Excerpt Source: Zikr-e-Mustafā ﷺ by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Zaheer Amn Puri
Sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ within duʿāʾ is a recommended (mustaḥabb) act.
❀ Sayyidunā Faḍālah ibn ʿUbayd رضي الله عنه narrates:
سمع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم رجلا يدعو فى صلاته، فلم يصل على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم: عجل هذا، ثم دعاه، فقال له أو لغيره: إذا صلى أحدكم، فليبدأ بتحميد الله والثناء عليه، ثم ليصل على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم ليدع بعد بما شاء
The Prophet ﷺ heard a man making duʿāʾ in prayer without sending blessings upon him. He ﷺ said: “This man hastened.” Then he ﷺ called him (or someone else) and said: “When one of you prays, let him begin with praising Allah and glorifying Him, then send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and then supplicate for whatever he desires.”
Imām al-Tirmidhī declared it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ. Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (710) and Ibn Ḥibbān (1960) authenticated it. Al-Ḥākim said it meets the conditions of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, and al-Dhahabī agreed.
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
كنت أصلي والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبو بكر وعمر معه، فلما جلست بدأت بالثناء على الله، ثم الصلاة على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم دعوت لنفسي، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم: سل تعطه، سل تعطه
I was praying with the Prophet ﷺ, along with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. When I sat down, I began with the praise of Allah and then sent blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, after which I made supplication for myself. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Ask, and it will be granted. Ask, and it will be granted.”
Imām al-Tirmidhī also graded this narration ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.
❀ Khālid ibn Salamah narrated:
When ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān held a wedding feast for his son, he asked Mūsā ibn Ṭalḥah about the wording of durūd. Mūsā said:
I asked Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Khārijah رضي الله عنه about how to send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ. He said the Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Pray, engage in remembrance, and say:
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
O Allah, bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, as You blessed Ibrāhīm. Surely, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious."
Benefit:
Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"أيما رجل مسلم لم يكن عنده صدقة، فليقل فى دعائه: اللهم صل على محمد، عبدك ورسولك، وصل على المؤمنين والمؤمنات، والمسلمين والمسلمات، فإنها له زكاة"
“Any Muslim man who does not possess charity, let him say in his supplication:
‘O Allah, send blessings upon Muḥammad, Your servant and messenger, and upon the believing men and women, and the Muslim men and women.’
This will be considered a charity for him.”
Though this narration is declared ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Ḥibbān (903), its chain is weak due to Darrāj Abū Summah, who is deemed weak by the majority of scholars.
❀ Imām al-Nawawī (631–676 AH) wrote:
أجمع العلماء على استحباب ابتداء الدعاء بالحمد لله تعالى والثناء عليه، ثم الصلاة على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وكذلك تختم الدعاء بهما
“The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is recommended to begin supplication with the praise of Allah and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and likewise to conclude it in the same manner.”
(Al-Adhkār, pg. 99/117)
❀ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
“Those who seek to draw near to Allah by using the person of the Prophet ﷺ as a means have deviated from what they have been commanded and what is legislated for them. One of the greatest means by which supplications are accepted is sending blessings upon him, and Allah has commanded this. Sending durūd within duʿāʾ is supported by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus.”
(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 1/347)
❀ Sayyidunā Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه:
ثم يصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم
He used to send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ in his Qunūt.
Benefit:
In Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1747), the phrase "wa ṣallallāhu ʿala al-Nabiyy Muḥammad" is reported from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAlī, quoting from Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī.
However:
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله stated:
"وأما روايته عن الحسن بن علي، فلم تثبت"
“His narration from Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī is not established.”
(Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb: 5/284)
Thus, Imām Nawawī's authentication of this chain in al-Majmūʿ (3/441) is not correct.
An Error:
Some scholars have written:
"لا يصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى القنوت، وهو اختيار مشايخنا"
“Durūd should not be recited in Qunūt; this is the preferred view of our elders.”
(Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīrīyah: 1/117)
❀ ʿAllāmah Ibn Nujaym (d. 970 AH) criticized this view in al-Baḥr al-Rāʾiq (1/348) citing Fatāwā Qāḍī Khān.
❀ ʿAwn ibn Abī Juḥayfah narrates:
His father said: ʿAlī رضي الله عنه ascended the pulpit, praised Allah, sent blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“The best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar. Allah places goodness where He wills.”
❀ Imām al-Shāfiʿī said:
“A minimum khutbah must include praise of Allah, salāh on the Prophet ﷺ, exhortation to piety, and duʿāʾ at the end.”
Benefit:
A report attributed to ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr says:
"ليس من السنة الصلاة على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم الجمعة على المنبر"
“Sending salāh upon the Prophet ﷺ on the minbar on Jumuʿah is not from the Sunnah.”
Its chain is weak, as Layth ibn Abī Sulaym is weak according to the majority of ḥadīth scholars.
❀ Nāfiʿ ibn Jubayr narrated:
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه used to say the takbīr three times at Mount Ṣafā:
"Lā ilāha illa Allāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr"
Then he would send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and supplicate for a long time. He did the same at Marwah.
❀ ʿAbdullāh ibn Dīnār said:
رأيت عبد الله بن عمر يقف على قبر النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، فيصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، وعلى أبى بكر وعمر
“I saw ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه standing at the grave of the Prophet ﷺ sending blessings upon him, and salām upon Abū Bakr and ʿUmar.”
After returning from travel, he would say:
"Al-salāmu ʿalayka yā Rasūl Allāh, al-salāmu ʿalayka yā Abā Bakr, al-salāmu ʿalayka yā abatah"
“Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Abū Bakr. Peace be upon you, O my father.”
❀ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"If you hear the muʾadhdhin, repeat after him, then send blessings upon me. Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send ten upon him. Then ask Allah to grant me al-Wasīlah, a special station in Paradise for one chosen servant, and I hope to be that one. Whoever does this will receive my intercession."
❀ Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
When entering the masjid, send salām upon the Prophet ﷺ and say:
"Allāhumma iftaḥ lī abwāba raḥmatik"
On exiting, say:
"Allāhumma innī asʾaluk min faḍlik"
In another narration, say upon exiting:
"Allāhumma aʿṣimnī min al-shayṭān al-rajīm"
Or: "Allāhumma ajirnī min al-shayṭān al-rajīm"
This ḥadīth has been authenticated by:
"This isnād is ṣaḥīḥ and its narrators are trustworthy."
(Miṣbāḥ al-Zujājah: 1/97)
① Sending Durūd in Supplication (Duʿāʾ)
Sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ within duʿāʾ is a recommended (mustaḥabb) act.
❀ Sayyidunā Faḍālah ibn ʿUbayd رضي الله عنه narrates:
سمع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم رجلا يدعو فى صلاته، فلم يصل على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم: عجل هذا، ثم دعاه، فقال له أو لغيره: إذا صلى أحدكم، فليبدأ بتحميد الله والثناء عليه، ثم ليصل على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم ليدع بعد بما شاء
The Prophet ﷺ heard a man making duʿāʾ in prayer without sending blessings upon him. He ﷺ said: “This man hastened.” Then he ﷺ called him (or someone else) and said: “When one of you prays, let him begin with praising Allah and glorifying Him, then send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and then supplicate for whatever he desires.”
Reference: Musnad Aḥmad: 6/18; Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 1481; Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 3477
Imām al-Tirmidhī declared it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ. Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (710) and Ibn Ḥibbān (1960) authenticated it. Al-Ḥākim said it meets the conditions of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, and al-Dhahabī agreed.
❀ Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
كنت أصلي والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وأبو بكر وعمر معه، فلما جلست بدأت بالثناء على الله، ثم الصلاة على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم دعوت لنفسي، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم: سل تعطه، سل تعطه
I was praying with the Prophet ﷺ, along with Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. When I sat down, I began with the praise of Allah and then sent blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, after which I made supplication for myself. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Ask, and it will be granted. Ask, and it will be granted.”
Reference: Sunan al-Tirmidhī: 593
Imām al-Tirmidhī also graded this narration ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ.
❀ Khālid ibn Salamah narrated:
When ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān held a wedding feast for his son, he asked Mūsā ibn Ṭalḥah about the wording of durūd. Mūsā said:
I asked Sayyidunā Zayd ibn Khārijah رضي الله عنه about how to send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ. He said the Prophet ﷺ replied:
"Pray, engage in remembrance, and say:
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
O Allah, bless Muḥammad and the family of Muḥammad, as You blessed Ibrāhīm. Surely, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious."
Reference: Musnad Aḥmad: 1/199; Sunan al-Nasāʾī: 1292
Benefit:
Sayyidunā Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī رضي الله عنه reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"أيما رجل مسلم لم يكن عنده صدقة، فليقل فى دعائه: اللهم صل على محمد، عبدك ورسولك، وصل على المؤمنين والمؤمنات، والمسلمين والمسلمات، فإنها له زكاة"
“Any Muslim man who does not possess charity, let him say in his supplication:
‘O Allah, send blessings upon Muḥammad, Your servant and messenger, and upon the believing men and women, and the Muslim men and women.’
This will be considered a charity for him.”
Reference: Al-Adab al-Mufrad: 640
Though this narration is declared ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Ḥibbān (903), its chain is weak due to Darrāj Abū Summah, who is deemed weak by the majority of scholars.
❀ Imām al-Nawawī (631–676 AH) wrote:
أجمع العلماء على استحباب ابتداء الدعاء بالحمد لله تعالى والثناء عليه، ثم الصلاة على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وكذلك تختم الدعاء بهما
“The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is recommended to begin supplication with the praise of Allah and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, and likewise to conclude it in the same manner.”
(Al-Adhkār, pg. 99/117)
❀ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah wrote:
“Those who seek to draw near to Allah by using the person of the Prophet ﷺ as a means have deviated from what they have been commanded and what is legislated for them. One of the greatest means by which supplications are accepted is sending blessings upon him, and Allah has commanded this. Sending durūd within duʿāʾ is supported by the Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus.”
(Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā: 1/347)
② Sending Durūd in Qunūt Supplication
❀ Sayyidunā Ubayy ibn Kaʿb رضي الله عنه:
ثم يصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم
He used to send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ in his Qunūt.
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah: 1100
Benefit:
In Sunan al-Nasā’ī (1747), the phrase "wa ṣallallāhu ʿala al-Nabiyy Muḥammad" is reported from ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAlī, quoting from Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī.
However:
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله stated:
"وأما روايته عن الحسن بن علي، فلم تثبت"
“His narration from Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī is not established.”
(Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb: 5/284)
Thus, Imām Nawawī's authentication of this chain in al-Majmūʿ (3/441) is not correct.
An Error:
Some scholars have written:
"لا يصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فى القنوت، وهو اختيار مشايخنا"
“Durūd should not be recited in Qunūt; this is the preferred view of our elders.”
(Fatāwā ʿĀlamgīrīyah: 1/117)
❀ ʿAllāmah Ibn Nujaym (d. 970 AH) criticized this view in al-Baḥr al-Rāʾiq (1/348) citing Fatāwā Qāḍī Khān.
③ Sending Durūd in the Friday Khutbah
❀ ʿAwn ibn Abī Juḥayfah narrates:
His father said: ʿAlī رضي الله عنه ascended the pulpit, praised Allah, sent blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“The best of this Ummah after its Prophet is Abū Bakr, then ʿUmar. Allah places goodness where He wills.”
Reference: Zawāʾid Musnad Aḥmad: 1/106, ḥadīth 837
❀ Imām al-Shāfiʿī said:
“A minimum khutbah must include praise of Allah, salāh on the Prophet ﷺ, exhortation to piety, and duʿāʾ at the end.”
Reference: Maʿrifah al-Sunan wal-Āthār: 6467
Benefit:
A report attributed to ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr says:
"ليس من السنة الصلاة على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم يوم الجمعة على المنبر"
“Sending salāh upon the Prophet ﷺ on the minbar on Jumuʿah is not from the Sunnah.”
Reference: Al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr: 13/114; Majmaʿ al-Zawāʾid: 2/188
Its chain is weak, as Layth ibn Abī Sulaym is weak according to the majority of ḥadīth scholars.
④ Sending Durūd at Ṣafā and Marwah
❀ Nāfiʿ ibn Jubayr narrated:
Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه used to say the takbīr three times at Mount Ṣafā:
"Lā ilāha illa Allāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr"
Then he would send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and supplicate for a long time. He did the same at Marwah.
Reference: Faḍl al-Ṣalāh ʿala al-Nabī by al-Qāḍī Ismāʿīl: 185
⑤ Sending Durūd at the Prophet’s ﷺ Grave
❀ ʿAbdullāh ibn Dīnār said:
رأيت عبد الله بن عمر يقف على قبر النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، فيصلي على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم، وعلى أبى بكر وعمر
“I saw ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه standing at the grave of the Prophet ﷺ sending blessings upon him, and salām upon Abū Bakr and ʿUmar.”
Reference: Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ: 1/166; al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī: 5/245
After returning from travel, he would say:
"Al-salāmu ʿalayka yā Rasūl Allāh, al-salāmu ʿalayka yā Abā Bakr, al-salāmu ʿalayka yā abatah"
“Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O Abū Bakr. Peace be upon you, O my father.”
Reference: Faḍl al-Ṣalāh ʿala al-Nabī: 81, ḥadīth 99; al-Sunan al-Kubrā: 5/245
⑥ Sending Durūd After the Adhān
❀ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"If you hear the muʾadhdhin, repeat after him, then send blessings upon me. Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send ten upon him. Then ask Allah to grant me al-Wasīlah, a special station in Paradise for one chosen servant, and I hope to be that one. Whoever does this will receive my intercession."
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 384
⑦ Sending Salām Upon Entering or Leaving the Masjid
❀ Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī narrated:
The Prophet ﷺ said:
When entering the masjid, send salām upon the Prophet ﷺ and say:
"Allāhumma iftaḥ lī abwāba raḥmatik"
On exiting, say:
"Allāhumma innī asʾaluk min faḍlik"
In another narration, say upon exiting:
"Allāhumma aʿṣimnī min al-shayṭān al-rajīm"
Or: "Allāhumma ajirnī min al-shayṭān al-rajīm"
Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah: 773; ʿAmal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (al-Nasā’ī & Ibn al-Sunnī)
This ḥadīth has been authenticated by:
- Ibn Khuzaymah (452, 2706)
- Ibn Ḥibbān (2047, 2050)
- al-Ḥākim (1/207) on the conditions of al-Bukhārī and Muslim
- Agreed upon by al-Dhahabī
- Ḥāfiẓ al-Būṣayrī said:
"This isnād is ṣaḥīḥ and its narrators are trustworthy."
(Miṣbāḥ al-Zujājah: 1/97)
