Prayer TimesAllah the Almighty says in the Qur'an, Surah al-Ahzab, verse 56: "Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet (salawat: mercy from Allah, prayers and forgiveness from the angels). O you who believe! Send blessings and peace upon him as well!" Allah, in His greatness, and the countless angels send salawat upon our Prophet (ﷺ), and believers are also commanded to do so. What is the wisdom behind this?
Firstly, sending salawat is to praise our Prophet (ﷺ), to elevate his status before Allah, to highlight his superiority, and to make his religion prevail over others. Allah says in Surah as-Saff, verse 8: "They (the wrongdoers) wish to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light even though the disbelievers dislike it."
Secondly, no matter how much time passes, the name and rank of our Prophet remain exalted among people. Allah says in Surah ash-Sharh, verse 4: "And have We not raised your mention?"
Thirdly, our salawat and greetings are presented to him. The Prophet (ﷺ) said in a hadith: "The best of days is Friday. On this day Adam was created and on this day he passed away. The Hour will also occur on a Friday. So increase your salawat upon me on this day, for your salawat will be presented to me."
Fourthly, whoever sends salawat upon the Prophet, Allah sends salawat upon that person. Whoever sends peace upon the Prophet, Allah sends peace upon that person. In a hadith: "One day, happiness was seen on the face of the Messenger of Allah. His companions said, 'O Messenger of Allah! We see happiness on your face.' The Prophet (ﷺ) replied: 'An angel came to me and said: "O Muhammad! Your Lord says: 'If someone from your ummah sends one salawat upon you, I will send ten salawat upon him. If someone from your ummah sends one greeting of peace to you, I will send ten greetings of peace to him. Are you pleased with this?"' I replied: 'Of course, I am pleased.'"
Fifthly, Allah forgives the mistakes of the one who sends salawat upon the Prophet and raises his rank. In a hadith: "Whoever sends one salawat upon me, Allah will send ten salawat upon him, forgive ten of his sins, and raise his rank by ten degrees." There are many virtues of sending salawat upon the Prophet (ﷺ), some known, some unknown. Therefore, it is recommended (mustahabb) to send salawat frequently at all times.
There are many forms of salawat. When the above verse was revealed, a man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and asked, "O Messenger of Allah! How should we send salawat upon you?" The Prophet replied with this salawat: «Аллаһуммә солли алә Мухәммәд, уә ғалә әәли Мухаммәд, кәмә солләйтә ғалә Ибраһим иннәкә хамидум мәжид. Уа бәрик ғалә Мухаммәд уа ғалә әәли Мухаммәд, кәмә бәәрәктә ғалә Ибраһим иннәкә хамидум мәжид».
The Prophet (ﷺ) is not in need of our salawat; rather, we are the ones in need of sending salawat. By doing so, a servant earns reward, Allah showers mercy upon him, forgives his sins, raises his rank, removes his worries, and increases his provision. Duas that begin and end with salawat are accepted. By sending salawat, a person becomes among those closest to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) on the Day of Judgment. In a hadith: "The closest person to me on the Day of Judgment will be the one who sends the most salawat upon me." As our scholars have said, the Prophet is the best of mankind, and Friday is the master of days. Therefore, the reward for sending salawat on Friday is greater than at other times. May Allah make us among those who send salawat upon our Prophet (ﷺ) and among those closest to him on the Day of Judgment! آمين!
Medet KURSAKOV,
"Iman" magazine, No. 9, 2023
This content was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor.