Sending Blessings upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم - Shaykh Ahsan Hanif

Khuṭbah: Sending Blessings upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا

أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيثِ كِتَابُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَشَرَّ الْأُمُورِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَكُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِي النَّارِ

The Hadith of Abū Ṭalḥa al-Anṣārī

In what is collected in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad on the authority of the famous companion Abū Ṭalḥa al-Anṣārī — may Allah be pleased with him — he narrated that we saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم one morning in good spirits. You could see pleasure and happiness on his face. So the companions remarked upon this and said: "O Messenger of Allah, this morning you seem like you're in good spirits — we can see happiness upon your face." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied:

(Musnad Aḥmad, Hadith 16353)

"Yes — a messenger came to me from my Lord last night and said: whosoever from amongst your ummah sends upon you a single ṣalāh, then Allah will write for them ten good deeds, will expiate for them ten evil deeds, and will raise them in ten ranks."

This hadith is one of many that you will find in the Sunnah that speak about the virtue and the reward of an act of worship that is relatively easy to perform, but it is also one that we are very heedless of — and that is to frequently and often make ṣalāh and salām upon our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It is something which is from those adhkār — from those remembrances, from those acts of worship of the tongue — that are relatively light and easy and relatively non-time consuming to perform. But despite that relative ease, and despite how quick and easy they are and the role of the tongue, it is something which many of us fall short in.

The Rights of the Prophet Upon Us

Our religion is an amazing religion because it gives to each and every single person and each and every single thing its due rights. It is from the principles of this religion and its cornerstones — as we all know — that me and you cannot be a Muslim, we won't be classified as a believer or as a Muslim, until just as we testify to the oneness of Allah in worship, we testify that the Prophet of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم is his Prophet and his Messenger. You can't be a Muslim if you only worship Allah alone and believe in Allah alone but you reject the status and the position of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

It is from the foundations of this religion that just as Allah you love Him and He is beloved to you more than anything else, then after Him, you are not a complete and true and full believer unless the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is more beloved to you than your parents and your children and the wealth of the dunyā and everything else in existence. That is our religion. It is from the principles of Islam that just as you obey and you owe to Allah obedience, then likewise you owe to his Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم obedience. That is our religion.

And so when we say صلى الله عليه وسلم and you hear the name of the Prophet of Allah and you say صلى الله عليه وسلم — it's not just simply some type of verbal custom that you are performing. It's not just some lip service that you are giving. It is an acknowledgement of the status of that individual that Allah raised and that He preferred and selected over all of creation.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — doesn't he deserve from us that every time we hear his name, every time his mention is given, every time he is referred to, that we should say صلى الله عليه وسلم? Anyone that picks up a book of sīrah, anyone of us that has read or heard of anything that took place in his life — we know how much he sacrificed for us. We know that today, after Allah's permission, were it not for those struggles and for those tribulations and for what he went through صلى الله عليه وسلم to spread this religion, today we wouldn't know the meaning of لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. Me and you wouldn't be Muslim. We wouldn't understand how to worship our Lord and Creator. It is because he went through those challenges and trials.

Pick up any incident of the Sunnah, read anything from his life — all of it is struggle and trial. How often was he attacked? How many attempts upon his life were made? How often was the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم assaulted — verbally, financially, physically, psychologically, emotionally — in every way that you can imagine, they tried to attack our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and they continue to do so today.

So we, at the very least — we don't acknowledge his favour upon us. And his favour is not only limited to what he did for us during his lifetime صلى الله عليه وسلم, but what he will do for us on Yawm al-Qiyāmah. As we know, the intercession of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — that's something which he saved not only for the people of his time, but for all of his ummah. And that is why this ṣalāt and salām is linked to that amazing intercession of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The adhān that you hear multiple times a day — the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: whoever repeats after the mu'adhdhin, and then after he finishes he sends ṣalāt and salām upon me, and then he makes the duʿāʾ after the adhān, Allah will give to him my intercession on Yawm al-Qiyāmah inshāAllah. That's an amazing reward.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — had he chosen, like the other Prophets who came before him, he could have made that intercession for the people of his time only — the companions, may Allah be pleased with them all. And had he done so, he would have been right in doing so. Those companions needed and deserved his duʿāʾ; they were worthy of it. But the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم love for this ummah is such that he didn't want to restrict it just for those Muslims living at his time, but for every one of his ummah that would come after him until Yawm al-Qiyāmah. That's just one of the favours of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Warning Against Neglecting Ṣalāt upon the Prophet

It's not possible that a person can hear the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and it doesn't move them emotionally — that a Muslim hears that name, or they hear people saying صلى الله عليه وسلم, and they remain silent, as if the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has no rights over us, he did nothing for us, has no favour over us. And that is why the Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3545; graded Ḥasan)

"May the nose of that person be rubbed in the ground — may he be humiliated — the one who hears my name being mentioned and he can't even say صلى الله عليه وسلم."

And in another wording, he said they are from the most stingy and miserly of people. Someone does you a favour on the road, someone comes and does some good to you — it is from just polite character, just from good human nature, to say thank you to them. Let alone those people who have done more for you, who have sacrificed for you, who have given up for you. And there is no one who has done more for me or you than the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. That is the worst of stinginess. It doesn't cost you anything to say صلى الله عليه وسلم. It doesn't take any effort from your part, you don't lose anything — but you can't say صلى الله عليه وسلم when his name is mentioned.

And that is why in the hadith of ʿĀmir ibn Rabīʿah, collected in the Sunan of Ibn Mājah, he said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — showing the mindset of the believer — said:

(Sunan Ibn Mājah, Hadith 907)

"There is not a single person who sends ṣalāt upon me except that Allah's angels will send ṣalāt upon him so long as he continues to send ṣalāt upon me — so let a person increase or decrease as they see fit."

And that is why the scholars of Islam used to love to perform this act of worship — because it's a reminder. The time that we live in, with all the challenges that we face, when we need more than ever to solidify ourselves, to fortify ourselves, to ground ourselves, to remember who we are and who we are following and why we were born on this earth — the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is one of those things that gives us that reminder.

The scholars of hadith used to boast that Allah has favoured them. Why has He favoured them? Because every time they read a narration of hadith, they narrate one of those narrations, they write one of those narrations, they study one of those narrations — at the very least, one time per narration, they will say صلى الله عليه وسلم. At the very least. And on many occasions they will say it multiple times, because the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم has been mentioned more than once. They used to boast about that — that it's an opportunity for reward, that it's something that you can seek closeness to Allah with. And it's amazing in its reward — relatively easy to perform, easy to do, but it's something which is great in the sight of Allah.

A person who does so with their mind present, their heart present, being attentive to what it means, what it denotes, what it should bring in terms of action — that's someone who inshāAllah will benefit more than just that simple reward. They will benefit in terms of their character, their ibādah, their worship, their īmān, and their whole life is transformed by that. And that is why it is something which we should never be neglectful of.

The Hadith of Ubay ibn Kaʿb: How Much of Your Duʿāʾ?

One thing that shows you the virtue of this particular act of worship is what is collected in the Sunan al-Tirmidhī, on the authority of the illustrious companion Ubay ibn Kaʿb, may Allah be pleased with him. Ubay ibn Kaʿb is from those amazing companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — from the senior companions of the Anṣār, from the people of the Qurʾān who read and memorized and understood the Book of Allah. He came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم one day and said:

"O Messenger of Allah, I am someone who continuously and frequently sends ṣalāt upon you — but how much of my duʿāʾ should I dedicate to ṣalāt upon you?"

As we know, it is from the etiquettes of making duʿāʾ that you send ṣalāt and salām upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم once saw a man enter and pray, and after he finished praying he wanted to make duʿāʾ and said: "O Allah, forgive me; O Allah, have mercy upon me." The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "You are too hasty. If one of you wants to make duʿāʾ, then first praise Allah as He is deserving of praise, then second he sends ṣalāt upon me, and then let him make duʿāʾ as he wishes."

So Ubay ibn Kaʿb understood this principle, and he was saying: "O Messenger of Allah, I send ṣalāt upon you anyway, but when it comes to my duʿāʾ — those 10, 15, 20 minutes, half an hour that I want to dedicate to duʿāʾ — O Messenger of Allah, how much of that should I give to you in terms of ṣalāt? What proportion?"

The Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم in reply: "Do as you wish — there is no minimum, there is no maximum, do as you please." But Ubay ibn Kaʿb, as the companions generally were, wasn't satisfied with the answer. He wanted to understand what is most pleasing to Allah in this act of worship.

He said: "O Messenger of Allah, shall I make a quarter of my duʿāʾ ṣalāt upon you?" A quarter — that's where he started from. I don't think any of us, including myself, when we make duʿāʾ for anything and we have a long list of things that we normally need to make duʿāʾ for — I don't think any of us give a quarter of our duʿāʾ to ṣalāt and salām upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

He said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "It is up to you, but if you do more, it is better." He said: "O Messenger of Allah — half. Half of my duʿāʾ I will make ṣalāt upon you." The Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "It is up to you, but if you do more, it will be better."

He said: "O Messenger of Allah — two thirds. Two thirds of my duʿāʾ I will make just ṣalāt and salām upon you." And just think about that for a moment. When me and you make duʿāʾ, we have duʿāʾs for our family, for our wealth, for our health, for our children, for our jobs, for the Muslims, for our ākhirah, for our Jannah — all of those things that you make duʿāʾ for — two thirds, O Messenger of Allah, I will make ṣalāt upon you. He said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "It is up to you, but if you do more — more than two thirds — it is better for you."

He said — Ubay ibn Kaʿb, realizing then what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was saying — he said:

"O Messenger of Allah, I will make all of my duʿāʾ for you" — meaning all of my duʿāʾ from beginning to end will be ṣalāt and salām upon you صلى الله عليه وسلم. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم replied:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 2457; graded Ḥasan)

"In that case, Allah will suffice you from all of your worries, all of your hardships, and Allah will forgive for you all of your sins."

That's a principle that we need to understand — and it is extremely important. It is similar to what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said about the people of ʿArafah — that the best duʿāʾ that they can make on the Day of ʿArafah, as they stand on the plain of ʿArafah, is to say:

The question that comes to mind regarding both of these is: neither of them is technically a duʿāʾ. If you're saying لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ, it's not a duʿāʾ. And if you're sending ṣalāt and salām, it's not a duʿāʾ for yourself. So how do we understand that?

Allah knows your needs, and Allah knows what it is that you require. Allah doesn't necessarily need you to verbalize it. But when you show humbleness before Him and you show gratitude before Him, and you invoke the name of Allah and His tawḥīd, and then you invoke the name of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم by sending ṣalāt and salām upon him — then that is from the greatest means and actions that you can perform in terms of getting your supplications answered. And that is why the people of knowledge always used to be frequently remembering and saying ṣalāt and salām upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Increasing Ṣalāt upon the Prophet on the Day of Jumuʿah

In the hadith of Aws ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, collected in the Sunan of Abī Dāwūd — and this is where it comes to today, this day of Friday, because it is one of the greatest acts of worship that you can perform at any time, but especially on the day of Friday — the Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم:

(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Hadith 1047; graded Ṣaḥīḥ)

"The best of your days is the day of Friday. It was the day in which Ādam was created, and the day in which he died, and it will be the day that the trumpet will be blown and the people will fall unconscious on Yawm al-Qiyāmah. So increase your ṣalāt upon me on that day — because when you send ṣalāt upon me, it is presented to me."

And in the other narration: "Allah appointed an angel by my grave — when one of my ummah gives ṣalāt and salām upon me, the angel comes and he conveys it to me." So it is from the best of deeds that you can perform, especially on this day of Friday.

If you're going through hardship, difficulty — there's some problem that you're facing, some challenge that you're finding it difficult to overcome — one of the ways the salaf would overcome those challenges and hardships and trials is by remembering and mentioning ṣalāt and salām upon our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Second Khuṭbah: What Does It Mean to Send Ṣalāt upon the Prophet?

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَمَنْ وَالَاهُ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيمًا كَثِيرًا أَمَّا بَعْدُ

What does it mean to send ṣalāt and salām upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? Allah gives us this command in the Qurʾān:

"Indeed, Allah and His angels send ṣalāt upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send ṣalāt and salām upon him."

It is one of the added virtues of our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم above the other Prophets of Allah — that when Allah mentioned them in the Qurʾān, He gave to them the salām:

Allah gave to them the salām, but when it came to our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, He added to the salām the ṣalāt. So what does it mean?

The ṣalāt, according to many of the scholars — and there is a difference of opinion as to exactly what it refers to — but one of those positions chosen by many of them is that the ṣalāt is to ask Allah to mention the name of that individual in His company in the highest of company; that Allah mentions their name and praises and honors them with those that are with Him. And that is something which our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is no doubt deserving of. But it is also something that me and you are more in need of, and that is why the Prophet told us صلى الله عليه وسلم:

(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Hadith 408)

"Whoever sends a single ṣalāt upon me, Allah will send upon them ten ṣalāt." So every time you ask Allah — "O Allah, mention Your Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم in that company that is with You, that highest and noblest of all companies" — then Allah takes my name and your name and mentions it ten times in that same company.

And the salām is to ask that Allah gives to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم safety, security, and peace — in this life during his lifetime while he was alive, and after his death, then Allah honors and preserves his name and his Sunnah and his sharīʿah and his religion.

How to Send Ṣalāt upon the Prophet

There are a number of aḥādīth in which the companions said: "O Messenger of Allah, how do we send ṣalāt and salām upon you?" — because they understood these principles, they heard these narrations, and now one thing was left: what is the best way to send ṣalāt and salām upon you? The Prophet said صلى الله عليه وسلم: "You know how to give salām upon me" — meaning they used to greet him all the time and give him the salām — "but the ṣalāt..." — and there are different wordings mentioned in the Sunnah. From them is the one that we are all familiar with:

And there are different variances of wordings when it comes to that particular ṣalāt. It is from the Sunnah, therefore, and it is something which is extremely rewarding and recommended, that we be from amongst those people who often make ṣalāt and salām upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the way that was legislated in the sharīʿah.

The ṣalāt and salām is not there to be chanted in groups, or to be sung, or to be done as some type of ritual where people don't really understand what it is that they're doing or why they're doing it — and it becomes a type of ritual that they simply perform in certain ways and manners. That's not the way the companions did this. But they understood what it meant, its rewards and virtues, and what it signifies — when you hear the name of the greatest of Allah's creation and then you send ṣalāt and salām upon him.

So on this day of Friday, as we conclude this khuṭbah, we conclude by sending our ṣalāt and salām upon our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — as Allah commanded in the Qurʾān.