This article is excerpted from IGI’s translation of a portion of the Shifa’ of Qadi ‘Iyad, published in 2021 under the title On Prayers Upon the Prophet ﷺ.
On the Meaning of Sending Prayers Upon Him ﷺ
Allah (Exalted is He) has said,
“Indeed, Allah and His Angels send prayers upon the Prophet. O you who be- lieve! Send prayers upon him and extend him a worthy salutation”
Ibn ‘Abbas said,
“The meaning (of this verse) is that Allah and His Angels bless the Prophet ﷺ.”
It has also been said that it means,
“Indeed, Allah has mercy upon His Prophet ﷺ, and the Angels supplicate for him.”
Al-Mubrid said,
“The root meaning of ṣalāh (prayers) is to show mercy. Thus, (prayers) from Allah are mercy and prayers from the Angels are compassion and seeking for Allah to have mercy (on the person).”
The prayers of the Angels upon the one who is sitting and waiting for the prayer have been narrated in several hadiths. The Angels will say, “O Allah! Forgive him. O Allah! Have mercy on him.” In this sense, it is a supplication.
Sunset above the resting place of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah al-Munawwarah.
Abu Bakr al-Qushayri said,
“The prayer of Allah (Exalted is He) upon other than the Prophet ﷺ is mercy, while His prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ is an ennoblement and an increase in honour.”
Abu al-‘Aliyah said,
“The prayer of Allah is His praising him in the presence of the Angels, and the prayer of the Angels is supplication.”
Qadi Abu al-Fadl says,
“In the hadith where the Prophet ﷺ taught the manner of sending prayers upon him, he distinguished between the word ṣalāh and the word barakah. This indicates that they have two distinct meanings.”
As for the salutation that Allah (Exalted is He) ordered His servants to extend him, Qadi Abu Bakr ibn Bakir said,
“This verse was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, and Allah ordered his Companions to send salutations upon him. Likewise, those who came after him were ordered to send sal- utations upon the Prophet ﷺ at his grave and whenever he is mentioned.”
There are three points of view regarding the meaning of ‘peace’.
The first is that it means, “May peace be with you and in your favour.” In this sense, salam is a verbal noun.
The second is that it means, “May al-Salam take charge of and assume responsibility of your protection, and guardianship.’ In this sense, al-Salam would be the Name of Allah.
The third is that the meaning is surrender and obeisance, as indicated in Allah’s words when he says,
“Nay! By your Lord! They will not believe until they make you a judge over that which occurs between them, and then do not find within themselves any rejection to what you have decided and they surrender completely”
On the Ruling of Sending Prayers Upon Him ﷺ
Sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is a universal obligation that is not restricted to a certain time or place. This obligation is established by Allah’s command to send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, and the unanimous interpretation of the imams and scholars that indicate an obligation.
However, Abu Ja’far al-Tabari said that the indication of the verse, according to him, is that it is recommended. He claimed that there is consensus on this. But perhaps he was referring to reciting the prayers more than once.
The obligatory amount of prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ that exonerates the person of the error and sin of abandoning an obligation is one time, just like bearing witness to the Prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ. Beyond that, reciting it more than once is recommended and encouraged both in the Sunnah of Islam and as an emblem of its people.
A view of the Green Dome that above the grave of the Prophet ﷺ from Jannat al-Baqi in Madinah.
Qadi Abu al-Hasan ibn al-Qusar said,
“The dominant opinion among our companions is that it is a universal obligation, and that it is obligatory for a person to recite it once in his life if he is able.”
Qadi Abu Bakr ibn Bakir said,
“Allah obligated His creation to send prayers upon His Prophet ﷺ, and to extend him a worthy salutation. He did not restrict this to a specific time, so it is necessary that an individual recite it a lot and that he does not neglect it.”
Qadi Abu Muhammad ibn Nasr said,
“Sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is a universal obligation.”
Qadi Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Sa’id said,
“Mālik, his companions, and other scholars opined that sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is a universal obligation with the objective of faith. It is not restricted to the prayer alone. Furthermore, if someone sends one prayer upon him in his life, that obligation has been fulfilled by him.”
The companions of al-Shafi’i, on the other hand, said,
“The obligatory prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ is that which Allah (Exalted is He) and His Messenger ﷺ commanded. That is in the prayer.”
They also said,
This article is excerpted from On Prayers Upon the Prophet ﷺ (Gems from the Shifa’ of Qadi ‘Iyad), available worldwide from the IGI Bookstore and in many countries via Amazon.
“As for outside of the prayer, there is no difference of opinion over the fact that it is not obligatory.”
As for in the prayer, the two Imams Abu Ja’far al-Tabari and al-Tahawi, along with others, have reported a consensus among early and late scholars of the Ummah that sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ in the tashahhud is not obligatory.
Al-Shafi’i went alone in his opinion, saying,
“If someone does not send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ after the tashahhud in the last rak’ah, before giving salām, his prayer is invalidated. If he sends prayers upon him before that, it does not suffice him.”
Al-Shafi’i has no predecessor in this opinion, nor was he following any Sunnah. He therefore received much criticism regarding his stance on this issue, because he opposed the entire body of scholars who had preceded him. He was reviled for his disagreement with the previous scholars by more than one scholar, including al-Tabari and al-Qushayri.
Abu Bakr ibn al-Mundhir said,
“It is preferable that one does not perform any prayer except that he sends prayers in it upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. If someone abandons it, his prayer is valid according to the madhhab of Mālik, the People of Madinah, Sufyan al-Thawri, the People of Kufa among the Ahl al-Ra’y and others. This is the opinion of the majority of the people of knowledge.”
It has been narrated that Malik and Sufyan said,
“It is preferable to recite it (the prayer) in the final tashahhud, and that the one who abandons it in the tashahhud is sinful. Al-Shafi’i, on the other hand, opposed the rest, obligating that one who leaves it in prayer to repeat the prayer.”
Ishaq ibn Rahwayh said that repeating the prayer is obligatory upon the person who leaves out the prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ intentionally, but not upon the one who leaves it out of forgetfulness.
Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Zayd narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Mawwaz that sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is an obligation. Abu Muhammad said,
“He meant that it is not from the obligatory acts of the prayer.”
Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam and others said – and Ibn al-Qussar and ‘Abd al-Wahhab narrated – that Muhammad ibn al-Mawwaz saw it as an obligatory act of the prayer, as did al-Shafi’i. Abu Ya’la al-‘Abdi al-Maliki narrated that there are three opinions in the madhhab regarding sending prayers to the Prophet ﷺ during the prayer: that it is obligatory, that it is Sunnah and that it is recommended.
Another view of the Green Dome from Jannat al-Baqi.
Al-Khattabi differed with the companions of al-Shafi’i and other Shafi’is regarding this issue. He said,
“It is not an obligatory act of the prayer. This is the opinion of the majority of the jurists apart from al-Shafi’i. I do not know of anyone that he could be following in that.”
The evidence that it is not among the obligatory acts of the prayer is the practice of those who preceded al-Shafi’i, whose consensus is that it is not obligatory. The scholars had criticized al-Shafi’i greatly for this issue. In fact, the tashahhud that al-Shafi’i preferred was the one reported by Ibn Mas’ud, which the Prophet ﷺ taught him and does not contain any prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ. Likewise, none of those who narrated the tashahhud from the Prophet ﷺ, such as Abu Hurairah, Ibn ‘Abbas, Jabir, Ibn ‘Umar, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari and Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, mentioned any prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ as part of it.
Ibn ‘Abbas and Jabir said,
“The Prophet ﷺ would teach us the tashahhud like he would teach us chapters of the Qur’an.”
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrated the same.
Ibn ‘Umar said,
“Abu Bakr used to teach us the tashahhud upon the minbar, just as children are taught in their classrooms.”
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) would also teach it upon the minbar.
There is also the hadith,
“There is no prayer for he who does not send prayers upon me.”
Ibn al-Qussar said,
“It means that one’s prayer is not complete without it, or it means that there is no prayer for the one who has not sent prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ at least once in his life.”
However, all the scholars of Hadith have declared this hadith as weak.
There is another hadith narrated by Abu Ja’far, on the authority of Ibn Mas’ud, that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“If someone prays a prayer in which he has not sent prayers upon me and the people of my house, his prayer will not be accepted.”
Regarding this hadith, al-Daraqutni said,
“The correct position is that they are the words of Abu Ja’far Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn, who said, ‘If I pray a ﷺ prayer in which I do not send prayers upon the Prophet and upon the people of his house, I would not consider my prayer as complete.’”
People walk outside Masjid al-Nabawi below the Green Dome that marks the resting place of the Prophet ﷺ
Situations in Which it is Recommended to Send Prayers and Peace Upon ﷺ the Prophet
Regarding the situations in which it is recommended to send prayers and peace upon the Prophet ﷺ, and in which it is encouraged, one of them is the tashahhud in the prayer, as we have mentioned. The proper time is after the tashahhud and before the supplication.
Fadalah ibn ‘Ubayd said,
“The Prophet ﷺ heard a man supplicating in his prayer who had not sent prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘He has been hasty.’ Then he called him over and said to him and others, ‘When one of you prays, let him begin by praising and extolling Allah. Then, let him send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ. Then, let him supplicate after that for whatever he wants.’”
It has also been narrated with a different chain of transmission that he said,
“By glorifying Allah.”
And that is the most authentic narration.
‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
“Supplication and prayers are suspended between Heaven and Earth. No part of them ascend to Allahntil prayers are sent upon the Prophet ﷺ.”
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In another narration, ‘Ali narrated from the Prophet ﷺ something with the same meaning. And in another narration, the Prophet ﷺ added,
“…and upon the family of Muhammad.”
It was also narrated that supplications are veiled until the supplicant sends prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ.
Ibn Mas’ud said,
“Whenever one of you wants to ask Allah for something, let him begin by praising and extolling Him as He deserves, then let him send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, then let him ask, for this (way) is more worthy and better suited for a reward.”
Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
“Do not treat me like the water skin of the rider. The rider fills his water skin and then puts it down. Then, he picks up his possessions. Then, if he needs to drink, he drinks and if he needs to perform ablution, he performs it. If not, he leaves it. Rather, mention me at the beginning of your supplication, in the middle of it, and at the end.”
Ibn ‘Ata’ said,
“Supplications have pillars, wings, means, and times. If one completes its pillars, it becomes strong. If he conforms to its wings, it flies into the sky. If his supplication corresponds to its times, it succeeds. And if he takes its means, it is favoured. Its pillars are the presence of heart, etiquette, submission, humility, and the heart’s attachment to Allah and detachment from intermediary means. Its wings are sincerity. Its time is the early (pre-dawn) morning. Its means are prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ.”
In another hadith, the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said,
“A supplication made between two prayers (upon the Prophet) is not rejected.”
One of the times in which it is recommended to send prayers and peace upon the Prophet ﷺ, and in which it is encouraged, is the tashahhud in the prayer. The proper time is after the tashahhud and before the supplication.
In another hadith, he ﷺ says,
“Every supplication is veiled from Heaven. Then, when the supplicant sends prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, it ascends.”
The supplication of Ibn ‘Abbas, which was narrated by Hansh, ends with,
“Accept my supplication. Then begin with prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, saying, ‘O Allah! I ask You that You send blessings upon Muhammad – your slave, prophet, and messenger – with a prayer that is superior to any prayer that You have sent upon anyone in all creation. Āmīn.’”
Other situations for sending prayers upon him is when he is mentioned, when hearing his name, when writing it, and at the time of the adhan.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“May he regret in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send prayers upon me.”
However, Ibn Habib disliked that the Prophet ﷺ should be mentioned at the time of slaughter.
Sahnun disliked sending prayers upon him as an expression of amazement. He said,
“One should not send prayers upon him ﷺ, except when one anticipates and seeks a reward.”
Asbagh narrated that Ibn al-Qasim said,
“There are two situations in which only Allah is mentioned: at the time of slaughter and when one sneezes. In those two times, one should not say, after mentioning Allah, ‘Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’ However, if, after mentioning Allah, one was to say, ‘May Allah bless Muhammad,’ it would not amount to mentioning him alongside Allah.”
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Ashhab said,
“It is not proper to limit the prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ to a specific time.”
Al-Nasa’i narrated from Aws ibn Aws that the Prophet ﷺ commanded that people send copious prayers upon him on the Day of Jumu’ah.
Another situation for sending prayers and peace upon him is when entering the Masjid. Abu Ishaq ibn Sha’ban said,
“It is necessary for the one who enters the Masjid to send prayers and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and upon his family, to invoke mercy upon them, and to extend them a worthy salutation. He should then say, ‘O Allah! Forgive me my sins, and open for me the doors of Your mercy.’ And when he leaves, he should do the same, except that, when leaving, instead of ‘Your mercy,’ he should say, ‘Your grace.’”
Regarding Allah’s words,
“When you enter houses, send peace upon yourselves”
‘Amr ibn Dinar said,
“If there is no one in the house, then say, ‘Peace be upon the Prophet ﷺ and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah. Peace be upon the People of the House and the mercy and blessings of Allah.’”
Ibn ‘Abbas said,
“The meaning of ‘houses’ here is mosques.”
Al-Nakha’i said,
“If there is no one in the Masjid, say, ‘Peace be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ And if there is no one in the house, say, ‘Peace be upon us and the pious servants of Allah.’”
‘Alqamah said,
“When I enter a Masjid, I say, ‘Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. May Allah and His Angels send prayers upon Muhammad ﷺ.’”
Ka’b said something similar, saying,
“When you enter or exit...”
The rest is the same, except he did not mention the final prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ. As evidence for this practice, Ibn Sha’ban mentioned the hadith of Fatimah bint Rasulillah ﷺ that the Prophet ﷺ would do so when entering the Masjid.
Abu Bakr ibn ‘Amr ibn Hazm mentioned a similar matter, and he also mentioned peace and mercy. This last hadith was mentioned by al-Qasim. He mentioned a variety of different wordings for it.
Another situation for sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is upon the deceased person being prayed over. Abu Umamah mentioned that it is from the Sunnah.
View of the Green Dome from the plaza of Masjid al-Nabawi
One of the other situations for sending prayers upon him, which the Ummah has been steadfast at performing, and which no one has criticized, is to send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ and upon his family in letters, after writing the basmalah. This practice did not exist in the first generations. It was started during the rule of Bani Hashim. People in all regions of the earth adopted it and were steadfast in it. Some of them even close out their written works with it.
The Prophet ﷺ said,
“If someone sends prayers upon me in a book, the Angels will continue to seek forgiveness for him as long as my name is in that book.”
Another situation for sending peace upon the Prophet ﷺ is in the tashahhud during the prayer. Abdullah ibn Mas’ud narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“When one of you prays, let him say, ‘Salutations, prayers and good things are all for Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah.’ If you say this, your salutation will reach every pious slave in the Heavens and the Earth.”
Thus, this is one of the places for sending peace upon him. The Sunnah is to do so in the first part of the tashahhud.
Malik has also narrated that Ibn ‘Umar would say this after he had completed his tashahhud and before he would give salam to end the prayer. Malik is reported in Al-Mabsut to have preferred that it be recited before giving salam to end the prayer.
Muhammad ibn Maslamah said,
“He meant that which has been narrated about ‘A’ishah and Ibn ‘Umar that they both would say (before giving salam to end the prayer), ‘Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah. Peace be upon you.’”
The people of knowledge considered it preferable that a person make an intention when he gives salam, thereby greeting every pious slave in the Heaven and the Earth, among the Angels, the Children of Adam, and the jinn.
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In his Majmu’, Malik said,
“I like that when the Imam gives salam, that the follower should say, ‘Peace be upon the Prophet and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah. Peace be upon you.’”
On the Method of Sending Prayers and Peace Upon Him ﷺ
Abu Hamid al-Sa’idi narrated that the Companions said,
“O Messenger of Allah! How should we send prayers upon you?”
He replied,
“Say: O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad, his wives, and his offspring, just as You have sent prayers upon Ibrahim. And bless Muhammad, his wives, and his offspring, just as You have blessed the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise and very Majestic.’”
With another chain of transmission, Malik narrates that Abu Mas’ud al-Ansari said that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Say: ‘O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You sent prayers upon the family of Ibrahim. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed the family of Ibrahim from amongst all the worlds. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise and very Majestic. And you already know how to send salutations.’”
In another narration from Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah, the Prophet ﷺ said,
People enter the al-Baqi gate of Masjid al-Nabawi, below the Green Dome
“O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You sent prayers upon Ibrahim... And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed Ibrahim...”
‘Uqbah ibn ‘Amr narrates,
“O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad the Unlettered Prophet, and the family of Muhammad.”
Abu Sa’id al-Khudri narrates,
“O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad, your slave and Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet...”
‘Ali said,
“I learned the following words directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, ‘I took them directly from Jibrīl, who said, “They descended from the Mighty Lord like this:
“‘“‘O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as you sent prayers upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic. O Allah! Show mercy to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You showed mercy to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic. O Allah! Love Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You loved Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic. Send peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You sent peace upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy off all praise, very Majestic.’”’”
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“If someone wishes to obtain the greatest reward when he sends prayers upon us (the people of the house), he should say, ‘O Allah! Bless Muhammad the Prophet, his wives the Mothers of the Believers, his offspring, and the people of his house, just as you sent prayers upon Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic.’”
In another hadith,
“Zayd ibn Kharijah al-Ansari asked the Prophet ﷺ, ‘How should we send prayers upon you?’
“The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied, ‘Pray, exert yourself in supplication, then say, “O, Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic.”’”
Salamah al-Kindi said,
“’Ali would teach us the following prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ:
“‘O Allah! Leveller of the Earth and Creator of the Heavens, send the noblest of Your prayers, the most excellent of Your blessings, and the most gracious of Your blessings upon Muhammad, Your slave and Messenger, the opener of that which was closed, the Seal of what went before, the one who proclaims the Truth by the Truth, the one who repels the armies of falsehood, as was his responsibility. He took it upon himself, through Your command, to obey You, earning Your satisfaction, bearing Your revelation, upholding Your covenant, and faithfully delivering Your command until he had lit a lamp for the seekers of the favours of Allah that would cause them to obtain their objective. By him, hearts were guided after being submerged in the seditions of sin. He clarified the evident signs, the luminous decrees, and the lights of Islam. He is Your trustworthy confidant, the treasurer of Your priceless knowledge, Your witness on the Day of Judgement, and the one who You have sent as a blessing; who You sent as a mercy and the Messenger of Truth. O Allah! Admit Him into Your Eden, reward Him with multitudes of good out of Your grace – endowments free of all difficulty – by causing him to obtain Your reward therein and multitudes of Your amazing gifts. O Allah! Elevate his works above the works of other people, make his status and position with You honourable, perfect for him his light. Grant him, from those to whom You have sent him, people of accepted testimonies (of faith), pleasing words, just judgement, guided steps, and immense proofs.’”
People exit the al-Baqi gate of Masjid al-Nabawi, near the resting place of the Prophet ﷺ
Another prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ that has been reported from ‘Ali is as follows:
“‘Allah and His Angels sent prayers upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send prayers upon him and extend him a worthy salutation’
“I comply with Your command, O Allah, my Lord, and seek to please You. May the prayers of Allah the Beneficent and Merciful, of the Angels drawn near, of the prophets and Siddīqīn, of the martyrs and the pious, and of all that has glorified You, O Lord of the worlds, be upon Muhammad ibn Abdullah, the Seal of the Prophets, the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the God-conscious, the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds, the witness and bearer of glad tidings, the caller to You by Your permission, and the illuminated lamp. And may peace be upon him.”
The following prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ has been narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas’ud:
“O Allah! Single out for Your prayers, blessings and mercy, the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the God-conscious, and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, Your slave and Messenger, the Imam of all good, and the Messenger of mercy. O Allah! Place him in the praiseworthy station, for which the first and the last will envy him. O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, just as You have sent prayers upon Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic. And bless Muhammad and the family Muhammad, just as You have blessed Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic.”
Al-Hasan al-Basri would say,
“If someone wants to drink the fullest glass from the pond of the Chosen One ﷺ, let him say,
“‘O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad ﷺ, his family, his Companions, his children, his wives, his descendants, the people of his house, his in-laws, his helpers, his adherents, his lovers, his Ummah, and upon us all along with them, O Most Merciful of the merciful.’”
Tawus narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas would say,
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“O Allah! Accept the Greatest Intercession of Muhammad ﷺ, raise him to the highest rank, and grant him his requests in the Hereafter and in this world, just as You granted the requests of Ibrahim and Musa.”
Wuhayb ibn al-Warad would say during his supplication,
“O Allah! Grant Muhammad ﷺ the best of that which he has requested for himself. Grant Muhammad ﷺ the best of that which anyone in Your creation has requested for him. And grant Muhammad ﷺ the best of that for which You will be requested until the Day of Judgement.”
It has also been narrated that Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
“When you send prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ, make it the most excellent prayer upon him (that you are able to do). You do not know if perhaps it will be presented to him. Say:
“‘O Allah! Single out for Your prayer, mercy, and blessings the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the God-conscious and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, Your slave and Messenger; the Imam of all good, the leader of all good, and the Messenger of mercy. O Allah! Cause him to reach the praiseworthy station in which he will be envied by the first of the last. Send prayers upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as you sent prayers upon Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic. O Allah! Bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as you blessed Ibrahim. Indeed, You are worthy of all praise, very Majestic.’”
There are many other narrations that implicate extending the prayer and praising the people of the house and others.
The words of Ibn Mas’ud when he says, “And you already know how to send salutations” refers to the salutation that was taught in the tashahhud, “Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah. Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah.”
The tashahhud reported from ‘Ali contains the following salutation:
“Peace be upon the Prophet of Allah. Peace be upon the prophets of Allah and His Messengers. Peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon Muhammad ibn Abdullah. Peace be upon us and upon the believing men and women, those who are absent, and those who are present. O Allah! Forgive the people of the house, forgive me and my parents, and their children, and have mercy on them both. Peace be upon us and upon the pious servants of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.”
In this hadith from ‘Ali, there has come a supplication for forgiveness for the Prophet ﷺ. In the hadith on sending prayers upon him that preceded, there is a supplication for him to receive mercy. This has only been mentioned in this hadith, and not in any recognized hadiths attributable to the Prophet ﷺ.
However, Abu ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-Barr and others have opined that one should not supplicate for the Prophet ﷺ to receive mercy. Rather, one should only supplicate for him ﷺ through sending prayers and asking for the blessings for which he has been singled out. For others, one should supplicate for mercy and forgiveness.
A view of the Green Dome from the plaza outside Masjid al-Nabawi
Nevertheless, Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Zayd mentioned in the prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ the following words:
“O Allah! Send mercy upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You sent mercy upon Ibra- him and the family of Ibrahim.”
Yet this was not mentioned in any authentic hadith. His evidence was the words in the salutation (of the tashahhud),
“Peace be upon you, O Prophet and the mercy and blessings of Allah.”
On the Benefit of Sending Prayers and Peace Upon Him ﷺ and of Supplicating for Him ﷺ
It has been narrated that Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said,
“I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, ‘When you hear the adhān, repeat what the mu’adhdhin says. Then send prayers upon me, for if anyone send prayers upon me once, Allah sends ten prayers upon him. Then request for me al-wasīlah. It is a station in Paradise that has been reserved for only one slave from among the servants of Allah, and I hope that I will be him. My intercession is necessary for anyone that requests al-wasīlah for me.”
Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“If someone sends one prayer upon me, Allah sends ten prayers upon him, He erases for him ten mistakes, and He raises him ten degrees.”
In another narration, he added,
“And He records for him ten good deeds.”
Anas narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“Jibrīl summoned me and said, ‘If someone sends one prayer upon you, Allah will send ten prayers upon him, and He will raise him ten degrees.’”
People enter the Rawdah of the Prophet ﷺ
The same hadith was narrated by ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn ‘Awf, who said that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“I met Jibrīl and he said to me, ‘I am giving you the glad tidings that Allah (Exalted is He) has said, “If someone greets you, I greet them. And if someone sends prayers upon you, I send prayers upon him.”’”
Similar hadiths have been narrated from Abu Hurairah and Malik ibn Aws ibn al-Hadathan.
‘Ubayd Allah ibn Abi Talhah narrates from Zayd ibn al-Khabbab that the latter said,
“I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘If someone says, “O Allah! Send prayers upon Muhammad and place him in the station of nearness to You on the Day of Judgement,” my intercession will be obligatory for him.’”
Ibn Mas’ud narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“The closest person to me on the Day of Judgement will be the one who has sent the most prayers upon me.”
Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
Sayyid Muhammad b. ‘Alawi al-Maliki’s Celebrating the Birth of the Prophet ﷺ discusses legal rulings related to the mawlid.
“If someone sends prayers upon me in a book, the Angels will continue to seek forgiveness for him as long as my name is in that book.”
‘Amir ibn Rabi’ah said,
“I heard the Prophet ﷺ say, ‘If someone sends one prayer upon me, the Angels will send equal blessings upon him. So let the slave either perform a little or a lot.’”
Ubayy ibn Ka’b reported,
“The Messenger of Allah stood up after a quarter of the night had passed and ﷺ said, “O people! Remember Allah! The earthquake has come. It will be followed by the Hour.”
“So, Ubayy ibn Ka’b said, “O Messenger of Allah! I intend to send abundant prayers upon you. How much should I do?”
“The Prophet said, “As much as you like.”
Ubayy asked, “A quarter ﷺ (of my supplications)?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “As much as you wish. But if you were to increase it, it would be better.”
Ubayy said, “A third?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “As much as you wish. But if you were to increase it, it would be bet- ter.”
Ubayy said, “Half?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “As much as you wish. But if you were to increase it, it would be bet- ter.”
Ubayy said, “Two thirds?”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “As much as you wish. But if you were to increase it, it would be better.”
Ubayy said, “O Messenger of Allah! Then I will dedicate all my supplications to you.”
The Prophet ﷺ said, “Then you will be sufficed of all your needs and forgiven your sins.”
Abu Talhah said,
The Rawdah of the Prophet ﷺ
“I entered upon the Prophet ﷺ and saw him in a state of elation and relaxedness that I had not seen before. So I asked him about it and he said, ‘What would prevent me from that when Jibrīl came suddenly and brought me glad tidings from the Lord (Mighty and Majestic is He). Jibrīl said, “Allah (Exalted is he) sent me to give you glad tidings that no one from your Ummah will send prayers upon you except that Allah and His Angels will send ten prayers upon him.”’”
Jabir ibn Abdullah said,
“The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘If someone says, at the time of hearing the adhān, “O Allah! Lord of this perfect call and of the prayer that will be established! Grant Muhammad al-wasīlah and superiority and place him in the praiseworthy station that You have promised him,” my intercession for him on the Day of Judgement will be obligatory.’”
Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“If someone says, at the time of hearing the adhān, ‘I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He is one and with- out partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I am satisfied with Allah as my Lord, with Muhammad as my Messenger, and with Islam as my religion,’ he will be forgiven.”
Ibn Wahb narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said,
“If someone sends peace upon me ten times, it is as if he has freed a slave.”
In some traditional reports, the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said,
“Some people will come to me and I will only recognize them through the copious prayers that they sent upon me.”
And in another report, he is reported to have said,
“The safest of you on the Day of Judgement from its terrors and occurrences will be the one who has sent the most prayers upon me.”
Abu Bakr al-Siddiq is reported to have said,
“Prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ are more effective against sins than cold water against fire. Sending peace upon him is better than freeing slaves.”
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This article is excerpted from On Prayers Upon the Prophet ﷺ (Gems from the Shifa’ of Qadi ‘Iyad), available worldwide from the IGI Bookstore and in many countries via Amazon.