Chapter 02, Greetings and Salutations on the Prophet (saw)

Yusalloona — they send blessings
Sallimoo — salute
Taslima — respect

Yusalloona

The Arabic word of yusalloona is derived from the root word of ‘salat’. Taken in its original form it means worship or du‘a’, prayer. In this context it also signifies a sense of nearness and proximity, a consequence of people gathering in mosques for prayers. This is a physical and spiritual congregation. This theme of connection and nearness can also be seen in other derivatives of the word salat:

mussalee: the runner up in a horse race since he is the companion of the winner, the closest to him than any other
salaa: the middle part of the human body which joins the upper and lower limbs together
salayah: a flat stone on which condiments are added together and ground with a muller
miswalah: a broom that collects segments of dust

In short all of the derivatives of salat convey the meaning of relation, nearness, togetherness and connection. Yusalloona creates a beautiful imagery of Allah blessing the Holy Prophet (saw) with His proximity and close relation abolishing the distances between them.

Then he (Muhammad) approached, came closer and was at the distance of two bow-lengths or (even) nearer.^[2]

Traditional concepts of separation vanish away and the Noble Prophet (saw) gradually rises up to the stages of Divine proximity. This process continues and will continue forever. Moreover, it is not only Allah (swt) who is pleased with His servants sending salutations upon the Prophet (saw) but that Allah (swt) is pleased with the pleasure of His beloved Prophet (saw). As He says:

And Allah and His Messenger have greater right, that he should be gratified.^[3]

When Muslims send blessings upon the Holy Prophet (saw) they do so with humility, modesty and reverent respect. Salat is also taken to mean the heat of fire which straightens the crookedness of wooden sticks. In the same manner yusalloona signifies a worshipper wanting correction of his inner and outer self by prayers and other worships.

Sallimoo

In this verse Believers are also being asked to salute, ‘sallimoo’ the Prophet (saw). The Arabic word of sallimoo is derived from the word salam, meaning peace. It is not sufficient just to send simple salat upon the Prophet (saw) but to salute him too, acknowledging his high rank and status. A salute is normally given to a person of seniority, a leader or a statesman. The Prophet (saw) is deemed by Allah (swt) to be the worthiest of all those who deserve to be saluted. One of the Companions, Ibn ‘Abbas (rta) comments that the command of salat and salam is the magnification of Divine remembrance. Allah the Almighty continues to arrange such conditions as to pave the way for the exaltation and dissemination of the Holy Prophet’s dignity, excellent qualities and matchless lifestyle.

Tasleema

Allah Almighty also informs the believers as to the manner of giving salute and offer salam namely with respect, tasleema. Reverence and respect for the holy Prophet (saw) must never be absent in any matters pertaining to him. Time and time again, Allah has given us strict guidelines to honour him and hold him in the highest of esteem. Allah (swt) says:

....that you may assist and honour him, and celebrate His praises morning and evening.^[4]

The Companions in particular were ordered to speak softly and quietly in the Prophet’s presence, to be humble and modest in their behaviour towards him:

O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as you may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and you perceive not.^[5]

So sending salutations upon the Prophet (saw) is no exception. It must be done in a most honourable manner, with sincerity, love and affection.

Difference between Salat and Salam

In the preceding pages it is very apparent the extent to which Allah (swt) loves His beloved Prophet (saw) and wishes His servants to remember and respect the exalted status through the greetings and salutations sent upon him. However, Allah (swt) in all His mercy has also allowed Muslims to benefit too. One who offers salat, Allah exalts him, forgives his sins and Allah’s blessings are upon him. Salat ascends the seeker’s supplication and gets a favourable reception from Allah. There is also no guarantee of the acceptance of a dua (supplication) without invoking blessings on the Prophet (saw). A tradition of the Holy Prophet (saw) states:

Fadalah bin ‘Ubayd reported: Allah’s Messenger (saw) 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 (saw) 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 (saw), and the Prophet (saw) said to him, "O worshipper! Make a supplication and it would be responded."^[6]

Once ‘Umar bin Khattab (rta) 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 (saw).^[7]

There is also a distinction in the type of reward given to Believers, dependent upon whether they send salat, dua, prayers on to the Prophet (saw) or send salam, peace on to the Holy Prophet (saw). The difference in reward is of type and degree. In the case of sending salat upon the Prophet (saw), believers receive ujrat, ‘spiritual wages’ for their act. Just as a labourer will be given reward for his hard work in the form of monetary wages, a Believer who sends prayers receives spiritual wages in the form of forgiveness and blessings form Allah (swt). The Noble Prophet (saw) has guaranteed the intercession for those who send salutations if they ask Allah for it. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-Aas (rta) reported that he heard the Prophet (saw) 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 was&eelah for me, my intercession is guaranteed for him.^[8]

This reward has also been carefully designated by Almighty Allah and its degree fixed. The Holy Prophet (saw) 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.^[9]

He who blesses me once, Allah blesses him ten times.^[10]

‘Abdullah bin Masood (rta) reported Allah’s Messenger (saw) as saying:

The one who will be nearest me on the Day of Resurrection will be the one who invoked most blessings on me.^[11]

Abu Talhah (rta) narrated assigning it to his father:

Allah’s Messenger came one day with a gleaming countenance and said, "Jibreel came to me and said," (Verily your Lord says,) "Muhammad! Does it not please you that one amongst your Ummah should invoke blessings on you and I should bless him ten times and one amongst your Ummah should send greetings of peace to you and I should send ten greetings of peace upon him.^[12]

If a believer sends salam upon the Prophet (saw) the reward is much higher in rank and degree. Muslims who pay salam upon the Prophet (saw) will be given a reply and have the same returned to them by Almighty Allah and the angels. Prophet Muhammad (saw) stated:

There is no Muslim who invokes blessings upon me (salutes me), but Allah returns to me my soul till I respond to him in return.^[13]

Abu Hurayrah (rta) reported the Prophet (saw) said:

There is no Muslim in the east and the west who salutes me, but I and the angels of my Lord answer him.^[14]

‘Abd-ur-Rahman bin ‘Awf (rta) narrates that the Prophet (saw) said:

I met Jibril who said: I give you good news that Allah has said, "Whosoever asks for peace for you, I ask for peace for him, whosoever blesses you, I bless him."^[15]

Amir bin Rabeeah (rta), on his father’s authority, said that he heard the Prophet (saw) saying:

The angels will continue to bless anyone who blesses me, as long as he continues to do so, so the servant should either reduce or enhance this.^[16]

Ibn Wahb (rta) related that the Prophet (saw) said:

Whosoever asks for peace on me ten times, it is as if he has freed a slave.^[17]

To be honoured with a reply and blessings is a great and prestigious reward. Sending the salute of peace upon the Prophet (saw) is the fulfillment of the command of Allah (swt) but the reward of a reply is the love of the Prophet (saw) for his Ummah. Through a reply a believer obtains spiritual attachment, nearness and proximity known as qurbat. In sending salat, the reward is fixed by Allah (swt). A Muslim will receive his tenfold reward or expiation of ten sins. In the case of sending peace and blessings, a Muslim receives manifold blessings in return. These blessings are multiple and great in number since the Prophet (saw) is grand in his mercy.

Through salat the conveyance of a dua, prayers to be sent to the Prophet (saw) create an indirect link with him, since sins will be forgiven through the Prophet’s intercession. However sending salām is an opportunity to send a direct address upon him creating a direct link with him. Out of his love and compassion Prophet Muhammad (saw) has made it incumbent upon himself to reply. He becomes happy from the addresses of his followers and blesses them too.

Despite this distinction this does not mean that we should only send salam upon the Prophet saw) as opposed to salat. In fact both of them should be sent according to the commandment. However, Allah out of His infinite mercy has allowed Muslims to benefit manifold from their acts.

Angels’ Salutations

In the Qur’anic verse under discussion, it has been denoted that angels also shower blessings and salutations upon the Prophet (saw):

Undoubtedly, Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet (saw). O believers! You (too) send your blessings upon him and salute him with all respect.^[18]

According to Islamic traditions there are different groups of angels engaged in various forms of worship. Some angels are reciting Allahu Akbar^[19] and some are reciting Subhan-Allah.^[20] Others are worshipping in the standing position; some in a bowing position and some are worshipping in the state of prostration. In short their worships and positions are numerous and multifarious.. In contrast this restriction is not valid for the greetings and salutations upon the Prophet (saw). All these groups of angels are equally and unexceptionally engaged in showering blessings and salutations upon the Prophet (saw) together.

It is often the case that if one loves somebody dearly, holds him close to the heart then the lover will always look for ways and means of hearing about his beloved. He will become happy if others praise his beloved, become pleased if they salute and respect him and become delighted if they remember him in their prayers. If onlookers are scattered, busy in their own affairs, the lover will desire that they concentrate upon his beloved just as he himself has become engrossed in him. In order to demonstrate his love, he may wish that he alone should not praise his beloved but that it should be done by all of creation. It is therefore quite significant that Allah (swt) states that all of His Angels send blessings upon His Noble Prophet (saw). Allah the Almighty has said that this Prophet (saw) is the best of all Prophets and His love for him is above the love for all else.

So the angels convey the loving greetings and salutations of the faithful from dawn to dusk. Prophet Muhammad (saw) likes these presents and invokes blessings upon the senders. As he (saw) stated:

The mobile (squads) of angels in the earth conveys to me the blessings invoked upon me by my Ummah.^[21]

Invoke blessings upon me, since blessings invoked by you are conveyed to me wherever you may be.^[22]

He who invokes blessings upon me by my grave, I will hear him and he who invokes upon me at a distance it will be conveyed to me.^[23]

It is also a reflection of his exalted status that Allah (swt) not only commands His earthly creation to send blessings but that He orders the heavenly creation, pure, pious and made of light to do the same. The Prophet (saw) listens to the blessings invoked on him but they are also presented to him in a magnificent manner by the angels. This is just intended to exalt and elevate the stature of the Noble Prophet (saw) as Allah knows the deeds of people but the angels also inform Him about them.

Invoke Blessings on the Prophet’s Name

In accordance with the Qur’an and the sunnah, it is also obligatory to invoke blessings on the Prophet (saw) to elevate his status and pay glorious tribute to the greatest benefactor of humanity. Whenever the Prophet’s name is pronounced, it is compulsory to invoke blessings on him, because this is the sunnah of Almighty Allah, Prophet Adam (as), His angels and the commandment of His beloved Prophet (saw). The Prophet (saw) himself condemned those who do not invoke blessings upon him. The reason is that Allah has raised the remembrance of his beloved Prophet (saw) and none has the authority to lessen it:

The miserly is he, before whom I am mentioned and he does not invoke blessings on me.^[24]

Verily the most miserly amongst people is he, before whom I am mentioned and he does not invoke blessings on me.^[25]

Let his nose be smeared with dust, in whose presence I am mentioned, and he does not invoke blessings upon me.^[26]

The Prophet (saw) called him astray who does not invoke blessings upon him. It is stated as follows:

He who forgets (abandons) to invoke blessings on me, misses the road (leading) to the Paradise.^[27]

Abu Hurayrah (rta) also reported that the Prophet (saw) said:

If people sit in an assembly in which they do not remember Allah nor invoke a blessing on their Prophet (saw), it will be a cause of grief for them (on the Day of Judgement).^[28]

1. Qur’an (al-Ahzab) 33:56.

2. Qur’an (an-Najm) 53:8-9.

3. Qur’an (at-Tawbah) 9: 62.

4. Qur’an (al-Fath) 48:9.

5. Qur’an (al-Hujurāt) 49:2.

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

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

8. 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).

9. 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).

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

11. 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).

12. Nasai, Sunan, b. of sahw (unintentional mistake), 3: 50.

13. Abu Dawood, Sunan, b. of manasik (rituals of hajj), (2: 218 # 2041); Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad, 2:527.

14. Abu Nu‘aym Asbahani, Hilyat-ul-awliya’ wa tabaqat-ul-asfiya’,6: 349.

15. Muhammad Hakim transmitted it in al-Mustadrak (1:222-3) and Dhahabi also confirmed it; Bayhaqi in Sunan-ul-kubra (2:371 & 9:286); Qadi ‘Iyad in ash-Shifa, 2:650.

16. Ibn Majah, Sunan, b. of iqamat-us-salat was-sunnah fiha (establishing prayer and its sunnahs) ch.25 (1:294#907); Ahmad bin Hambal, Musnad (3:445); Husayn bin Masood Baghawi, Sharh-us-sunnah (3:198#688); Qadi ‘Iyad, ash-Shifa (2:651).

17. Qadi ‘Iyad, ash-Shifa, 2:653.

18. Qur’an (al-Ahzab) 33:56.

19. Allah is the Greatest.

20. Glory be upon Allah.

21. Nasai, Sunan, b. of sahw (unintentional mistake) 3: 43; Sulayman bin Ahmed Tabarani, al-Mu‘jam-ul-kabeer, (10: 219-20 # 10528-9); Ahmad bin Husayn Bayhaqi, Shu‘ab-ul-iman, (2: 218 # 1582).

22. Abu Dawood, Sunan, b. of manasik (rituals of hajj) (2: 218 # 2042); ‘Ali bin Abu Bakr Haythami, Majma‘-uz-zawa’id, 2: 247.

23. Ahmad bin Husayn Bayhaqī, Shu‘ab-ul-īmān, (2: 218 # 1583); ‘Ala’-ud-Din ‘Alī, Kanz-ul-‘ummal, (1: 498 # 1583).

24. Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘-us-saheeh, b. of da‘wat (supplications) ch.101, (5: 551 # 3546).

25. ‘Ala’-ud-Din ‘Ali, Kanz-ul-‘ummal, (1: 489 # 2146).

26. Tirmidhi, al-Jami‘-us-saheh, b. of da‘wat (supplications) ch.101, (5: 550 # 3545).

27. Ibn Majah, Sunan, b. of iqamat-us-salat was-sunnah fiha (establishing prayer and its sunnahs) ch. 25 (1: 294 # 908); Ahmad bin Husayn Bayhaqi, Sunan-ul-kubra, 9:286.