Tirmidhi

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:

➊ After Allah, the greatest benefactor upon the Muslims is the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), through whom the Ummah of Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) received the blessing of faith and a complete code of life. Just as Allah, being the Creator, Owner, and the Planner and Organizer of the universe, is deserving of worship, praise, and glorification, in the same way, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has a right over us that we send blessings and peace upon him, and pray to Allah for further mercy, compassion, and elevation of his ranks. In reality, this is an offering of devotion and love in his presence, a tribute of loyalty and humility, and an acknowledgment of gratitude and indebtedness. Otherwise, it is evident that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has no need for our prayers, nor does he require the gifts and offerings of poor and destitute people like us. Rather, the greatest benefit of this supplication and expression of obedience returns to us ourselves. On one hand, our bond of faith is strengthened, and on the other, for a single sincere invocation of blessings, we receive at least ten mercies from Allah. And we come to know our own status: if a sacred and honored personality like the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is in need of Allah’s mercy and peace, and his right and lofty status is only that prayers for mercy and peace be made for him, and that mercy and peace are not in his own hands, then when it is not in his hands, it is certainly not in the hands of any other creature or human either. Because among all creation, his status is the highest and most superior. Every human is in need of Allah’s mercy and peace, and without it, this cannot be attained from any being or creature. Therefore, no one shares or participates in this.

➋ The Meaning of “Aal” (Family): According to the idiom of the Arabic language and the Qur’an and Hadith, a person’s “Aal” refers to those who have a special connection and relationship with him, whether this connection is of lineage and kinship, or companionship, association, devotion and love, or following and obedience. In the Qur’an, this is expressed in the phrases Aal-e-Ibrahim, Aal-e-Imran, and Aal-e-Fir’awn.

➌ In the Qur’an, we have been commanded to send blessings and peace upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), but there is no mention of whether this is to be done in prayer or outside of prayer, just as the Qur’an commands the praise and glorification of Allah, but does not specify whether this is to be done in prayer or outside of prayer. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), through the light of Prophethood, specified the special place for praise and glorification as being within the prayer, and similarly, he specified the special place and occasion for fulfilling the command of sending blessings and peace as being in the tashahhud (testification) and sitting of the prayer. However, just as glorification and praise are not restricted to prayer, likewise, sending blessings and peace is not restricted to prayer; it is required before and after as well.

➍ There is a difference of opinion among the Imams regarding reciting the salutation (salat) upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in the final sitting of the prayer. According to Umar (radi Allahu anhu), Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhuma), Imam Shafi’i (rahimahullah), and Imam Ahmad (rahimahullah), reciting the salutation is obligatory (fard); without it, the prayer is not valid. According to Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah), Imam Malik (rahimahullah), and the majority of scholars, reciting the salutation is Sunnah; if someone does not recite it, the prayer is still valid. Since in Surah Ahzab there is a command to send blessings and peace upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and its special place and occasion is in the prayer, therefore, at the very least, it should be obligatory in the prayer.

➎ The sending of blessings upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has been likened to the sending of blessings upon Ibrahim (alayhis salam). An objection is raised that analogy is made from the lesser to the greater, so it would seem that the blessings upon Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and his family are stronger than those upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and his family. Scholars have given various answers to this; the simple answer is that the analogy is only in the descent of mercy, not in its quality. When a particular attribute is well-known and famous in one thing, then even if the second thing possesses this attribute to a greater and stronger degree, it is still likened to the first thing, even though the attribute is less in the first. For example, no matter how much a person excels in generosity and open-handedness, he will still be likened to Hatim. Similarly, the light of Allah is likened in the Qur’an to a specific kind of lamp, even though there is no comparison between the two, but since the light of such a lamp was well-known and famous among people, it was used as a likeness, and in “kama” (like/as), the quality is not considered. As in the Qur’an:
“Fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you.” So, is there complete similarity in the nature of our fasting and the fasting of previous nations?

➏ Imam Abu Hanifah (rahimahullah), Imam Malik (rahimahullah), Imam Shafi’i (rahimahullah), and the majority of jurists hold that it is not permissible to send blessings independently upon anyone other than the Prophets. For example, saying “Abu Bakr alayhis-salat” or “Umar alayhis-salat” is not permissible. Imam Juwayni is of the opinion that the same ruling applies to “salam” (peace), and it is not correct to use as evidence for its permissibility the verse of Surah Tawbah:
“And pray for them; indeed, your prayer is a source of tranquility for them,” or “He is the One who sends blessings upon you and His angels,” because in these verses, the word is used in its linguistic meaning, and when used with someone’s name, it takes on its technical meaning, and technically, this is specific to the Prophets (alayhimus-salam). Similarly, it is not correct to use the greeting of peace in meetings as evidence for the permissibility of “alayhis-salam,” otherwise, under (as-salamu alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibadillahis-salihin) and according to “He is the One who sends blessings upon you and His angels,” the salutation and peace would become general for every human, and the special reverence and respect that these words have when restricted to the Prophets (alayhimus-salam) would no longer remain. Therefore, the words “salat” and “salam” should be used for the Prophets (alayhimus-salam), and “radi Allahu anhu” should be used for the Companions (radi Allahu anhum ajma’in). If the linguistic meaning is considered, then their use would become general for every righteous person, and their significance would be lost, though by nature their use would be permissible. For example: “O Allah, send blessings and peace upon Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), his family, his companions, his wives, and his descendants. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.”