Clarification of understanding

In prayers and peace be upon the best of mankind

Author's name: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya

It is not strange that libraries are filled with many wonderful books on sending blessings and peace upon the best of creation, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Our beloved Muhammad ibn Abdullah is the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers. Allah has commanded us to send blessings and peace upon him, as He, the Most High, says: {Indeed, Allah confers blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessings upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.} Perhaps one of the most important books on this topic is “Jala’ al-Afham fi Fadl al-Salat wa al-Salam ‘ala Muhammad Khair al-Anam” by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya (d. 751 AH). One of its editions included more than 100 books on the virtue of sending blessings and peace upon Muhammad, the best of creation.

The author, may God Almighty have mercy on him, has spared us the trouble of revealing the nature of his valuable book. He said in the introduction: “This is a book that I have named (Jala’ Al-Afham fi Fadl Al-Salat wa Al-Salam Ala Muhammad Khair Al-Anam) (..), and it is unique in its meaning. No one has ever seen anything like it before in the multitude of its benefits and their abundance. In it, we have explained the hadiths that have been narrated about prayers and peace upon him, peace and blessings be upon him, and their authenticity and goodness. We have explained the causes of their effects in a comprehensive manner. Then, we have explained the secrets of this supplication and its honor and the wisdom and benefits it contains. Then, we have explained the occasions and locations for prayers upon him, peace and blessings be upon him, etc.”

Thus, honesty dictates that we say that Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya has truly succeeded in revealing the virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the verses and hadiths that contain this message. He has also highlighted its locations, benefits, and fruits. In these lines, we will attempt to present some of this, keen to contribute to encouraging people to send blessings and peace upon Muhammad, the best of creation.

The concept of praying for the Prophet Muhammad
Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that the origin of sending blessings upon the Prophet goes back to two meanings, one of which is worship and the second is supplication and blessing, including the Almighty’s saying: {Take alms from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them thereby, and invoke blessings upon them. Indeed, your invocations are a reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.} (At-Tawbah: 103) and the Prophet’s saying: “If one of you is invited, let him respond, and if he is fasting, let him pray.”
Supplication is of two types: supplication of worship and supplication of request. The Holy Quran commands us to practice supplication in the words of Allah the Almighty: {And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.} And His words: {And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.}

This is about human prayer. As for the prayer of Allah the Almighty for His servant, Ibn al-Qayyim said that it is divided into two types: general and special. What is meant by general is His prayer for His believing servants, as Allah the Almighty says: {It is He who confers blessing upon you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from darknesses into the light. And ever is He, to the believers, Merciful.} (Al-Ahzab: 43). Ibn Ashour said in his interpretation, commenting on this verse: “The reason for the command to remember Allah and glorify Him is that this brings about the benefit for the believers from Allah’s reward for that with something better than it of its kind, which is His prayer and the prayer of His angels. The meaning is that He and His angels pray for you if you remember Him morning and evening.”

As for the special prayer from Allah, the Most High, upon His Messengers and Prophets, especially upon the Seal and Best of them, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, people have differed regarding its meaning, with statements: The first is that “the prayer of Allah is His mercy and the prayer of the angels is supplication,” and the second is that “the prayer of Allah is His forgiveness and the prayer of the angels is supplication.” It seems that Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya went to that these two statements are weak for reasons that Ibn al-Qayyim brought to 14 reasons, including: that Allah, the Most High, differentiated between His prayer for His servants and His mercy, saying: {And give good tidings to the patient * Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.” * Those will have blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are [righteous].} {The guided ones} (Al-Baqarah: 155-157), and that the prayer of God Almighty is specific to His prophets, messengers, and believing servants, while His mercy encompasses everything, and thus prayer is not synonymous with mercy. This is in addition to the fact that the word “salla” is not known in the original language to mean mercy, but rather what is known among the Arabs from its meaning is that it is supplication, blessing, and praise.

How to pray for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him?
The Holy Quran tells us about our beloved Muhammad ibn Abdullah, whom Allah sent as a mercy to the worlds and made him the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers, and purified him in His Almighty saying: {And indeed, you are of a great moral character}. Allah Almighty commanded us to send prayers and peace upon him in His Almighty saying: {Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace} (Al-Ahzab: 56). Ibn Kathir said in his commentary: “The meaning of this verse is that Allah, the Exalted, informed His servants of the status of His servant and prophet with Him in the highest assembly, that He praises him before the angels closest to Him, and that the angels send blessings upon him. Then Allah, the Exalted, commanded the people of the lower world to send prayers and peace upon him, so that praise of him would come together from the people of both the upper and lower worlds.”
There are numerous hadiths that encourage sending blessings and peace upon the best of creation, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and that clarify how to do so, its merits, and the times when it should be done. These hadiths were narrated by a group of trustworthy narrators, including: Abu Masoud Al-Ansari Al-Badri, Kaab bin Ujrah, Abu Humayd Al-Sa’idi, Abu Hurayrah, Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri, Talhah bin Ubayd Allah, Umar bin Al-Khattab, Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger, Anas bin Malik, Al-Bara’ bin Azib, Abd Al-Rahman bin Awf, and Zayd bin Haritha.

Since space does not permit a review of all the hadiths mentioned in this chapter, we will suffice with mentioning four hadiths that we believe give us an idea of ​​how and the virtue of sending blessings and peace upon Muhammad, the best of creation. The first is the hadith of Abu Mas'ud: On the authority of Abu Mas'ud Uqbah ibn Amr al-Ansari al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us while we were in the assembly of Sa'd ibn Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him). Bashir ibn Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Allah has commanded us to send blessings upon you, so how should we send blessings upon you? He said: Say: O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon the family of Abraham, and bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Abraham {among the worlds. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious}. And peace as you have learned.

Not far from this hadith comes the hadith of Ka’b ibn Ujrah: On the authority of Ibn Abi Laila, he said: Ka’b ibn Ujrah met me and said: Shall I not give you a gift? The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, came out to us and we said: We know how to greet you, but how do we pray for you? He said: Say: O Allah, send blessings and peace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon the family of Abraham, for You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Abraham, for You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious.

As for the hadith of Anas ibn Malik, it is among the hadiths that clarify to us the degrees that are attained by the one who sends blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Al-Nasa’i said: Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna informed us, on the authority of Abu Dawud, who told us: Abu Salamah, who is al-Mughirah ibn Muslim al-Khurasani, told us, on the authority of Abu Ishaq, on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, may God be pleased with him, that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever mentions me in his presence, let him send blessings upon me, and whoever sends blessings upon me once, God will send blessings upon him ten times.”

The hadith of Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger, may God bless him and grant him peace, comes to explain to us how to send blessings upon the Prophet when entering and exiting the mosque: Abu al-Abbas al-Thaqafi said: Abu Raja’ told us, Qutaybah ibn Sa’id told us, Abdul Aziz - he is Ibn Muhammad - told us, on the authority of Abdullah ibn al-Hasan, on the authority of his mother, that the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said to his daughter Fatimah, may God be pleased with her: “When you enter the mosque, say: In the name of God and praise be to God. O God, send blessings and peace upon Muhammad and grant him peace. O God, forgive me and make easy for me the doors of Your mercy. And when you exit the mosque, say the same.”

Places of praying for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace
What are the occasions for praying for the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him?
There are many occasions when sending blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is confirmed, either as an obligation or a strongly recommended act. Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya, may God have mercy on him, mentioned in his book “Jala’ al-Afham fi Fadl al-Salat wa al-Salam ‘ala Muhammad Khair al-Anam” 41 occasions, the first, most important, and most strongly recommended of which are: in prayer at the end of the tashahhud, at the end of the qunut, in the funeral prayer after the second takbir, after answering the muezzin, and at the iqamah, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “When you hear the muezzin, say what he says, then send blessings upon me, for whoever sends blessings upon me, God will send blessings upon him tenfold.”
Supplication is considered one of the ways to send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Supplication has three levels: The first is to send blessings upon him before supplication and after praising God Almighty, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “When one of you supplicates, let him begin by praising God and thanking Him, then let him send blessings upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then let him supplicate for whatever he wishes.” The second is to send blessings upon him at the beginning, middle, and end of the supplication. The third is to send blessings upon him at the beginning and end, placing his need in between the two.

There is no doubt that entering and exiting the mosque are among the occasions for sending blessings upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When one of you enters the mosque, let him greet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and say: O God, open for me the doors of Your mercy. And when he leaves, let him greet the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and say: O God, protect me from the accursed Satan.” And he said to his daughter Fatimah, may God be pleased with her: “When you enter the mosque, say: In the name of God and praise be to God. O God, send blessings and peace upon Muhammad and grant him peace. O God, forgive me and make the doors of Your mercy easy for me. And when you leave the mosque, say the same.”

Every time the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned is a time to send blessings upon him, as is standing at his grave (peace and blessings be upon him). Also, Friday, finishing the Talbiyah, standing on Safa and Marwa, touching the Black Stone, leaving and returning to the marketplace, and the time to get up from a gathering are all times to send blessings and peace upon our beloved and intercessor Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), which are difficult to list in a few lines.

The fruits of praying for the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace
What are the fruits of praying for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him?
The benefits and fruits of sending blessings and peace upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, are countless and innumerable. However, Ibn al-Qayyim, in his book “Jala’ al-Afham fi Fadl al-Salaat wa al-Salam ‘ala Muhammad Khair al-Anam,” presented approximately 39 benefits and fruits of sending blessings and peace upon the Prophet Muhammad, the best of mankind. Each one of them reveals the importance of being keen to send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad at all times. The most prominent of these benefits and fruits are: obeying the command of Allah, the Most High, and agreeing with Him in sending blessings upon him, peace and blessings be upon him, and the angels agreeing with them. This is in addition to receiving ten blessings from Allah upon the one who sends blessings once, and that he is raised ten degrees, ten good deeds are recorded for him, and ten bad deeds are erased from him.
Among the benefits and fruits of sending blessings and peace upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is that it is a reason for his love and intercession, peace and blessings be upon him, and a reason for the forgiveness of sins, and for Allah to suffice the servant in what concerns him and fulfill his needs. In addition to that, it is a form of zakat and purification for the one praying, and a good omen for him of Paradise before death, and a reason for eliminating poverty and miserliness, and escaping the horrors of the Day of Resurrection, and making one’s feet firm on the path.

Another fruit of sending blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is that it is a reason for the name of the one sending blessings upon him, peace and blessings be upon him, to be presented and mentioned to him, as he, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The best of your days is Friday, so increase your blessings upon me on it, for your blessings are presented to me.” And he said: “Allah has angels who travel on earth, conveying to me the greetings of my nation.” There is no doubt that it is enough nobility for a servant to have his name mentioned with goodness before the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

Before concluding, we must say that Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyya (may Allah have mercy on him) concluded his valuable book “Jala’ al-Afham fi Fadl al-Salat wa al-Salam ‘ala Muhammad Khair al-Anam” with a special chapter discussing sending blessings upon other than the Prophet Muhammad and his family (peace and blessings be upon him). He emphasized in it that all other prophets and messengers are to be sent blessings upon, as Allah, the Most High, said about Prophet Noah (peace be upon him): {And We left for him among later generations, ‘Peace be upon Noah among the worlds’}, and He said about Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him): {And We left for him among later generations, ‘Peace be upon Abraham’}, and He, the Most High, said about Moses and Aaron: {And We left for them among later generations, ‘Peace be upon Moses and Aaron’}.

Ibn Ashour paused in his interpretation “Al-Tahrir wa Al-Tanwir” with the stories of the messengers and their people in Surat Al-Saffat, and said in his comment: “These six messengers were chosen because Noah was the first example, Abraham is the messenger of the pure religion which is the seed of the good tree, the tree of Islam, and Moses because his law is similar to the Islamic law in detail and in combining religion and authority. These three messengers are the origins. Then he mentioned three messengers who branched off from them and three who followed the religion of messengers before them. As for Lot, he followed the religion of Abraham, and as for Elias and Jonah, they followed the religion of Moses.”