-Tirmidzi and Nasa’ie from Abu
Humaid As-Sa`idi;
but this narration uses : kama sallaita ‘ala Ibrāhīm;
only once ‘ Innaka Hamidum-Majīd’; No.2 almost similar to No.3.1
recorded by Imam Ahmad and Tahawi]
3.1: Imām
Ahmad and Tahawi with
a sahih sanad recorded another narration:
“Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala ahli bait, wa ‘ala azwajihi wa
dzurriyyatihi, kama sallaita ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm;
Innaka Hamīdum Majīd; Wa bārik ‘ala
Muhammad wa
‘ala ahli bait, wa ‘ala azwajihi wa dzurriyyatihi kama bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm; Innaka Hamīdum-Majīd”
(O Allāh!
Send prayers on Muhammad, and on
his household, and on his wives and progeny, as you sent prayers on the family
of Ibrāhīm; Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full
of Glory; And
send blessings on Muhammad, and his household, and his wives and progeny, as
you sent blessings on the family of Ibrāhīm; Verily
You are Most Praiseworthy, Full of Glory).
This narration of the salawāt
reportedly used by the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) himself after the Tashahhud. [Ahmad and Tahawi with a sahih sanad]
[Recorded by Ahmad and Tahawi: sahih; uses phrase: wa ‘ala ahli bait, wa
‘ala azwajihi wa dzurriyyatihi, `ala āli Ibrāhīm, Innaka
Hamīdum
Majīd
twice; Similar to No.3 recorded by Bukhari,
Muslim (807), Abu Dawud and Nasā’ie from Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi when Sahabi enquired Rasūlullāh as how to send Salawat to him; but
this narration is without ‘wa ‘ala ahli bait’, and uses ‘Innaka Hamidum-Majīd’
once at the end]
Imām
Sakhawi (rahimahullāh)
said in his book: “One of the reasons of saying ‘O Allāh!
Send blessings upon Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam),’ instead of saying ‘I send blessings upon Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam)’ is: we are full of sins, imperfect, but the personality of the Holy
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is perfect and
faultless. The blessings and praises of a sinner are blemished, thus have us
wait for a personality who is perfect. The only possible way, therefore, is to
request Allāh to shower His choicest and eternal
Blessings upon the Holy Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam). This is a request for the blessings from the one who is the Pure
for such a person who is Virtuous and Modest." [Al-Qawl
al-Badi]
Heishafsuni (rahimahullāh)
while reasoning about the above issue writes in his book:
Although Allāh
ordered us to send blessings upon the Holy Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) as our blessings we cannot reach as the height of the Prophet’s (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) place.
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) praised Allāh (Subhānahu wata`ala) in the following way: "O Allāh!
I cannot enumerate the praises due to you; you enjoy the same praises as you
have praised yourself." On
this account of example, Imam Sakhawi(rahimahullāh)
said, "The Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) praised Allāh just as he himself praised Him and we
should ask such blessings upon Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) which were regarded most suitable by Allāh.”
For this reason, we ask Allāh
to send His choicest blessings upon the Holy Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam).
[Lata’if O Hikam]
The Salawāt and Salām will
be credited to us for securing higher positions in Paradise. We should practice
this in abundance. Make a habit of reciting it frequently as a sign of love for
him. One of the features to be amongst the Ahl ul Sunnah is to send blessings
upon the Holy Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) abundantly.
Imām Ahmad related that Abu Talhah Al-Ansārī (radiyallāhu’anhu) said: The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu’alayhi
wasallam) arose one morning in a very pleasant mood with signs of good tidings
apparent on his face. They said, “O Messenger of Allāh, we see that
you look happy.” Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: “The angel
came to me and told me, ‘O Muhammad, would it not please you if your Lord, may
He be glorified, said: ‘No member of
your Ummah sends Solāh (Salawāt) upon you but I send Solāh upon him tenfold, and no member of your Ummah sends greetings of Salām upon you but I send
greetings of Salām upon him tenfold’.’” I said, “Of course.’” [This was
also recorded by An-Nasā'ie Ibn Abi Shaybah, ‘Abd bin Hamīd and At-Tirmidzi;
Cited with slightly different wording in Imām Abu Sulayman
al-Jazuli's Dala'il Al-Khayrat (The Index of Good Things)]
‘Abdullāh bin Mas’ud (radiyallāhu’anhu) narrated
that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: "Those who are most deserving of my intercession on the Day of
Judgment are those who used to increasingly seek Allāh’s Blessing (salawāt) for me.” [This is recorded
by Ahmad, Al-Bukhari, At-Tirmidzi and Ibn Hibbān said hasan]
Anas Ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu’anhu) reported
that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu’alayhi wa
sallam) said: “There are three under the
shade of Allāh on a day when there is no shade except His; the one who relieved a
distress from someone from my nation; the one who invigorate my Sunnah and the
one who invoked blessings on me (Salawāt) the most”. [This is recorded in the Mustadrak and the
Musnad of al-Firdaus; Al-Hāfiz As-Suyūtī also
recorded it in his Burūj Al-Hilāl.]
Imam Zarqani (rahimahullāh)
writes in his book: "The
purpose of asking blessings" is to obtain admittance to Allāh
by following his commandments and to repay some of the rights of the Holy
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) which are due upon
us." [Sharh-i-Mawahib]
Allāh ordered us to be thankful for the
blessing of having a Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) and guided us towards the right way and that is to request that Allāh
shower His everlasting blessings upon His beloved Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam). Scholars say that to ask blessings upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) is obligatory (at least once in a lifetime) on the basis of the
above verse.
Imam Sakhawi (rahimahullāh)
writes, "Allāh
has linked His Blessings with the Blessings asked for the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam)in the same way He has included the name of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) with His name in the Kalimah-i-Shahadah; he has linked obedience to
Himself with obedience to the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam); he has linked love for Himself with the love of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam). [Al-Qawl
al-Badi]
As-Sābūnī (rahimahullāh)
said: “If one invokes
blessings on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam), let him combine it with prayers and peace and not fall short on
either of them. So, do not say, “Sallallāhu ‘alaīh” and not “`alayhis-salām”, only. This
is what he said taken from the verse, "O ye, who believe, invoke blessings
on him and peace unceasingly." For it is more proper to be said, “Sallallāhu `alayhi wasallam”, unceasingly”
Thus the virtues of salawāt are numerous;
some of its many benefits a person receive by reciting it on Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) as the following:
·
Almighty
Allāh
sends ten mercies upon a person who recites Salawāt
once.
·
Ten
of the reciter's sins are forgiven.
·
The
person's rank is raised by ten degrees.
·
Ten
rewards are written for the reciter.
·
There
is acceptance of Du’ā where Salawāt
is recited at the beginning and at the end.
·
The
person will be blessed with the intercession of Rasūlullāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) on the Day of Judgment.
·
Almighty
Allāh
will forgive the reciter's sins.
·
Almighty
Allāh
is pleased with the reciter.
·
The
person will be nearer to the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) on the Day of Judgment.
·
The
person will have all its worries removed in this world and the Hereafter.
It does not take long to send the Salawāt
upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). When his name is
mentioned, it can take less than a second to fulfill this order, by
saying: Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam and in doing so, a
person’s sins are forgiven, he gains merits, his status is elevated and he also
has a peaceful thought in his mind that he has just done something which
Allāh
and his angels also do.
Bear in mind, that we are not only
restricted to sending Salawāt upon the Holy Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) when his name is mentioned, but it is emphasised that we voluntarily
send salawāt as it increases a person’s love for the
Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam). As the sahih hadith contains, "A person is not a (complete)
believer until he loves me more than his parents, his children and all
people". A person will be
with whom he loves the most and what better to love, and to be with, on
the Day of Judgement than the intercessor himself. It is related by Abu
Dardā (radiyallāhu’anhu)
that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said : “Whoever sends salawāt
upon me in the morning and in the evening ten times, on the day of judgement my
intercession will surely reach him".
But there are however times when it is
undesirable (makrūh) to send salawāt’ which
includes: During intercourse; Whilst retrieving one-self from the call
of nature; For advertising the sale of product; Whilst stumbling;
During astonishment; Whilst slaughtering an animal.; Whilst
sneezing.
Meanwhile
the Sending of Salām upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) may be done as in the
Tashahhud by saying:
“Al-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmat ullahi wa barakātuh’
(Peace be upon you, O
Prophet, and the mercy of Allāh and His blessings).
Or, It may take the form of a du’ā’,
praying that Allāh may keep him sound, such as saying:
“Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam”
(May Allāh
send blessings and peace upon him) from Sallū ‘ālayhi
wasallimū taslīma ( Al-Ahzab, 33: 56)
A person’s Sending Salām upon
the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) may be done by
mentioning Allāh’s name al-Salām
by way of seeking the blessing of that name and this name is suited to the
context because you are asking Allāh to keep him safe and sound, as if one is
saying “O Allāh,
Whose name is al-Salām, keep your Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) safe and sound.” When
the word Salām refers to the name of Allāh,
it appears with the definite article al-, unlike when the word Salām
appears in the context of praying for peace, tranquility and soundness to be
bestowed by Allāh upon His slaves, in which case it
appears without the definite article. “It is because salām
from Allāh
Subhānahu
wata’ala means any amount of salām, and any amount of salām
from Him will be sufficient to make any slave of Allāh
would not require any salām from anyone else and no need for any
greeting from anyone else; and any salām from Allāh
will be sufficient to grant him all of his wishes. So the least Salām
from Allāh –
and nothing can be described as least when it comes from Allāh –
will bring the greatest blessings and will ward off all causes of misery, and
will make life good and will ward off all causes of doom and destruction.
Therefore in this context, when speaking of Salām
from Allāh,
there is no need for the definite article.”
[See Dabâ`i’ al-Fawâ`id, 2/143]
Salām is meant by being free from evil and
faults. So the one who sends Salām upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) is praying for him (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) in this sense, asking for the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) to be protected from evil, faults and shortcomings. As
for blessings (barākah),
what this means is steadfastness; stability; growth and increase. Praying for
blessing for the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wa sallam) means supplicating Allāh to bestow good upon him, to make it
lasting, to increase and multiply.
The benefit of Salawāt and Salām to
the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) are enormous
more so the Hereafter. Therefore, let us make a habit of
reciting Salāwat to
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in abundance. And
reciting salawāt is
especially virtuous on Friday.
And Allāh Almighty knows best.
[Adapted with modifications from
Khutbah al-Jumu’ah, Masjid at-Tawhid by Abdur-Rahim Rydhan]
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