Salawat

The concept of "Aal" in Salawat

When the companions and friends of Muhammad asked him: "How should we send blessings, peace, and greetings upon you?" Muhammad included the word «آلِ», "Aal" (meaning family, household or progeny) in his Salawat and asked for all the mercy and blessings that were requested from God for his family too, this meaning, Muhammad wants all the mercy and blessings that were requested from God in Salawat for his "family" or his "household" or his "progeny" (including the Twelve Imams with Muhammad's daughter, Fatima, or the so-called the Fourteen Infallibles in Twelver Shia doctrine).

How to cite Salawat

In the many Islamic orison writings, explained how to greet Muhammad according to the traditions. In the book "Sahih al-Bukhari" written by Muhammad al-Bukhari, it is narrated from "Abu Saeed al-Khudri" that: "We said, O Messenger of God! Peace be upon you is known; how should we send blessings upon you?", the Prophet said:

«قُولُوا الّلهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد عَبْدِکَ وَ رَسُولِکَ کَما صَلَّیْتَ على اِبْراهیمَ و آلِ اِبْراهیمَ وَ بارِکْ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد کما بارَکْتَ على اِبْراهیمَ»

Meaning:

"Say, O Allah! Send peace upon Muhammad, Your servant and Your Messenger, as You sent peace upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim, and send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim."

In the same book and on the same page, this Hadith is narrated in more detail from "Ka’b ibn Ujrah" (one of the companions of Muhammad) who said to Muhammad: "We have learned how to greet you, but how should we send blessings upon you?" Muhammad said "you should say":

«اللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد کَما صَلَّیْتَ عَلى آلِ اِبْراهیمَ اِنَّکَ حَمیدٌ مَجیدٌ، اَلّلهُمَّ بارِکْ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد کَما بارَکْتَ عَلى آلِ اِبْراهیمَ اِنَّکَ حَمیدٌ مَجیدٌ»

Meaning:

"O Allah, send peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent peace upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, for You are Praiseworthy and Glorious, and bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You bestowed blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, for You are Praiseworthy and Glorious."

Note that Al-Bukhari mentions these Hadiths under the verse 56 of Surah Al-Ahzab: «اِنَّ اللهَ وَ مَلائِکَتَهُ یُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِىِّ یا اَیُّهَا الَّذینَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلِّمُوا تَسْلیما», meaning, "Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace".

In the book Sahih Muslim written by Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, which is the second most famous Hadith reference book for Sunni Muslims, it is narrated from “Abi Mas’ud al-Ansari” that: The Prophet came to us while we were in the assembly of "Sa’d ibn Ibadah", then "Bashir", the son of "Sa’d", said: "O Messenger of God! God has commanded us to send blessings upon you, how should we send blessings upon you?". The Prophet was silent at first, then he said "you should say":

«اللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد کَما صَلَّیْتَ عَلى آلِ اِبْراهیمَ، بارِکْ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد کما بارَکْتَ عَلى آلِ اِبْراهیمَ فى الْعالَمینَ اِنَّکَ حَمیدٌ مَجیدٌ»

Meaning:

"O Allah, send peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You sent peace upon the family of Ibrahim. Send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibrahim to the worlds. You are the Praiseworthy and the Glorious."

In one of the Sunni interpretation books called "Al-Dur al-Manthur" by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, which is the most famous book of narration interpretation among Sunnis, the author cites the same narration of "Abu Saeed al-Khudri" from "Sahih al-Bukhari", "Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb al-Nasa'i", "Ibn Majah", and "Ibn Mardavieh" on behalf of Muhammad. In the same book, the same statement of “Abi Mas’ud al-Ansari” has been narrated by Muhammad al-Tirmidhi, "Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb al-Nasa'i", and "Ibn Mardavieh". Again, in the same book, the same content is narrated, with slight differences, by "Malik ibn Anas", "Sahih al-Bukhari", "Abu Dawud al-Sijistani", "Ahmad ibn Shu'ayb al-Nasa'i", "Ibn Majah", "Ibn Mardavieh", and several others, on behalf of "Abu Ahmad Sa'idi".

"Ahmad ibn Husayn ibn Ali Bayhaqi Neishaburi" known as "al-Bayhaqi" also narrated numerous narrations in this regard in his famous book "Sunan al-Kubra", some of which clarify the duties of Muslims during prayer and during the Tashahhud (one of the parts of prayer). For example, in a hadith narrated by "Uqbah ibn Amr": A man came and sat in the presence of the Prophet, while we were also with the Prophet. He said: "O Messenger of God! We know the quality of greetings upon you, but how should we send blessings upon you when we pray?" The Prophet remained silent [for a while], until we thought, "I wish this man had not asked such a question." Then the Prophet said:

«اِذا اَنْتُمْ صَلَّیْتُمْ عَلَىَّ فَقُولُوا الّلهُمَّ صَلَّ عَلى مُحَمَّد النَّبِىِّ الاٌمِىِّ وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد، کَما صَلَّیْتَ عَلى اِبْراهیمَ وَ عَلى آلِ اِبْراهیمَ وَ بارِکْ عَلَى مُحَمَّد النَّبىِّ الاٌمِىِّ وَ عَلى آلِ مُحَمَّد کَما بارَکْتَ عَلى اِبْراهیمَ وَ عَلى آلِ اِبْراهیمَ، اِنَّکَ حَمیدٌ مَجیدٌ»

Meaning:

"If you pray for me, say: O Allah, send peace upon Muhammad, the illiterate prophet, and his family, as You sent peace upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, and bless Muhammad, the illiterate prophet, and his family, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are the Praiseworthy, the Glorious.

Then the author "al-Bayhaqi" quotes Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi'i as saying:

"This is an authentic Hadith that talks about reciting Salawat upon the Prophet of Islam during prayers."

"Al-Bayhaqi" has also cited numerous other hadiths regarding how to recite Salawat upon Muhammad, both during the prayer and outside of the prayer; In particular, in a Hadith narrated by "Ka'b ibn Ujrah" on behalf of Muhammad, he states:

اِنَّه کانَ یَقُولُ فى الصَّلوهِ: «الّلهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد کَما صَلَّیْتَ عَلى اِبْراهیمَ و آلِ اِبْراهیمَ وَ بارِکْ عَلى مُحَّمَد وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد کَما بارَکْتَ عَلى اِبْراهیمَ اِنَّکَ حَمیدٌ مَجیدٌ»

Meaning:

The Prophet of Islam used to say in his prayer: "O Allah, send peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You sent peace upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, and send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious."

"Al-Bayhaqi" says in one of the narrations in which there is no mention of prayer:

"These narrations are also related to reciting Salawat upon the Prophet of Islam during Salah (the prayer in Islam); Because the sentence «قَدْ عَلِمْنا کَیْفَ نُسَلِّمُ», meaning, “We know how to send peace upon you”, refers to the sending peace in the Tashahhud (one of the parts of prayer) and in the "Salaam" (the last part of prayer): «السَّلامُ عَلَیْکَ اَیُّهَا النَّبىُّ وَ رَحْمَهُ اللهِ وَ بَرَکاتُه», meaning, “Peace be unto you O’ prophet and the mercy and all blessings of God”. Therefore, one of the meanings of the "sending blessings to the Prophet", refers to reciting Salawat during the Tashahhud (one of the parts of prayer)."

Therefore, all Muslims, regardless of their sects, are obligated to say the greetings of peace upon Muhammad in the form of «السَّلامَ عَلَیْکَ اَیُّهَا النَّبىُّ وَ رَحْمَهُ الله», meaning, “Peace be unto you O’ prophet and the mercy of God” during the Tashahhud in the prayer, as Muhammad himself used to say.

Although there is a slight difference of opinion among the four major Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence within Sunni Islam on this matter; In the Shafi'i school and in the Hanbali school, they said: It is obligatory to reciting Salawat upon the Prophet of Islam during the second Tashahhud in Salah, while in the Maliki school and in the Hanafi school, consider it as an arbitrary tradition or Sunnah.

This is despite the fact that according to most narrations, including the above narrations, the Salawat in the prayer is obligatory upon all Muslims.

Recommended Salawat

One salawat recommended by Muhammad is:

ʾAllāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā ʾāli Muḥammadin kamā ṣallayta ʿalā ʾIbrāhīma wa ʿalā ʾāli ʾIbrāhīma ʾinnaka Ḥamīdun Majīdun ʾAllāhumma bārik ʿalā Muḥammadin wa ʿalā ʾāli Muḥammadin kamā bārakta ʿalā ʾIbrāhīma wa ʿalā ʾāli ʾIbrāhīma ʾinnaka Ḥamīdun Majīdun

ٱللَّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ ٱللَّٰهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

Translation:

O God, sanctify Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have sanctified Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O God, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.

Muhammad was also reported to have said: "Do not invoke incomplete salawat upon me". His sahabah asked him: "What is incomplete salawat?" He replied them: "When you say: 'O God, send blessing to Muhammad' and then stop on that. Rather say: ٱللَّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَىٰ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ 'Allahumma! send Your blessing to Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad."

Variants of Salawat

Several variant phrases of salawat may be used. The most common phrases are:

According to some researchers, Salawat is expressed in more than 210 different Arabic phrases in Islamic sources. The famous Salawats mentioned in narrations and Hadith are listed below:

Benefits

It is said that whoever sends 10 salawat upon Muhammad and his household will be sent a thousand salawat by God and his angels, and whoever sends 1,000 salawat upon Muhammad and his household will not be affected by the fire of hell.

Sending salawat upon Muhammad and his progeny is said to pave the way for his intercession on the day of judgement, serve as a compensation for sins, and to be the most weighty deed on the scale of deeds. Salawat upon Muhammad and his households is said to lead to the affection of God and his messenger, to purify deeds, and to serve as the light in the grave, As-Sirāt bridge and Paradise.

Salawat is said to be one of the best deeds on Friday, and is said to lighten and open the heart.

Reciting salawat aloud is said to vanish hypocrisy, and continuous recitation of salawat is said to fulfil one's worldly and heavenly wants (supplication).

It is mentioned in verse 56 of Surah Al-Ahzab: «اِنَّ اللهَ وَ مَلائِکَتَهُ یُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِىِّ یا اَیُّهَا الَّذینَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلِّمُوا تَسْلیما», meaning “Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” There are numerous narrations and discussions in the Islamic world about the reason of sending blessings (Salawat) upon Muhammad. The first reason of sending blessings upon Muhammad is so that he and his status among people should not be forgotten. In this way, sending blessings upon Muhammad helps in some way to preserve Islam and the name of Muhammad. In some books dedicated to Islamic worship instructions, it is mentioned that sending blessings upon Muhammad causes the person sending the blessings to become good-natured and well-minded, and the sins of the person sending the blessings to be forgiven. As it is mentioned in the pilgrimage of Jami'ah Kabirah:

«وَ جَعَلَ صَلاَتَنَا عَلَيْكُمْ وَ مَا خَصَّنَا بِهِ مِنْ وِلاَيَتِكُمْ طِيباً لِخُلْقِنَا وَ طَهَارَةً لاَِنْفُسِنَا وَ تَزْكِيَةً لَنَا وَ كَفَّارَةً لِذُنُوبِنَا»

"God has made our prayers upon you (the Prophet and his family) and your guardianship over us the cause of moral purity, purity of minds, spiritual growth and progress, and atonement for our sins."

In other narrations, reciting Salawat in the form of «اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّد», meaning "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and his family" is mentioned as a factor in the forgiveness of sins. On the other hand, reciting Salawat and peace upon Muhammad and his family, or reciting Salawat upon other prophets and other great figures, is a form of gratitude and appreciation for the efforts that these individuals have made to guide people. Gratitude and appreciation for a useful thing is a kind and noble behavior.

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