The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)

The Invocation of Blessings and Peace upon the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace.)

Translated by Khalid Williams from ‘Abwab al-Faraj’ by the esteemed Sheikh Muhammad bin Alawi al-Maliki al-Hassani, may Allah forgive and be pleased with him, who died in Makkah in Ramadan, 2004

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

Among the greatest means of obtaining ease in times of hardship is invocating blessings and peace upon the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace), which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) himself clarified for us how in a tradition narrated by Ubai bin Ka’ab (may Allah be pleased with him), who said; ‘I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I supplicate often, so how much of my supplication should I devote to you?’ He replied, ‘as you desire’. I said, ‘a quarter of it?’ He said ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ I said, ‘half of it?’ He said, ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ I said, ‘two-thirds of it?’ He said again, ‘as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you.’ Finally I said, ‘and if I dedicate my supplication in its entirety to you?’ He said, ‘then your needs will be satisfied, and your sins forgiven.’[1]

It is clear that he whom Allah satisfies his worldly needs has been truly blessed with Allah’s kindness and mercy. He also has been given security from all that he fears, and has attained the utmost protection from all harm and evils; indeed he is carried aboard the ship of salvation. This means he is secure from all things which create worries and needs, secure from poverty, debt, subjugation, weakness, disease, fear, and all other calamities and disasters; he has guaranteed that his worldly affairs will be upright and good. . And should he obtain, alongside this, forgiveness from the sins and salvation from the perils of the Day of Resurrection, so that he may enter Paradise in peace, he has most certainly guaranteed that his affairs in the Hereafter will be good and upright, too.

What more could the worshipper require besides this? And all of this is obtained through invoking blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace); with it lies the key to guaranteeing goodness in the affairs of this life, and in the Hereafter.

We will now give mention to some of the benefits of invocating blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad (may Allah bless him and give him peace), by way of drawing from the works of the scholars of Islam, namely Sheikh ibn al-Qayyim, and Sheikh ibn Hajar al-Haytami.

1 Responding to the order of Allah, Exalted and Magnificent.[2] 2 Following the lead of Allah, Exalted and Magnificent in the sending of blessings upon His Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace), although the blessings (Salawat) differ, being from us supplication and request, and being from Allah exaltation and ennoblement. 3 Following the Angels in invocation of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace), also. 4 The attainment of ten blessings from Allah for the one who invokes one blessing upon His Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace).[3] 5 He who sends blessing upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), Allah raises him by ten degrees. 6 He also has written for him ten good deeds. 7 He also has erased from his record ten bad deeds.[4] 8 The invocation increases the chance of one's supplication being answered if it follows the supplication, as the invocation of blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) lifts those supplications up to the Lord of the Worlds which were stalled between the heavens and the earth. [5] 9 It is a means to receive the intercession of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace), whether or not a specific intercession is sought. 10 It is a means to have one's sins forgiven. 11 It is a means for Allah to satisfy his bondman’s worldly needs. 12 It is a means to draw near to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) on the Day of Resurrection.[6] 13 It compensates for giving charity for those who are too poor to give it. 14 It is a means of fulfilling one's needs (Qada’ al-Hawa’ij) 15 It is a means to receive the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and give him peace) blessings, and the Angels likewise.[7] 16 It is a means of purification for he who invokes it. 17 For one who sends blessings on him (may Allah bless him and give him peace) it is glad tidings in his life that he has been granted his place in Paradise as is mentioned by Al-Hafiz Abu Musa in his book on the matter, for which he brought Hadith as evidence. 18 It is a means of salvation from the horrors of the Day of Resurrection, as also mentioned by Abu Musa with evidence. 19 It is a means for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) to return the blessings and greeting upon he who invokes it.[8] 20 It is a means of ennobling a meeting or gathering and a means to prevent any ill talk or conduct occurring therein, so that it will not return upon its participants as a hardship on the Day of Resurrection.[9] 21 It is a means to remember something which has been forgotten. 22 It is a safeguard against poverty. 23 It saves one from being branded a miser if one were to omit it upon the Prophet’s name (may Allah bless him and give him peace) being mentioned.[10] 24 It saves one from being cursed and disgraced because the one who omits the blessings and prayers upon hearing the Prophet's name (may Allah bless him and give him peace) risks receiving Allah's anger.[11] 25 It keeps the one who invokes it steadfast upon the path to Paradise, and keeps he who neglects it from traveling the path. 26 It safeguards a meeting from turning ill; a meeting without the mention of Allah Exalted and His Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace), and without the praise and glorification of Allah and the invocation of blessings on His Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace) has no blessing nor benefit. 27 It is a cause for the perfection of any speech which begins with the praise of Allah the Exalted and the blessings of His Messenger (may Allah bless him and give him peace). 28 It is a cause for the bondman to find light cast in abundance in his life to guide him on the Straight Path. 29 It refines the worshipper's character and manners. 30 It is a means for Allah to preserve those in the heavens and the earth praising and commending he who invokes it. 31 It is a means of the worshipper to obtain blessing for himself in his work, life and provision. 32 It is a means of obtaining the mercy of Allah. 33 It sustains, increases and multiplies love for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace), which is among the core bases of Faith, without which faith cannot be complete. 34 It earns the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and give him peace) love for the bondsman. 35 It is a means of the worshipper’s guidance, and a source of vitality for his heart. 36 It causes the worshipper’s name to be shown to the Prophet, and the mention of the worshipper to him (may Allah bless him and give him peace).[12] 37 It is a means for the worshipper to find ease upon crossing the pass over the Hellfire. 38 Invoking blessing and peace upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) is an infinitesimal recompense of his right upon us, and of the thanks which we owe for the grace which Allah has bestowed upon us by sending him (may Allah bless him and give him peace), although what he truly deserves is innumerable, either for us to comprehend or to bestow, or even to will. However Allah, because of His Boundless Generosity, is pleased with his bondsmen even with the small amount of thanks they can offer. 39 Invoking blessing and peace upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) in itself contains remembrance of Allah the Exalted, and is an expression of thanks to Him and a recognition of His immense favour upon His bondsmen by sending him (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

Appendix

It is narrated[13] that Abu Ja’far, the Commander of the Believers, asked Imam Malik, ‘O Abu Abdullah! Should I face the Qiblah and supplicate, or face the Prophet of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) and supplicate?’ Malik replied, ‘and why would you turn your face away from him, and he is your intercessor, and the intercessor of your father Adam (may peace be upon him) on the Day of Judgement? Face him, and seek his intercession, for Allah has said: “If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come unto you and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”’[14]

[1] Narrated by Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Hakim, who declared it to be a rigorously authenticated tradition of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).

[2] Qur’an 33:56; ‘Verily, Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe! Send blessings on him, and salute him with a worthy salutation.’ (check another translation)

[3] Muslim narrated in his Sahih from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he who invokes blessings on me once, Allah sends ten blessings upon him.’

[4] Al-Nisa’i narrated in ‘Invocations of the day and night’, from ‘Umar bin Dinar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he of my community who invokes blessings upon me sincerely, Allah will bless him ten fold and raise him ten degrees, and he will have written for him ten good deeds, and erased from his record ten bad deeds.’

[5] Tirmidhi narrated that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said ‘Verily, supplications are stalled between the heavens and the earth, and are not lifted up until the supplicant invokes blessings upon the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace).’

[6] Tirmidhi related from Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘the closest people to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who invoked the most blessings upon me.’

[7] Tirmidhi narrated from ‘Amir bin Rani’ah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he who invokes blessings upon me, the Angels send blessings upon him equal to that which he invoked, so let the worshipper invoke some, or increase upon that.’

[8] Abu Dawood related in his Sunan from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘No-one greets me except that Allah returns my soul to me, so that I may return his greeting.’ He also related, as did Al-Nisa’i and ibn Majah, from Aws bin Aws (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘Verily, your best day is Friday, so invoke blessings upon me in abundance on this day, for your invocation is shown to me.’ They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! How can our invocations be shown to you after your bones have turned to dust? He replied ‘Verily, Allah has forbidden the earth from consuming the bodies of the Messengers.’ Al-Nawawi declared them both rigorously authenticated traditions (in his book 'Al-Adhkar' and elsewhere).

[9] Tirmidhi said that many of the People of Knowledge considered that if a single man invokes blessings on the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) during a meeting, this will be sufficient for the whole meeting (see Al-Adhkar, number 301)

[10] Tirmidhi related from ‘Ali (may Allah beautify his countenance) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘he who, when I am mentioned before him, fails to invoke blessings upon me is a miser.’

[11] Tirmidhi related from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘disgraced (Ar. raghima anf) be the man who, when I am mentioned before him, fails to invoke blessings upon me.’

[12] Al-Nisa’i narrated ibn Hibban, al-Dhahabi, al-Hakim, ibn al-Qayyim, and others, all of whom declared it a rigorously authenticated tradition, that ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said ‘Verily, Allah has angels that roam the earth and convey to me the greeting of my Community.’

[13] In al-Sayyid Mustafa al-Bakri’s commentary of the Salawat of Muhammad ibn Abi al-Hasan al-Bakri.

[14] Qur’an 4:64