Durood and Salaam

                                           

               Greetings and Salutations on the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم)

The Qur’anic verse pertaining to Greetings and Salutations is highly meaningful and replete with wisdom. Allah proclaims in the Qur’an as follows:


"Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect."[33:56]


As Allah azza wajjal has Himself acted upon this command therefore this divine practice becomes the sunnah of Allah. This is unlike most of Allah’s other commands. All worships such as prayers, fasting, the pilgrimage, charity and donations are the commandments of Allah but not His sunnah. Allah neither performs hajj nor fasts nor prays. He is above all these things. All these duties and deeds are not His sunnah but the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم). So if a person offers prayers or goes to Makkah for the pilgrimage or keeps the fasts of Ramadan or gives the poor due or does any other virtue, he is following the sunnah of the holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) not the sunnah of Allah.


However, the showering of blessings and salutations upon the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is the Divine practice of Allah, His sunnah. As the glory of Allah is the highest and the most exalted, so His sunnah is also the highest and the most exalted. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) is the faithful and devotee of Allah. Amongst all of creation, his ranking is the highest and the most reverend. Yet regardless of this ranking and reverence, no human can be equal to the Creator. So in the same way, the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) cannot equate with the sunnah of Allah (سبحانه و تعالى)  1)

The Noble Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has guaranteed the intercession for those who send salutations


Hadith #1

The Noble Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) has guaranteed the intercession for those who send salutations if they ask Allah for it.

‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-Aas (رضي الله عنه) reported that he heard the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) saying:
When you hear the mu’adhdhin, repeat what he says, then invoke blessings on me for every one who invokes blessings on me once, will receive ten blessings from Allah. Then ask Allah for the waseelah to be granted to me. It is a position in paradise that may not be granted to any but one of Allah’s servants, and I dearly hope that I will be that servant. Whoever asks Allah for the waseelah for me, my intercession is guaranteed for him.

References

►Muslim, as-Saheeh, b. of salat (prayer) ch.7 (1: 288-9 # 384)

►Abu Dawood, Sunan, b. of salāt (prayer) 1: 144 (# 523)

►Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘-us-saheeh, b. of manaqib (virtues and merits of the Prophet and his companions) ch.1 (5: 586-7 # 3614)

►Nasai Sunan, b. of adhān (the call to prayer) 2: 25-6

►Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad (2:168)

►Ibn Khuzaymah, as-Saheeh, 1: 219 (# 418)

►Muhammad Khateeb Tabraizi, Mishkat-ul-Masabeeh, b. of salat (prayer) ch.5 (1: 215 # 657)

►Husayn bin Masood Baghawi, Sharh-us-sunnah, 2: 284-5 (# 421)

►Ala’-ud-Din ‘Ali, Kanz-ul-‘Ummal, 7: 700 (# 20998)



2)There is no guarantee of the acceptance of a dua (supplication) without invoking blessings on the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم).

Hadith #2

A tradition of the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) states:

Fadalah bin ‘Ubayd reported: Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) was sitting amongst us, there entered a person and he prayed as saying, "O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy upon me." Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said, "O worshipper! You have made haste in praying. When you pray and sit (at the end) laud Allah of what He is worthy of and send blessings upon me and then supplicate Him." The narrator said: Then another man prayed after him and he lauded Allah and invoked blessings of Allah upon the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم), and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said to him, "O worshipper! Make a supplication and it would be responded."

Reference

►Tirmidhi related in al-Jai‘-us-saheeh, b. of da‘awat (supplications) ch.65 (5: 516 # 3476) and graded it hasan (fair)


Hadith #3

Once ‘Umar bin Khattab (رضي الله عنه) said to his nation:

The supplication is stopped between the heaven and the earth and nothing of it ascends, till you invoke blessing on your Prophet.

Reference

►Tirmidhi related in al-Jami‘-us-saheeh, b. of salat (prayer) ch.352 (2: 356 # 486).


Hadith #4

The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said:

He who invokes blessings upon me once, Allah showers ten blessings upon him and obliterates (his) ten sins and elevates him by ten ranks

Reference

►Nasi, Sunan, b. of sahw (unintentional mistake), 3: 50; Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad, 3: 102 & 261; Muhammad Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 1:550, and Dhahabi also graded it saheeh (sound).

Hadith #5

The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) said:

He who blesses me once, Allah blesses him ten times.

Reference

►Muslim, as-Saheeh, b. of salat (prayer) ch. 17 (1: 251 # 408).


Hadith #6

‘Abdullah bin Masood (رضي الله عنه) reported Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) as saying:

The one who will be nearest me on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who invoked most blessings on me.

Reference

►Transmitted by Tirmidhi in his Sunan, b. of salāt (prayer), ch. 352 (2: 354 # 484)

►Bukhari, at-Tireekh-ul-kabeer, (5: 177 # 559)

►Baghawi, Sharh-us-sunnah, (3: 197 # 686)

►Muhammad Khateeb Tabraizi, Mishkat-ul-masabeeh, b. of salāt (prayer), ch. 16 (1: 278 # 923)

►Dhahabi, Meezan-ul-i‘tidal fi naqd-ir-rijal, (4: 228 # 8945).