{Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and greet him with a worthy greeting.}
Through my presentation of this verse, I try to address three points:
- The first point: The meaning of sending blessings (Salawat) upon the Prophet (s).
- The second point: Its place in Islamic jurisprudence.
- The third point: The virtue of sending blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad (s).
The first point: “Salawat” linguistically means supplication, and its plural is “Salawat.” When attributed to Allah, its meaning is the sending of mercy from Him to the one upon whom blessings are sent. When attributed to the angels, it means purification from the angels for that human being upon whom blessings are sent. When attributed to a human, it is a supplication from the human for the one upon whom blessings are sent.
If someone were to ask: Who am I to supplicate for the Messenger?!
I am the sinful human, how do I deserve to supplicate for the Master of all creation?! Is the Messenger (s) in need of my supplication??
The answer to that is:
Indeed, sending blessings upon the Messenger (s) is something Allah has commanded us to do in His saying: { … O you who have believed, send blessings upon him and greet him with a worthy greeting.} 1 Rather, He emphasized His command in a formula rarely found in the Quran, by presenting Allah Himself, then His angels, and then commanding the believers.. And even its wording is not in the imperative form, as in the saying of Allah Almighty: ﴿ Allah bears witness that there is no deity except Him, and so do the angels and those of knowledge, standing in justice. There is no deity except Him, the Exalted in Might, the Wise. ﴾ 2 If this indicates anything, it only indicates the emphasis on clarifying the greatness of sending blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad.
And Allah has not commanded us with anything except that which contains benefit for us. If we reflect upon sending blessings upon Muhammad, we will find in it important benefits. I will try to point to five of them:
1) The benefit of honor (‘Izzah).
2) The benefit of intercession (Shafa’ah).
3) The benefit of actual connection with the Messenger (s).
4) The benefit of veneration (Ta’dhim).
5) The benefit of purification and blessing (Tathir and Barakah).
Honor (‘Izzah): Honor is a state that prevents a person from being overcome. It comes from the saying “ard ‘azaz” meaning solid earth. He Almighty said: “Indeed, honor belongs to Allah.” Al-‘Aziz (The Almighty) is He who overcomes and is not overcome. Honor may be condemned in the disbelievers because it is false honor, while in reality it is humiliation. He said: “Those who disbelieved were in honor and dissension.” Honor may also be used to mean reprehensible zeal and pride. He Almighty said: “Seized him the honor in sin.” And it is said “‘Azza ‘alayya katha” meaning it was difficult. He Almighty said: “Grievous to him is what you suffer.”
So when a human supplicates for the Messenger (s), this supplication makes him experience honor. He says: If I were not honorable, Allah would not have commanded me to supplicate for my master, the Messenger of Allah (s).
Intercession (Shafa’ah): When a human supplicates for the Messenger, his supplication is considered a gift to the Messenger. Whoever presents a gift expects thanks. And thanks in the Quran is a practical term, not merely verbal. ﴿ … Work, O family of David, in gratitude … ﴾ 3 So if a human supplicates for the Messenger in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection this supplication is presented to the Messenger (s).. What do you think the human expects from the Messenger (s) in return for his gift, which is sending blessings upon him (s)?!
Therefore, it is narrated from Imam al-Baqir (a): “The best thing to be placed in the balance on the Day of Resurrection is sending blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad.”
The actual connection with the Messenger (s): This is understood from the present tense verb in the verse “yusalluna” (they send blessings), which indicates continuity and permanence, meaning that Allah and the angels are constantly sending blessings upon the Prophet. This permanence is due to the eternal nature of sending blessings upon the Prophet (s). Consequently, its permanence in the life of a human means that the Prophet has a constant, actual presence in our lives. This is understood from the many texts that emphasize the frequency of sending blessings upon the Prophet (s), not that sending blessings upon him (s) is merely a verbal utterance disconnected from our reality, while we are as far as possible from the character of the Messenger (s), the thought of the Messenger, and the spirituality of the Messenger (s).
Veneration (Ta’dhim): Rational people agree that whoever does not venerate his master and leader has no good in him. Sending blessings upon Muhammad and his Family is the best means of venerating the noble Messenger (s).
Purification (Tathir): The Messenger (s) said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, the angels send blessings upon him ten times” meaning they supplicate for him and bless him. And the best means of purifying a human is the supplication of the angels.
O beloved ones.. The verse includes two commands: “send blessings” and “greet.” There is a difference between “taslim” (greeting/submission) and “istislam” (surrender). “Taslim” means voluntary submission to the commands and prohibitions of the Prophet (s), as narrated from Abu Basir from Imam al-Sadiq (a). He said: I said, O Abu Abdillah (a), I know how to send blessings upon the Prophet (s), but how is the “taslim” (greeting/submission)?
He (a) said: “It is submission to him in all matters.”
As for “istislam” (surrender), it is compulsory submission, which Islam does not intend. ﴿ There is no compulsion in religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong. So whoever disbelieves in Taghut and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold with no break in it. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. ﴾ 4 Some have said that “taslim” is saying: “Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah.”
The second point: (Its place in Islamic jurisprudence)
The Imamiyyah (Shia) hold that it is obligatory in the first and second Tashahhud in prayer. The Shafi’is hold that it is obligatory in the second Tashahhud only. Malik and Abu Hanifah hold that it is not obligatory in prayer.
Among the subtle points is that al-Shafi’i composed a poem saying:
O Family of the Messenger of Allah, love for you
Is an obligation from Allah revealed in the Quran.
It suffices as your great status that
Whoever does not send blessings upon you has no prayer.
Referencing the saying of Allah Almighty: ﴿ … Say, “I do not ask you for it any reward except love for the near relatives.” And whoever does a good deed, We will increase for him good in it. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Appreciative. ﴾ 5
As for outside of prayer, al-Karkhi held that it is obligatory once in a lifetime. Al-Sahawi: every time he is mentioned, and al-Zamakhshari chose this view, as did Ibn Babawayh al-Qummi from our jurists. The well-known view is that it is absolutely recommended. As for doing it in congregation with one voice, most Muslims see no harm in that, and perhaps it is from the door of cooperation upon righteousness. ﴿ … And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty. ﴾ 6 It is mentioned in the noble hadith: “The best act of righteousness is sending blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad.” However, the Wahhabis emphasize that this is a form of forbidden innovation (bid’ah). I do not know what their evidence is for that.
The third point: (The virtue of sending blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad)
From the Messenger (s): “The truly miserly person is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.” 7
And from him (s): “Whoever sends blessings upon me in a book, the angels will continue to seek forgiveness for him as long as my name is in that book.” 8
Imam al-Rida (a) said: “Whoever cannot afford to have his sins expiated, let him increase in sending blessings upon Muhammad and his Family, for it demolishes sins utterly.” 9
And from one of the two Imams (a): “The heaviest thing to be placed in the balance on the Day of Resurrection is sending blessings upon Muhammad and his Family.” 10
From al-Sadiq (a): “There is no better deed on Friday than sending blessings upon Muhammad and his Family.” 11
From Abi al-Hasan al-Askari (a): “Allah took Ibrahim (a) as a beloved friend (Khalil) only because of his frequent sending of blessings upon Muhammad and his Family.” 12
As for its effects, they are many. Among them is the increase of provision, as in this beautiful story.
It is narrated that a poor man left his house one day seeking provision for his family, but he did not know where to go. He started walking along the road and passed by a mosque. He heard the preacher speaking to the people about the virtue of sending blessings upon Muhammad and his Family and encouraging them to do so. He sat at the door of the mosque to hear what the preacher was saying from the pulpit. He heard within the speech that sending blessings upon the Prophet and his pure Family constantly would cause Allah to place blessing in his wealth, and that if the poor man mentioned the blessings and continued doing so, Allah would send down provision for him from the sky.
The poor man left after hearing the preacher’s words and started walking along the road, his tongue uttering blessings upon Muhammad and his pure, good Family. He continued this act continuously. One day, while walking in a ruin, his foot hit a rock. When he lifted it, he found underneath it a bag full of gold coins and jewels. He said to himself: “I am promised provision from the sky, and I do not want provision from the earth. How do I know if this bag belongs to a specific person who hid it under this rock, and it is not permissible for me to take it?” So he placed the rock back over the bag as it was and returned home empty-handed. When he settled at home, he related in detail what he had seen to his wife.
This man had a Jewish neighbor who was at that time on the roof and heard everything the poor man said to his wife. The Jew came down from the roof and hurried towards the ruin where the jewels and gold were, lifted the rock, took the bag, and returned home. He opened the bag in front of his wife and found it filled with scorpions and snakes! He said to his wife: “Our Muslim neighbor is a fierce enemy of ours. When he knew I was on the roof of his house, he spoke this speech so that I would hear it, then go to the bag and bring it home so that the scorpions and snakes would attack us and kill us! For this reason, I will throw what is in the bag onto his head from above the roof so that he dies as he intended for us!”
Indeed, the Jew came to the roof of his neighbor’s house and found him sitting with his wife arguing in raised voices. He heard the woman say to her husband: “O man, is it right that you come across a bag full of gold and jewels and leave it in its place, while we have nothing to eat?”
The husband said: “I indeed hope from Allah Almighty that He sends down provision for me from the sky.” The Jew opened the bag and threw its contents onto the head of the poor man and his wife. The man heard a sound above his head, and when he looked up, he saw pieces of gold and jewels falling upon him! He said to his wife: “Look at the provision of Allah Almighty.. Did I not tell you that I am promised provision from the sky?” And he continued to repeat blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad.
The Jew saw that what was falling was gold and jewels, not scorpions! He stopped throwing and looked into the bag again, and saw it packed with scorpions as well! He threw the rest of the bag into the house of the believing man, and it turned into gold and jewels! At this point, the Jew realized that what he was witnessing was one of the divine secrets. Then he remembered the story that happened in the time of Moses (a), when the water of the Nile became pure blood for the Copts, while it was fresh water for the Children of Israel. After that, he called out to his Muslim neighbor to come up to him on the roof. The man went up onto the roof, and the Jew embraced Islam at his hands after witnessing his honesty and sincerity.
The believing man, for his part, did not fail him. He gave him a sufficient amount of gold coins and jewels to help him with his worldly affairs, and to show that Muslims are not just talk and slogans, but rather there are those who match action to words.
Supporting this story is the narration of Sahl ibn Sa’d, that a man came to the noble Prophet Muhammad (s) and complained to him of poverty. The Prophet (s) told him, in essence: “When you enter your house, greet (say Salaam) whether there is anyone in it or not, then send blessings upon me and upon my Family, then recite Surat al-Tawhid.” The man did so, and provision came to him from everywhere, to the extent that he started distributing wealth to his neighbors.
Thus, sending blessings upon Muhammad and his pure Family (a) is one of the causes of wealth, provision, increase in money, and the appearance of blessing.. All of you send blessings upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad! 13!
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Footnotes:
- a. b. The Holy Quran: Surat al-Ahzab (33), Verse: 56, Page: 426.
- The Holy Quran: Surat Al ‘Imran (3), Verse: 18, Page: 52.
- The Holy Quran: Surat Saba (34), Verse: 13, Page: 429.
- The Holy Quran: Surat al-Baqarah (2), Verse: 256, Page: 42.
- The Holy Quran: Surat al-Shura (42), Verse: 23, Page: 486.
- The Holy Quran: Surat al-Ma’idah(5), Verse: 2, Page: 106.
- Safinatal-Bihar [New Edition] Vol. 5, p. 171, entry (صلى), from Ma’ani al-Akhbar. And in Kashf al-Ghummah Vol. 2, p. 128, from him (s): “The most miserly of all misers is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.”
- Safinatal-Bihar [New Edition] Vol. 5, p. 172, entry (صلى).
- Rawdatal-Wa’idhin, p. 322, Chapter on mentioning blessings upon the Prophet (s). And Safinat al-Bihar [New Edition] Vol. 5, p. 170, entry (صلى), from ‘Uyun Akhbar al-Rida (a).
- Qurb al-Isnad, p. 9. AndSafinatal-Bihar [New Edition] Vol. 5, p. 170, entry (صلى).
- Al-Khisal, p. 394, hadith 101. And Thawab al-A’mal, p. 158, Chapter on the reward of one who sends blessings upon the Prophet and hisFamily..And Safinat al-Bihar [New Edition] Vol. 5, p. 171, entry (صلى), from ‘Ilal al-Shara’i’.
- ‘Ilalal-Shara’i’, p. 34. And Qisas al-Anbiya’ for al-Jaza’iri, p. 96. AndSafinat al-Bihar [New Edition] Vol. 5, p. 171, entry (صلى).
- Source: Al-Na’im Cultural Network.
