‘Authubullaahi min ashShaytaan arRajeem.
Bismillaah arRaHmaan arRaHeem.
Allaahumma salay ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aalay Muhammad kamaa salayta ‘ala aalay Ibraaheem innaka Hameedum Majeed. Allaahumma baraak ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aalay Muhammad kamaa baraakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem innaka Hameedum Majeed.
Allaah aza wa jal said :
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Indeed, Allaah and His angels confer blessing upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, ask blessing upon him and ask peace.
[Surah al-‘AHzaab 33:56]
Allaah aza wa jal has commanded the believers to ask for blessings and peace upon the Prophet. However, Allaah aza wa jal does not tell us how and when to do it. This is clarified to us in the teachings of Rasoolullaah himself. Since it was his duty to teach us what was revealed to him from Allaah aza wa jal:
يَا أَيُّهَا الرَّسُولُ بَلِّغْ مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۖ وَإِن لَّمْ تَفْعَلْ فَمَا بَلَّغْتَ رِسَالَتَهُ ۚ وَاللَّهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
O Messenger! Proclaim which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His Message. Allaah will protect you from mankind. Indeed, Allaah guides not the people who disbelieve.
[Surah al-Ma’idah 5:67]
Consequently, Allaah’s Messenger did not leave any part of the revelation except conveying it to us. No act of worship will be accepted unless it is in accordance with the revelation of Allaah aza wa jal. This includes sending blessings and peace. The proper Sunnah way has been narrated in many authentic ahadeeth:
يلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَمَّا السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ فَقَدْ عَرَفْنَاهُ فَكَيْفَ الصَّلاَةُ قَالَ ” 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 مَجِيدٌ
Narrated Ka’b bin Ujra: It was said, “O Rasoolullaah! We know how to greet you (asalaam alayk), but how to invoke (asalaat) Allaah for you?”
(Rasoolullaah) said, “Say: Allaahumma salay ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala aalay Muhammaddin, kama salayta ‘ala aalay Ibraaheem, innaka Hameedun majeed.”
[Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab at-Tafseer]
قَالَ قُلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا التَّسْلِيمُ فَكَيْفَ نُصَلِّي عَلَيْكَ قَالَ ” قُولُوا اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَرَسُولِكَ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ
Narrated Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri: We said, “O Rasoolullaah! (We know) this greeting (tasleem) (to you) but how shall we invoke Allaah for you?” He said, “Say: Allaahumma salay ‘ala Muhammadin ‘Abdika wa rasoolika kama salayta ‘ala all Ibraaheem wa barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala aalay Muhammadin kama barakta ‘ala all Ibraaheem.’
[Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Kitaab at-Tafseer]
أَنَّهُمْ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ نُصَلِّي عَلَيْكَ قَالَ ” قُولُوا اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ ”
Narrated Abu Humaid as-Saidi: The people said, “O Rasoolullaah! How may we send Salay upon you?” He said, “Say: Allahumma salay ‘ala Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama salayta ‘ala aalay Ibraaheem; wa barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama barakta ‘ala aalay Ibraaheem innaka Hameedun majeed.“
[Saheeh al-Bukhaari]
All of these narrations, and numerous others, convey to us the different ways how Rasoolullaah taught us to do it. Not a single authentic narration ever said to say “SalAllaahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam”. What Rasoolullaah taught about Islaam was no doubt revelation from Allaah aza wa jal, as Allaah aza wa jal said about the Prophet:
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ
Nor does he speak from desires, It is only but a revelation revealed
[Surah an-Najm 53:3-4]
Now, what remains is when do we send blessings upon the Prophet? Everyone who knows how to pray properly does this at least in the tashhahud of prayer, before the tasleem. This is sufficient enough to fulfill the commandment of Allaah aza wa jal.
Despite this, many have claimed that blessings must be sent every time one mentions Rasoolullaah. This is an abhorrent bid’ah and there is nothing to support such a belief.
They attempt to use some narrations that 1) do not support what they say, and 2) their authenticity is disputed.
رغِم أنفُ رجلٍ ذُكرتُ عنده فلم يصلِّ عليَّ
Abu Hurayra said: Rasoolullaah said: “May his nose be rubbed in the dust, a man in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.”
البخيل الذي من ذكرت عنده فلم يصل عليَّ
al-Husain ibn ‘Ali bin Abi Taalib narrated that the Prophet said: “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.”
Firstly, the ahadeeth do not say every time someone mentions the Prophet, they must send blessings upon him. The narrations say “in whose presence I am mentioned.” So in the presence whom the Prophet is mentioned, is the one who sends the blessings, not the one mentioning him.
Secondly, the authenticity of these ahadeeth are disputable. Since the chains are not connected and one or more of the narrators are not upright and reliable. Such as ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Ali and ‘Abd ur-RaHman bin IsHaaq. They are not Thiqa.
Nonetheless, the important issue is the proper way of sending blessings upon Rasoolullaah. That has been proven and it is the only way of doing it. Saying “SalAllaahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam” is not from Sunnah and it is not the appropriate way.
So one wonders when was the revelation of Allaah aza wa jal, shortened or even replaced by lazy man-made ways? Allaaho Alim.
SIDE NOTE: al-Khaatib al-Baghdaadi said: “I saw the handwriting of Abu ‘Abdullaah Ahmad bin Hanbal in many ahadeeth in which the Prophet was mentioned. And he would not write ‘SalAllaahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam’ after his name. I was informed that he used to invoke peace and blessings upon the Prophet by his tongue and not in writing.” [al-Jami’ le-Akhlaq ar-Rawi wa Adab as-Sami’ 1/271]
When were the books of the Imaams tampered with?
Millat Ibraheem 