THE OBLIGATION TO UPHOLD THE SUPPLICATION UPON PROPHET MUHAMMAD Extracted from The Cure SAHIH-SHEFA by Supreme Justice Abulfadl Eyad, died (1123CE - Islamic Year 544H) Reported by Grand Muhaddith Habib Hafiz Abdullah Ben Sadek Revised by Muhaddith Abdullah Talidi An adaptation by Servant of Hadith, Shaykh Ahmad Darwish (Arabic) Khadeijah A. Stephens (English) Ayesha Nadriya (Indonesian) Copyright © 1984-2011 Allah.com Muhammad.com. All rights reserved. Terms of Service - Copyright/IP Policy – Guidelines The Obligation to Uphold the Supplication on the Prophet (Shaykh Darwish commented: "It is worth noting that, the word "prayer" occurs in two different expressions. The first is in the obligatory prayer to Allah, and the second is the prayer (supplication) on the Prophet, which is a statement of praise of the Prophet when mentioned by Allah, and His angels, and it is a supplication of praise made by believers.") Allah tells us, "Allah, and His angels praise and venerate the Prophet. Believers, praise and venerate him and pronounce peace upon him in abundance" (33:56). Abbas' son said that this verse means, "Allah, and His angels praise and venerate Prophet Muhammad . Al Mubarrad said, "The root of the prayer is the invocation of mercy. It is mercy from Allah. From His angels it is graciousness and a supplication for the Mercy of Allah." A hadith sheds further light and tells us that when someone praises the Prophet waiting for the commencement of the prayer, the angels say, "O Allah, forgive him! O Allah have mercy upon him" and this is their supplication. Abu Bakr Al Qushayri said, "The praise from Allah is mercy for other than the Prophet and for the Prophet it is distinction and greater honor." Abul Aliya explained, "The 'salat' of Allah upon the Prophet is His praising him before His angels, whereas the 'salat' of the angels is the supplication for him." The Prophet made a distinction between the words "salat", meaning supplication, and "baraka" meaning blessing teaching us how we should make a supplication upon him. This is an indication they have two separate meanings and also indicates that his family are included. In respect of the supplication that asks for peace on the Prophet, Allah has made it obligatory on His worshipers to ask for peace upon him. Of the phrase "As-Salamu alaykum", meaning peace be upon you, there are three possibilities: The first is that the word "salaama" is that of safety for you, and with you. The second is "As-Salaamu", meaning your protection, being guarded and preservation, as found in the Name of Allah "As-Salaam". The third is "As-Salaam", derived from the meaning of "musalaama" (reconciliation), and submission to the Prophet as in the Words of Allah, "But no, by your Lord, they will not believe you until they make you the judge regarding the disagreement between them, then, they will not find in themselves any discomfort concerning your verdict, and will surrender to you in full submission" (4:65). The Ruling of the Supplication on the Prophet Dear reader, one must be aware that Allah has commanded us to praise His Prophet . Praising the Prophet is a general obligation and is not restricted to a specific time. There is no dispute about its obligatory nature, however Abu Jaf'ar At-Tabari was of the opinion that this verse, "Allah, and His angels praise and venerate the Prophet. Believers, praise and venerate him and pronounce peace upon him in abundance" (33:56) is a recommendation. When one praises the Prophet one fulfills the obligation, the performance of which voids the sin that would be present if one were not to do so. The minimum is to say it once as in the case when one bears witness to his prophethood, however it is very desirable to say it more often and one finds its doing to be highly recommended in the authentic quotations of Prophet Muhammad The Judge, Al Qassar's son said that the Companions of the Prophet were in agreement that there is a general obligation do so once in a lifetime when one is able to do it. The followers of Imam Shafi'i (of the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence) say that the obligation which Allah and His Messenger command applies to both the obligatory and voluntary prayer but outside the prayer it is not obligatory. Ash-Shafi'i elected the hadith narration which is read in the final sitting in each prayer which the Prophet taught Masood's son and others and does not refer to the Prophet by the use of the pronoun "him" "Peace be upon him", (rather, 'Peace be upon you, O Prophet'). Abu Hurayrah, Abbas' son, Jabir, Omar's son , Abu Sayed Al Khudri, Abu Musa Al Ash'ari and Abdullah, Az-Zubayr's son reported the same hadith narration as mentioned below. Whenever we (Abdullah, Masood's son and others) offered the prayer behind the Prophet we would recite (as we sat) peace be upon Allah, peace be upon Gabriel, Michael and peace be upon so-and-so. There was an occasion when the Messenger of Allah looked back at us and said, "Allah, Himself is As-Salam (Peace), and if anyone of you prays then he should say: ("At tahiyatu al mubarakat Aassalawatu Aattaiyibatu lillah. As Salalamu aliaka aiyuhan nabyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. As-Salaamu alaina wa ala ibadillah issalihin. Ash-hadu an laa ilaha illa Allaahu wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa Rasuluhu") In Fajr both parts are read in the second unit of prayer. In the Zuhr, Asr and Isha prayer the first part is read in the second unit and the second part is joined with the first part and read in the last unit of prayer. In the Maghrib prayer the first part is read in the second unit and the second part is joined to the first part and read in the third unit of prayer. - the second part - ("Allahuma salli alaa Muhammaden wa alaa aali Muhammaden kama sallayta alaa Ibrahim wa alaa aali Ibrahim. Allahuma Barik alaa Muhammaden wa alaa aali Muhammaden kama Barakta alaa Ibrahim wa alaa aali Ibrahim. Fi aalameen innaka Hamidun Majid") - the second part - (O Allah praise Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you praised Abraham and the family of Abraham. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham, in the worlds, indeed you are Self Praised, Glorified ") Malik elected the version from Abu Masood Al Ansari, which is that the Prophet said, "Say, O Allah, praise Muhammad and his family, as You praised the family of Abraham, and bless Muhammad, and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Abraham in all the worlds. You are the Praised and Glorious." Imam Shafi'i says that any prayer that does not contain the prayer on the Prophet in the final sitting of one's prayer when one bears witness to the Oneness of Allah before the greeting of peace (the tashahuhd) is invalid. He said that if it is omitted from the obligatory prayer, then the prayer must be repeated. Ishaq, Abraham's son says the obligatory prayer must be repeated if it is omitted intentionally, and the prayer is invalid. However, it is not invalid if it is on account of forgetfulness. Muhammad, Abdul Hakam's son and others including, Al Qassar's son and Abdul Wahhab say that Muhammad Al-Mawwaz took it to be an obligation in the prayer and this was the opinion of Ash-Shafi'i. Abu Ya'la Al-Abdi Al Maliki said the Maliki school of jurisprudence hold three opinions about this, namely it is obligatory, the prophetic way and recommended. Abbas' son and Jabir tell us that the Prophet taught them what is to be said in praise of him during the final sitting of the prayer, (tashahuhd) in the same way he taught them a chapter of the Koran. Times to Offer the Supplications on the Prophet We have already mentioned it is desirable to make the prayer on the Prophet in the final sitting before the supplication. The Prophet heard a man making a supplication in his prayer without asking for blessings upon him whereupon the Prophet commented, "This is hasty." Then he called the man and told those in his company, "When one of you supplicates, he should begin by thanking Allah then praising Him, and then say the prayer on His Prophet, thereafter he can supplicate for whatever he wishes." Masood's son advised, "If any of you wishes to ask Allah for something, he should first begin by praising and exalting Him in the way He is deserving, then he should ask for blessings upon the Prophet . It is thereafter that the supplication is most likely to be answered." The Prophet should be praised whenever mention of his name is heard and when his name is written. He should also be praised when hearing the Call to Prayer because he said, "If my name is mentioned in front of a person and he does not praise me, for him it is as if his nose is rubbed in the dust." The scholar Habib's son disliked anyone to mention the name of the Prophet when slaughtering an animal, and the famous Maliki scholar, Sahnon, disliked the name of the Prophet to be mentioned when someone expressed their surprise. Nisai, a compiler of one of the six major references of Prophetic Sayings reports the command that one should increase one's praising of the Prophet on a Friday. Isaac’s son tells us that one should praise the Prophet upon entering the mosque. Amru, Dinar's son says regarding verse "Believers, do not follow in the steps of satan, for those who follow the steps of satan, he bids to indecency and dishonor. But for the bounty of Allah to you, and His Mercy no one of you would ever have been purified; but Allah purifies whom He will; Allah is the Hearer, the Knower.(24:21), when you enter houses (and no one is there), you should say, "Peace, be upon the Prophet and the mercy of Allah and His blessing, and peace be upon us and upon the good people of Allah. Peace be upon the inhabitants of the house, and the mercy of Allah and His blessing." The Companions reported that the prayer upon the Prophet should be said by the imam and also the congregation during the funeral prayer (after the second pronouncing of Allahu Akbar). A highly recommended practice, accepted by all the nation of Prophet Muhammad is that one should praise him in letters and anything written, and whatever is written after 'In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful (Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem).' Abdullah Masood’s son tells us of another saying of the Prophet which is when one of you is praying say, "’Greetings to Allah and supplications and goodness. Peace be upon you O Messenger, and the Mercy of Allah and His blessings, peace be upon us and upon the good worshipers of Allah.’ When you say this, it will benefit every good worshiper in the heaven and earth." This is one of the occurrences in which one pronounces the peace upon the Prophet and it is read at the beginning of the sitting of the second and last unit of prayer. How the Supplication is to be made Abu Humayd As Sa'idi tells us that the Prophet was asked what is to be said when one offers the prayer upon him. The Prophet "Say, 'O Allah, praise Muhammad, his wives and descendants as You praised the family of Abraham, and grant blessing upon the family of Muhammad as You granted blessings to the family of Abraham in all the worlds. You are the Praised, the Glorious." Malik elected the version from Abu Masood Al Ansari, which is that the Prophet said, "Say, O Allah, praise Muhammad and his family, as You praised the family of Abraham, and bless Muhammad, and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Abraham in all the worlds. You are the Praised and Glorious." Ka’ab Ujra's son reported the supplication with a slight variation saying, "O Allah, praise Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You praised Abraham. You are the Praised, the Glorious." Ukba, Amr's son said, "O Allah, bless Muhammad the unlettered Prophet and the family of Muhammad." Abu Sa'id Al Khudri reported the quotation as, "O Allah, praise Muhammad, Your worshiper and Your Messenger." Imam Ali reported, "O Allah, praise Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You praised Abraham, and the family of Abraham. You are the Praised, the Glorious. O Allah grant blessings to Muhammad, and the family of Muhammad, as You granted blessings to Abraham and the family of Abraham. You are the Praised, the Glorious. O Allah, grant peace and be kind to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You granted peace and were kind to Abraham and the family of Abraham. You are the Praised the Glorious.'" Abu Hurayrah heard the Prophet say, "Whosoever wishes to be given the fullest measure when he supplicates upon us, the People of the House, should say, 'O Allah, praise Muhammad the Prophet, his wives, the Mothers of Believers, his descendants and the People of his House, just as You praised the family of Abraham. You are the Praised, the Glorious." When Zayd, Kharija Al Ansari's son asked the Prophet how he should supplicate for blessings upon him, the Prophet replied, "O Allah bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, just as You blessed Abraham. You are the Praised, the Glorious." Salama Al Kindi spoke of the time when Imam Ali taught them how to pray on the Prophet . Imam Ali taught them: "O Allah, the One who spread out the leveled expanses and created the heavens! Bestow Your noble praise, Your ever increasing blessings and the compassion of Your tenderness upon Muhammad, Your worshiper and Your Messenger, the Opener of what was closed. The Seal of what came before. The one who announces the truth by the Truth. The one who triumphs over the armies of falsehood as he was entrusted to do. He who took upon himself with eagerness Your command to obey You to gain Your pleasure. He retains within him Your Revelation, preserves Your guidance and carries out Your command so that mankind can receive Your blessings, kindling because of him, a brand with which they can bring to their families. Hearts were guided by him after they had been plunged into trials and sinful actions. He illuminated the clear signs, rules and way-marks of Islam. He is Your trusted guardian, the treasurer of Your hidden knowledge, Your witness on the Day of Rising, the one You sent with Your blessings and in truth Your Messenger, a mercy. O Allah, give him a spacious abode in Your Eden and reward him with good multiplied many times over from Your overflowing Favor that You gave to him without effort through the victory on gaining Your reward and generous gift. O Allah, place whatever he builds above what other people build and give to him a noble place of rest and hospitality. Complete his light for him, and recompense him from Your worshipers by acceptance and words that please with just words, decisive action and immense proof." Referring to the verse, "Allah, and His angels praise and venerate the Prophet" (33:56). Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face, said, "Obedient to You, my Lord. The praise of Allah, the Good and Merciful, the near angels, those who are true, the martyrs, the good people, and all that exalts You, O Lord of all the worlds, be upon Muhammad, son of Abdullah, the Seal of the Prophets, the Master of the Messengers, and the Leader of those who fear You, and the Messenger of You, the Lord of all the worlds. The witness, the bearer of good news, the one who invites people to You by Your permission, the light-giving lamp – and peace be upon him!" Abdullah, Masood's son said, "O Allah, bestow Your blessings and mercy upon the Master of all the Messengers, the Leader of those who fear You, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, Your worshiper and Messenger, the leader of the good and the Messenger of Mercy. O Allah, raise him to the praised station which will be the envy of the first and the last. O Allah, praise Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You praised Abraham. You are the Praised, the Glorious. Give blessings to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You granted blessings to Abraham and the family of Abraham. You are the Praised the Glorious." Al Hasan Al Basri said, "Whosoever wishes to drink the fullest cup from the Pool of the Chosen one (Prophet Muhammad) should say, 'O Allah, praise Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and his Companions, his sons, daughters, wives and descendants, the People of his House, his relatives by marriage and the Ansar (Helpers), and his followers, as well as those who love him, and bless us along with all of them, O Most Merciful of the merciful." Abbas' son would supplicate saying, "O Allah, accept the greatest intercession of Muhammad, and raise him to the highest station. Grant his every request in the Next Life and this life as You answered the prayers of Abraham and Moses" Wuhayb Al Ward's son would supplicate saying, "O Allah, give Muhammad the best of whatever he asked You for himself, and give to him the best of what any of Your creation has asked of You for him. And give Muhammad the best of all that You will be asked for until the Day of Resurrection." Masood's son said, "When you ask for blessings upon the Prophet, make the prayer excellent. You do not know if it will be shown to him. Say, 'O Allah, bestow Your praise, Your mercy and Your blessings on the Master of the Messenger, the Leader of those who fear You, the Leader of the Good and the Messenger of Mercy." The preceding are but a taste of the multitude of prayers both brief and long in praise of our beloved Prophet and his family, praise and peace be upon him and them. The 'peace' as you have been taught quoted by Masood's son is what the Prophet taught in the final sitting when he said, "Peace be upon us and upon the righteous worshipers of Allah." The supplication of Imam Ali in the final sitting of his prayer in which one bears witness to the Oneness of Allah before the greeting of peace reads, "Peace be upon the Prophet. Peace be upon all the prophets and messengers of Allah. Peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon Muhammad, son of Abdullah. Peace be upon us and upon all believers, men and women alike, those who are absent and those who are present. O Allah, forgive Muhammad and accept his intercession and forgive the People of his House. Forgive me and my parents, and their descendants, and have mercy upon them. Peace be upon all the righteous worshipers of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet and the mercy of Allah and His blessings." Abu Omar, Abdul Barr's son and others are of the opinion that one should not ask for mercy for the Prophet rather one should ask for praise and blessings specific to him. They say that one should only ask for mercy and the forgiveness for others. In the prayer on the Prophet Abu Muhammad, Abu Zayd's son included, "O Allah, have mercy on Muhammad (because the Prophet was sent as a mercy himself) and the family of Muhammad as You had mercy on Abraham and the family of Abraham." This is not based on a prophetic quotation, rather its proof lies in the words in the greeting of peace. "Peace be upon you O Prophet, the mercy of Allah and His blessings." The Excellence of the Supplication and Further Supplications Abdullah, Amr's son reports the saying of the Prophet "When you hear the Caller to Prayer, repeat what he says and ask for blessings upon me. Whosoever asks for blessings upon me once, Allah blesses him ten times. Thereafter ask for the rank of the position of intermediary (wasila) for me. It is a rank in Paradise reserved for only one of the worshipers of Allah and it is my hope that it will be for me. My intercession is granted to whosoever asks for the rank of "wasila" for me." Anas, Malik's son tells us the good news that the Prophet said, "Whosoever asks for blessings upon me once, Allah blesses him tenfold and ten sins fall from him and he is raised by ten degrees." In addition to this are the words, "and ten good deeds are written for him." Abdur Rahman, 'Awf's son narrates the saying of the Prophet "I met Gabriel who said, 'I give you the good news that Allah has said that, for whosoever asks for peace upon you, He rewards him (the person) with peace for the supplication. Whosoever blesses you, He rewards him (the person) with blessings." Masood's son reports that the Prophet said, "Those who are closest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who have said the most prayers on me." Ubayy, Ka’abs son said that upon the passing of the first quarter of the night, the Prophet arose and said, "O people, remember Allah! The quake has come which will be followed by its sequel. Death will come with all that accompanies it." Ubayy asked, "O Messenger of Allah, I say a lot of praising upon you, how much of my praising should I devote to you?" The Prophet replied, "Do as much as you like." Ubayy asked, "A quarter?" He replied, 'Do as much as you like, and if you do more it is better." Ubayy inquired again, "A third?" He replied, "Do as much as you like, and if you do more it is better. Ubayy asked, "Two-thirds?" Again he replied, 'Do as much as you like, and if you do more it is better." Whereupon Ubayy said, "O Messenger of Allah, I will devote all my praising for you." The Prophet said, "Then you (all your needs) will be sufficed and your sins will be forgiven." Abu Talha and Abu Hurayrah tell us of the time they saw the Prophet happier than they had ever seen him, and asked him about it. The Prophet told him. "Indeed, Gabriel has just left me and brought me good news from Allah that He has sent me to give good news that when any of my nation asks for prayers upon me (praise and veneration), Allah and His angels bless that person ten times for its doing." Abu Hurayrah tells that the Prophet said, Whosoever prays on me once, Allah will pray on him ten times." Jabir, Abdullah's son reports the saying of the Prophet "Whosoever hears the call to prayer and says, 'O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the established prayer, give Muhammad the position of intermediary (wasila) and excellence, and raise him to the Praiseworthy Station which You have promised him,' will receive my intercession on the Day of Resurrection. Sa'ad, Abi Waqqas' son said, "When you hear the call to prayer say, 'I bear witness there is no god except Allah, alone with no partner and that Muhammad is His worshiper and Messenger, I am pleased with Allah as Lord and Muhammad as His Messenger and Islam as my Religion' will be forgiven.'" The Blaming and Sinfulness of Whosoever Does Not Praise the Prophet Abu Hurayrah tells us that he heard the Messenger of Allah say, "Dust be upon the face of whosoever does not ask for me to be praised when I am mentioned in his presence! Dust be upon the face of whosoever Ramadan commences and finishes before he has received forgiveness! Dust be upon the face of whoever's parents reach old age and they are not the cause of his entering Paradise!" . As the Prophet climbed up the pulpit he said "Ameen". This occurred three times whereupon Mu'adh inquired about its nature. The Prophet told him, "Gabriel came to me and said, 'Muhammad, whenever your name is mentioned in front of a person and he does not ask for blessings upon you and dies thereafter, that person will enter the Fire. Allah will distance him, say 'Ameen', so I said, 'Ameen'. Gabriel told me, 'When Ramadan comes and it is not accepted from a person and he dies, it is the same, say 'Ameen' so I said 'Ameen'. If someone has two parents, or just one, and does not show kindness and goodness to them and dies, it is the same, say 'Ameen' so I said 'Ameen'." Ali said that the Prophet defined a miser saying, "A miser is someone who does not supplicate for praise upon me when I am mentioned in his presence." From Abu Hurayrah we learn that the Prophet said, "When people gather together, sit and depart without mentioning Allah and supplicating for praise upon His Prophet a dark shadow falls upon them that will be a cause for regret in the Everlasting Life. If Allah wills, He will punish them, if He wills, He will forgive them." The Informing of the Prophet of Those Who Supplicate Upon Him One day the Messenger of Allah spoke of the greetings of peace upon him that would be made after his death. Abu Hurayrah tells us he said, "Whenever anyone will greet me with peace, Allah will return my soul (consciousness) to me so that I may return the greeting." Masood's son tells us that the Prophet spoke of the action of the angels saying, "Angels roam the earth to convey peace to me from my nation." Aws said that the Prophet told his followers, "Offer a lot of prayers on me Fridays. Your prayer is shown to me." Supplication of Praise and Peace Upon Other Than the Prophet and Other Noble Prophets The majority of knowledgeable scholars of Islam say, it is permissible to ask for prayers upon people other than prophets. Generally speaking the word "prayer" means supplication and asking for mercy, unless stated otherwise in an authentic hadith or the consensus of scholars that restrict its meaning. Allah says, "It is He who has mercy on you, and His angels" (33:43). He also says, "Take charity from their wealth, in order that they are thereby cleansed and purified, and pray for them" (9:103). And, "On those will be prayers and mercy from their Lord" (2:157). The Prophet was heard supplicating for blessings upon his Companions, he said, "O Allah, bless the family of Abu Awfa." When people brought the obligatory charity to him for distribution, he supplicated, "O Allah, bless the family of so-and-so." In the hadith mentioning the prayer on the Prophet we find, "O Allah, bless Muhammad, his wives and descendants," or "and the family of Muhammad." The latter has been explained with the meaning of either his people or household, and it was said those for whom charity is forbidden. When the Prophet was asked, "Who are the family of Muhammad?" Anas tells us he replied, "All those who fear Allah." The Judge Abufadl Eyad mentioned he inclined to the opinion of renowned scholars for example the opinions of Malik and Sufyan, may Allah have mercy on them. Regarding the "prayer" on the Prophet: Each prophet and messenger is a member of the rank of prophets and messengers and nobody shares these ranks not even their family, wives or companions, or followers. Each prophet in his own merit is subject to the invoking the angels supplication and the praise of Allah. The "extended prayer" on their wives and family members, the prophet's family and family members are added to this supplication, not on their own merit but as the favor of Allah for the prophet. Abbas' son did not offer the "prayer" upon anyone, unless that person was a prophet. He did this to distinguish the special esteem, and respect he had for them. We know it is necessary to distinguish Prophet Muhammad and all the other noble prophets by asking the "prayer" in terms of praise and venerations upon him, because of the command of Allah, "Believers, praise and venerate him and pronounce peace upon him in abundance" (33:56). Whereas Allah mentioned other people in terms of asking for forgiveness and expressing pleasure as an extended prayer. He says, "Those who came after them say, 'Forgive us our Lord, and forgive our brothers who were believers before us" (59:10), also, "and those who followed them in doing good, Allah is pleased with them" (9:100). As for the supplication of peace upon other than the Prophet Abu Imran says, it was unknown in the early days of Islam, rather it was initiated by the Rafidites, and Shi'ite of the12 imams, who would add to the supplication the names of their imams. The innovation of the Rafidites and Shi'ite made their imams partners in the prayer and thereby placed them on a rank equal to the Prophet . To imitate such people is forbidden as they are innovators and their claims must be opposed. As for the "extended" prayer on the family and wives of the Prophet it is as we previously explained. Because he is a Prophet the prayer pronounced upon him addresses him with greatness. Whereas the Prophet's response, or our response, to a fellow Muslim's greeting is not addressed with the same capacity, rather it pertains to the person's regular capacity. Allah says, "Do not make the calling of the Messenger among yourselves like your calling to one another. Allah knows those of you who slip away surreptitiously, so let those who disobey His command beware, lest they are struck by sedition, or, they are stricken with a painful punishment." (24:63). Therefore it is a necessity that, there is a difference in the supplication upon the Prophet from the supplication of people for one another.