Nasai

Hadith Commentary:
1.
In one narration, the words “the purified wives of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, may Allah be pleased with them all, and his progeny” are also mentioned, as in Hadith 6360. In any case, various wordings of salat (salutation) upon the Prophet have been reported in the books of hadith; therefore, it is necessary to recite salat, but it should be recited with the prescribed (masnun) words. The wording of the prescribed salat that is commonly recited among us is found in Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith: 3370).

2.
There are many virtues of reciting the prescribed salat, as is evident from the following ahadith:
© The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“Whoever sends salat upon me once, Allah bestows ten mercies upon him.”
(Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Salat, Hadith: 912. (408))

© The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“Whoever recites salat upon me once, Allah bestows ten mercies upon him, ten of his sins are forgiven, and his rank is raised by ten degrees.”
(Sunan al-Nasa’i, Kitab al-Sahw, Hadith: 1298)

© He sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“The person who sends the most salat upon me will be the closest to me on the Day of Resurrection.”
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Witr, Hadith: 484)

© Through Jibril alayhis salam, Allah gave me the glad tidings that whoever sends salat upon the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I bestow mercy upon him, and whoever sends salam upon you, I bestow peace upon him.
(Musnad Ahmad 1/191)

© Also, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:
“The person in whose presence my mention is made and he does not send salat upon me is the most miserly and stingy.”
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Da‘awat, Hadith: 3546)

© It is narrated from ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu that until you send salat upon your Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, your supplication remains suspended between the heavens and the earth; it does not ascend upwards.
(Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Witr, Hadith: 486)

Hadith Commentary:
In the Noble Qur’an, Allah Almighty has commanded the people of faith:
“O you who believe! Send blessings upon your Prophet and send salutations upon him in abundance.” (: al-Ahzab: 56)

Accordingly, all Muslims say during the tashahhud in prayer:
(as-salamu ‘alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu)

The noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) submitted, “We have learned the manner of sending salutations (salam), but since it is also necessary to send blessings (salat) upon you, how should we do so?” Thereupon, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) taught them the above-mentioned words of salat (blessings).

The words of the Salat Ibrahimiyya (Darood Ibrahim) that we recite are also transmitted in the hadith.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Ahadith al-Anbiya, Hadith: 3370)

In any case, send blessings—certainly send them—but send them in the prescribed (masnun) manner.
And Allah is the One whose help is sought.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
In the Noble Qur’an, Allah the Exalted has said:
﴿إِنَّ اللَّـهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا﴾ (Al-Ahzab: 56)
“Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
O you who believe! Send blessings upon him and greet him with peace.”
The Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma‘in) inquired about the explanation of this verse.
So the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gave the above-mentioned instruction.

➋
The method of sending salutations (salam) outside of prayer is the same
as the general greeting of peace among Muslims.
When the Companions would come into the presence of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam),
they would offer salam in this well-known manner.
The method of salam within the prayer has already been explained in the previous chapter.
Therefore, the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma‘in) said that the salam is known to us.

➌
The meaning of “salat” is supplication, mercy, and blessing (du‘a, rahmah, and durood).
The prayer (salah) is also called “salat” because it consists of supplications.
The blessings (durood) upon the Prophet from the believers and the angels is also a supplication,
as is clear from the wording of the durood itself.
The meaning of Allah’s “salat” (durood) upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)
is to accept the supplication of humans and angels and to send mercy upon His Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and raise his ranks.

➍
When the command for sending blessings (durood) was given, the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma‘in) did not compose a supplication from their own side with words they deemed appropriate.
Rather, they learned its method from the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
From this, it is understood that the words of remembrance (adhkar) are only correct
when established from the Qur’an and Sunnah.
To add or subtract from these words, or to invent one’s own forms of remembrance, is not correct.
Nor is there any reward for such self-invented adhkar.

➎
Generally, “Aal” (family) refers to descendants, but in the terminology of the Shari‘ah, “Aal” refers to all those
who love a great personality and follow in his footsteps.
Similarly, the companions and followers of a worldly leader can also be called his “Aal.”
For example, in the Noble Qur’an, the phrase “Aal Fir‘awn” (the family of Pharaoh) is used,
even though Pharaoh had no biological offspring.
For this reason, he agreed to raise Prophet Musa (alayhis salam) as a son.

➏
Various wordings of the durood (salutations) are found in authentic ahadith.
Reciting the durood according to any authentic narration is permissible.
Some of these narrations are mentioned in this very chapter.