Allah ta’āla says in the Qur`ān:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلائِكَتَهُ يُصَلّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا صَلّوا عَلَيهِ وَسَلِّموا تَسليمًا [i]

“Verily Allah and the angels send ṣalāt on the Prophet. Oh you who believe, send ṣalāt and salām upon him.”

For centuries, scholars have discussed the different meanings of the words ṣalāt and salām in this verse. They have also discussed the ruling of sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ. Some scholars, such as Ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī (r.h) (d.310 h) state that sending ṣalāt on the prophet ﷺ is mustaḥab[ii]. Whilst other scholars, such as Abū al-Ḥasan al-Karkhī (r.h) (d. 340 h) mention that it is wājib to send ṣalāt on the prophet ﷺ at least once in a person’s lifetime[iii]. On the other hand, Imam al-Ṭaḥāwī (r.h) (d.321 h) states that it is wājib to send ṣalāt on the prophet ﷺ every time the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned[iv]. Imam al-Sakhāwī (r.h) (d.902 h), in al-Qawl al-Badī’, mentions more than 10 different opinions on the ruling of sending salutations on the Prophet ﷺ.

Nevertheless, the mention of sending ṣalāt and salām on the Prophet ﷺ in the Qur`ān, along with the various aḥādīth on the topic[v], solidify its importance in the life of a Muslim. There are many occasions wherein it is commonly known that we should send “durud sharif”[1] or ṣalāt on the prophet ﷺ. For example, in the final sitting of ṣalāh, whenever the prophet ﷺ’s name is mentioned, or on the day of Friday. In addition to this, there are many other narrations from the Prophet ﷺ and the ṣaḥābah, along with many quotes from the scholars, which inform us of occasions wherein we should send ṣalāt on the prophet ﷺ. The following are a few of those occasions:

• Whilst making du’ā

Imam al-Tirmidhī (r.h) narrates a ḥadīth in his Jāmi’ from Faḍālat ibn ‘Ubaid (r.a) who said:

The Prophet ﷺ heard a man supplicating in his ṣalāh but he did not send salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ, so the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘This one has rushed’. He then called him and said to him, or to someone other than him:

‘When one of you performs ṣalāh, then let him begin by expressing gratitude to Allah and praising Him. Then, let him send salutations upon the Prophet ﷺ, then let him supplicate after that, whatever he wishes.”[vi]

In this ḥadīth, the Prophet ﷺ himself guides us to the method of making du’ā. It is due to this ḥadīth, along with other narrations, that scholars like Imam al-Nawawī (r.h) (d.676 h) have said that scholars have all agreed that it is preferable to begin du’ā by praising Allah ta’āla and then sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ. Thereafter, Imam al-Nawawī (r.h) mentions that ending du’ā by praising Allah ta’āla and sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ is similar to this.[vii]

• When entering and leaving the masjid

Imam Abū Dāwūd (r.h) (d. 275 h) mentions a ḥadīth in his Sunan from the companion Abū Usaid al-Sā’idī (r.a) who said that the Prophet ﷺ said: When one of you enters a masjid, he should send salām on the Prophet ﷺ, then he should say ‘Oh Allah, open for me the doors of your mercy…[viii]

Imam al-Nasa`ī (r.h) (d. 303 H) mentions a ḥadīth in al-Sunan al-Kubrā from Abū Hurairah (r.a) who said that the Prophet ﷺ said: When anyone of you enter the masjid, he should send salām on the Prophet ﷺ and say ‘Oh Allah, open for me the doors of your mercy’. And when he exits, he should send salām on the Prophet ﷺ and say: ‘Oh Allah distance me from shayṭān’. [ix]

These two aḥādīth, along with other narrations, show that we should send ṣalāt and salām on the Prophet ﷺ when entering and exiting a masjid.

• After aḍhān

Imam Muslim (r.h) (d.261 h) narrates a ḥadīth in his Ṣaḥīḥ from ‘Amr ibn al-‘Āṣ (r.a) who says that he heard the Prophet ﷺ saying: “When you hear the mu`adhin , repeat what he says, then send ṣalāt upon me, for everyone who sends one ṣalāt upon me will receive ten blessings from Allah. Thereafter ask Allah for‘ al-wasīlah’ on my behalf, for verily it is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah’s servants, and I hope that I may be that one. Whoever asks that I be given ‘al-wasīlah’, he will be assured of my intercession.”

This ḥadīth shows that along with the du’ā after adhān, ṣalāt should also be sent on the Prophet ﷺ.

• When in a gathering

The companion Abū Hurairah (r.a) mentions that the Prophet ﷺ said: “No group gathers in a sitting in which they do not remember Allah, nor sent ṣalāt upon their Prophet, except it will be a source of remorse for them. If He wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them.”[x]

• When trying to remember something that has been forgotten

‘Allāmāh al-Sakhāwī (r.h) dedicates a chapter in al-Qawl al-Badī’ to gathering over 70 different occasion wherein one should send ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ. From amongst these, one of them is when you intend to remember something that has been forgotten. To support this, he brings a narration from Anas (r.a) which states that the Prophet ﷺ said: “When you forget something, send salutations upon me and, if Allah wills, you will remember”. [xi]

Thereafter, ‘Allāmah al-Sakhāwī (r.h) states that this narration is mentioned by Abū Musā al-Madīnī with a weak chain of narration. Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīyyah (r.h) (d.751 h), in his book Jalā` al-Afhām, mentions a sanad of Abū Mūsā al-Madīnī for this narration.[xii]

In addition to this, al-Sakhāwī mentions two other narrations indicating towards sending salutations on the Prophet ﷺ when trying to recall something that has been forgotten.[xiii]

The following scholars have mentioned this act of sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ after forgetting something:

1. Ibn al-Qayyim in Jalā` al-Afhām[xiv]
2. Ibn al-Jawzi in Miftāḥ al-Ḥiṣn al-Ḥaṣīn[xv]
3. Al-Sakhāwī in al-Qawl al-Badī’[xvi]
4. Ibn Ḥajar al-‘Asqalānī in Fatḥ al-Bārī[xvii]
5. Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī[2] in al-Durr al-Manḍūd[xviii]

• After Qunūt in witr ṣalāh

‘Allāmāh al-Sakhāwī mentions in al-Qawl al-Badī’ that there is an opinion in the Shāfi’ī madhhab which considers sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ after reciting the qunūt in witr prayer to be mustaḥab. In support of this, he brings a narration from Sunan al-Nasa`ī which shows the words وصلى الله على النبي after the du’ā of qunūt.[xix]

Furthermore, many fuqahā of the Ḥanafī madhhab such as ‘Allamah al-Shurunbulālī (r.h) (d.1069 h) in Nūr al-Iḍāḥ[xx], al-Ṭaḥṭāwī (r.h) (d.1231 h) in his Ḥāshiyah on Marāqī al-Falāḥ[xxi], Ibn Nujaim (r.h) (d.970 h) in al-Baḥr al-Rā`iq[xxii], and al-Ḥalabī (r.h) (d. 956 h) in Ghunyat al-Mutamallī[xxiii] have discussed the issue of sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ after the du’ā of qunūt.

These are only a few examples of occasions wherein ṣalāt and salām should be said. In addition to this, scholars such as ‘Allamāh al-Sakhāwī (r.h), Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (r.h), and Ibn al-Qayyim (r.h) have dedicated chapters in their books to gathering narrations from the Prophet ﷺ and the ṣaḥābah, or quotes from the ‘ulamā, regarding sending ṣalāt on the Prophet ﷺ at specific times. Al-Sakhāwī mentions seventy-two occasions in al-Qawl al-Badī’, Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī (r.h) mentions 46 occasions in al-Durr al-Manḍūd, and Ibn al-Qayyim mentions 41 occasions in Jalā` al-Afhām. Ibn al-Jazarī mentions 44 occasions in his book Miftāḥ al-Ḥiṣn al-Ḥaṣīn. In addition to this, there are many other books dedicated to this topic. The following are a few more examples of the occasions mentioned by the scholars:

• After wuḍū
• After ṣalāh
• At the time of tahajjud
• On the day of jumu’ah
• In the jumu’ah and Eid khuṭbah
• when intending to travel
• when mounting an animal
• at the time of a plague
• as a means of distancing poverty
• after reciting the entire Qur`ān
• after writing the name of the Prophet ﷺ
• when seeking forgiveness
• at the time of teaching others

Above, there is only mention of a handful of these occasions. For more details regarding the ruling, reward, and occasions of sending ṣalāt and salām on the Prophet ﷺ, the following books may be referred to:

1. القربة إلى رب العالمين بالصلاة على النبي سيد المرسلين لابن بشكوال
2. الإعلام بفضل الصلاة على النبي والسلام للنميري
3. القول البديع في الصلاة على الحبيب الشفيع للسخاوي
4. جلاء الأفهام في فضل الصلاة والسلام على محمد خير الأنام لابن قيم الجوزية
5. الدر المنضود في الصلاة والسلام على صاحب المقام المحمود لابن حجر الهيتمي
6. فضائل درود شريف للكاندهلوي

Mufti Abbas Piparawala

---

[1] “Durud” (درود) is a Persian  word which means ‘prayer’ or ‘to send greetings’. “Sharif” (شریف) is also a Persian word, which means ‘noble’ or ‘holy’. Both of these words are also used in the Urdu language with similar meanings. In many parts of the world, the act of sending ṣalāt and salām on the Prophet ﷺ is referred to as reading or sending “durud sharif”. Similarly, in the English language, “sending salutations” is used as a term for sending ṣalāt and salām on the Prophet ﷺ. These are simply different words from different languages indicating towards the act of sending ṣalāt and salām on the Prophet ﷺ.

Mufti Abbas Piparawala

Sha’bān 1444 h. / March 2023

---

[i] Al-Qur`ān al-Karīm, 33:56

[ii] Al-Qawl al-Badī’, Mu`assassat al-Rayyān , 59

[iii] Sharḥ Mukhtaṣar al-Ṭaḥāwī li al-Jaṣṣāṣ, Dār al-Bashā`ir , pg.642

[iv] Al-Qawl al-Badī’, Mu`assassat al-Rayyān , 69, and al-Tajrīd li al-Qudūrī, Dār al-Salām, 2/569

[v] To mention a few: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 407 & 408,  Jāmi’ al-Tirmidhī, 3546, Sunan al-Nasa`ī, 1297

[vi] Jāmi’ al-Tirmidhī, 3477 (وقال الترمذي: هذا حديثث حسن صحيح)

[vii] Al-Adhkār, Dār al-Mallāḥ, (Tahqīq: ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Arna`ūṭ), pg.99

[viii]Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 465. (وأخرجه البيهقي في سننه (4317) عن أبي أسيد الساعدي ثم قال ” ولفظ التسليم فيه محفوظ)

[ix] Al-Sunan al-Kubrā, 9838

[x] Jāmi’ al-Tirmidhī, 3380 (وقال الترمذي: هذا حديث حسن)

[xi] Al-Qawl al-Badī’,Mu`assassat al-Rayyān , pg.427

[xii] Jalā` al-Afhām, Dār al-‘Urūbah , pg.429

[xiii] Al-Qawl al-Badī’,Mu`assassat al-Rayyān , pg.427

[xiv] Jalā` al-Afhām, Dār al-‘Urūbah , pg.429

[xv] Miftāḥ al-Ḥiṣn al-Ḥaṣīn, (manuscript)

[xvi] Al-Qawl al-Badī’,Mu`assassat al-Rayyān , pg.427

[xvii] Fatḥ al-Bārī, Al-Maktabat al-Salafīyyah, 11/169

[xviii] Al-Durr al-Manḍūd, Dār al-Minhāj, pg.238

[xix] Al-Qawl al-Badī’, Mu`assassat al-Rayyān, pg.356 & al-Sunan al-Ṣughrā li al-Nasa`ī, 1746

[xx] Nūr al-Īḍāḥ, Dār al-Bashā`ir, pg.177

[xxi] Ḥāshīyyat al-Ṭaḥṭāwī ‘alā Marāqī al-Falāḥ, DKI, pg.381

[xxii] Al-Baḥr al-Rā`iq, Dār al-Kitāb al-Islāmī, 2/47

[xxiii] Ghunyat al-Mutamalli, Maktabah Nu’mānīyyah, pg.366