✍ By: Maqbool Ahmad Salafi – Islamic Da’wah Center, Masrah – Ta’if
In Pakistan, there exists a sectarian group from the Barelvi school of thought known as “Dawat-e-Islami”. This group operates a satellite channel called Madani Channel, and runs a website under the same name, through which innovations (bid‘āt) and superstitions (khurāfāt) are being widely propagated across the globe.
One must realize that these people falsely claim to love the Prophet ﷺ and deceive the Muslim Ummah under the guise of sending salutations and peace (durūd o salām) upon the Prophet ﷺ. If they truly loved him, they would refrain from acts of shirk (polytheism) and bid‘ah (innovation), and would not turn away from authentic ahādīth to follow weak and fabricated narrations.
Let us now examine one important reality about this group: They try to portray themselves as true lovers of the Prophet ﷺ through various forms of durūd o salām. However, neither do they recite the durūd taught by the Prophet ﷺ himself, nor do they follow the prescribed Sunnah method of reciting salutations.
On their official website, in a book titled “Karamat of Ghaus-e-Pāk”, there is a section at the end called:
“Six Durūd Recited in the Weekly Gatherings of Dawat-e-Islami and Two Supplications”.
Let’s now take a brief look at the reality behind each of these six forms of durūd:
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الْحَبِيبِ الْعَالِي الْقَدْرِ الْعَظِيمِ الْجَاهِ، وَعَلٰى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ
They claim:
"Whoever recites this durūd regularly on the night between Thursday and Friday, even once, will see the Prophet ﷺ at the time of death, and enter his grave while witnessing the Prophet ﷺ lower him with his blessed hands."
(Referenced from Afḍal al-Ṣalawāt ‘alā Sayyid al-Sādāt, Ṣalāh #56, pg. 151)
Reality:
This durūd and its virtue are only attributed to elders, as admitted in the same quote. This shows how the Barelvi sect fabricates salawāt and concocts virtues without any basis from hadith. The book cited is written by Yūsuf al-Nabahānī, a Sufi innovator, promoter of shirk and grave-worship. Such sources are unreliable and dangerous.
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلٰى آلِهِ وَسَلِّمْ
Claimed Virtue:
“If a person reads this durūd, whether standing or sitting, his sins will be forgiven before he changes posture.”
(Source: Afḍal al-Ṣalawāt, Ṣalāh #11, pg. 65)
Reality:
Once again, this is from a book by a known innovator, and neither the durūd nor the stated virtue has any basis in authentic hadith. This is similar to fabricated durūd forms invented by Sufis such as Ṣalāh Kamāliyyah, Ṣalāh Munjiyyah, Ṣalāh of Abdul Qādir Jīlānī, etc.
صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ
Claimed Virtue:
“Seventy doors of mercy are opened for the one who recites this durūd.”
(Source: al-Qawl al-Badī‘, Chapter 2, pg. 277)
Reality:
Though there’s no harm in reciting this simple salutation, the virtue mentioned is unreliable. Even Imām al-Sakhāwī, the author of the cited book, himself declared this narration untrustworthy in al-Qawl al-Badī‘ (pg. 194).
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ عَدَدَ مَا فِي عِلْمِ اللّٰهِ صَلَاةً دَائِمَةً بِدَوَامِ مُلْكِ اللّٰهِ
Claimed Virtue:
“Reciting this durūd once brings the reward of reciting 600,000 durūd.”
(Attributed to Ahmad Ṣāwī, quoted in Afḍal al-Ṣalawāt, Ṣalāh #52, pg. 149)
Reality:
This is known among Sufis as Ṣalāh al-Sa‘ādah, but its wording is not established from authentic hadith, nor is its virtue reliable. The narration is fabricated and falsely attributed to elders.
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا تُحِبُّ وَتَرْضٰى لَهُ
Claimed Story:
“A man reciting this durūd was once seated between the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه. The Prophet ﷺ explained this was due to the durūd he recited.”
(Source: al-Qawl al-Badī‘, Chapter 1, pg. 125)
Reality:
Neither this durūd nor the virtue/story accompanying it is found in any authentic hadith. The story itself is fabricated and unreliable.
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَنْزِلْهُ الْمَقْعَدَ الْمُقَرَّبَ عِنْدَكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Claimed Virtue:
“Whoever recites this durūd, my intercession becomes obligatory upon him.”
(Source: Targhīb wa Tarhīb, 2/329, Ḥadīth: 30)
Reality:
Shaykh al-Albānī has classified this hadith as weak (ḍa‘īf) in several of his works including: Silsilat al-Ḍa‘īfah, Fadhīlah al-Ṣalāh ‘alā al-Nabī ﷺ, Takhreej al-Mishkāt, and others.
جَزَى اللّٰهُ عَنَّا مُحَمَّدًا مَّا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ
Claimed Virtue:
“Seventy angels write good deeds for a thousand days for the one who recites this.”
(Source: Majma‘ al-Zawā’id, Book of Supplications)
Reality:
This hadith is weak (ḍa‘īf). Shaykh al-Albānī declared it rejected (munkar) in Silsilat al-Ḍa‘īfah (Hadith: 5109).
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ، سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ
Claimed Virtue:
“Whoever recites this supplication thrice has attained the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr.”
(Source: Tārīkh Ibn ‘Asākir, 19/155, Ḥadīth: 4415)
Reality:
The narration is mursal (chain is broken) and thus weak. This has been confirmed by Mahmūd ‘Umar Dimyātī in his verification of Kanz al-‘Ummāl.
The most authentic and virtuous way of sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is what he himself taught his Companions.
Sayyidunā Ka‘b bin ‘Ujrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
"O Messenger of Allah! We know how to greet you with salām, but how should we send ṣalāt (durūd) upon you?"
He ﷺ replied:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Those who truly love the Prophet ﷺ will never abandon the method he taught. Anyone who invents new forms of durūd, promotes fabricated narrations, and creates unauthentic methods, proves through their actions that they do not truly love the Prophet ﷺ, but rather deceive people under the banner of love for the Messenger ﷺ.
In Pakistan, there exists a sectarian group from the Barelvi school of thought known as “Dawat-e-Islami”. This group operates a satellite channel called Madani Channel, and runs a website under the same name, through which innovations (bid‘āt) and superstitions (khurāfāt) are being widely propagated across the globe.
One must realize that these people falsely claim to love the Prophet ﷺ and deceive the Muslim Ummah under the guise of sending salutations and peace (durūd o salām) upon the Prophet ﷺ. If they truly loved him, they would refrain from acts of shirk (polytheism) and bid‘ah (innovation), and would not turn away from authentic ahādīth to follow weak and fabricated narrations.
Let us now examine one important reality about this group: They try to portray themselves as true lovers of the Prophet ﷺ through various forms of durūd o salām. However, neither do they recite the durūd taught by the Prophet ﷺ himself, nor do they follow the prescribed Sunnah method of reciting salutations.
❖ Six Durūd Forms Publicized by Dawat-e-Islami
On their official website, in a book titled “Karamat of Ghaus-e-Pāk”, there is a section at the end called:
“Six Durūd Recited in the Weekly Gatherings of Dawat-e-Islami and Two Supplications”.
Let’s now take a brief look at the reality behind each of these six forms of durūd:
① Durūd of the Night of Jumu‘ah
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الْحَبِيبِ الْعَالِي الْقَدْرِ الْعَظِيمِ الْجَاهِ، وَعَلٰى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ
They claim:
"Whoever recites this durūd regularly on the night between Thursday and Friday, even once, will see the Prophet ﷺ at the time of death, and enter his grave while witnessing the Prophet ﷺ lower him with his blessed hands."
(Referenced from Afḍal al-Ṣalawāt ‘alā Sayyid al-Sādāt, Ṣalāh #56, pg. 151)
Reality:This durūd and its virtue are only attributed to elders, as admitted in the same quote. This shows how the Barelvi sect fabricates salawāt and concocts virtues without any basis from hadith. The book cited is written by Yūsuf al-Nabahānī, a Sufi innovator, promoter of shirk and grave-worship. Such sources are unreliable and dangerous.
② Durūd for Forgiveness of All Sins
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا وَمَوْلَانَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلٰى آلِهِ وَسَلِّمْ
Claimed Virtue:
“If a person reads this durūd, whether standing or sitting, his sins will be forgiven before he changes posture.”
(Source: Afḍal al-Ṣalawāt, Ṣalāh #11, pg. 65)
Reality:Once again, this is from a book by a known innovator, and neither the durūd nor the stated virtue has any basis in authentic hadith. This is similar to fabricated durūd forms invented by Sufis such as Ṣalāh Kamāliyyah, Ṣalāh Munjiyyah, Ṣalāh of Abdul Qādir Jīlānī, etc.
③ Durūd with Seventy Doors of Mercy
صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ
Claimed Virtue:
“Seventy doors of mercy are opened for the one who recites this durūd.”
(Source: al-Qawl al-Badī‘, Chapter 2, pg. 277)
Reality:Though there’s no harm in reciting this simple salutation, the virtue mentioned is unreliable. Even Imām al-Sakhāwī, the author of the cited book, himself declared this narration untrustworthy in al-Qawl al-Badī‘ (pg. 194).
④ Durūd Equal to 600,000 Rewards
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ عَدَدَ مَا فِي عِلْمِ اللّٰهِ صَلَاةً دَائِمَةً بِدَوَامِ مُلْكِ اللّٰهِ
Claimed Virtue:
“Reciting this durūd once brings the reward of reciting 600,000 durūd.”
(Attributed to Ahmad Ṣāwī, quoted in Afḍal al-Ṣalawāt, Ṣalāh #52, pg. 149)
Reality:This is known among Sufis as Ṣalāh al-Sa‘ādah, but its wording is not established from authentic hadith, nor is its virtue reliable. The narration is fabricated and falsely attributed to elders.
⑤ Durūd of Closeness to the Prophet ﷺ
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا تُحِبُّ وَتَرْضٰى لَهُ
Claimed Story:
“A man reciting this durūd was once seated between the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه. The Prophet ﷺ explained this was due to the durūd he recited.”
(Source: al-Qawl al-Badī‘, Chapter 1, pg. 125)
Reality:Neither this durūd nor the virtue/story accompanying it is found in any authentic hadith. The story itself is fabricated and unreliable.
⑥ Durūd of Intercession (Durūd-e-Shafā‘ah)
اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَنْزِلْهُ الْمَقْعَدَ الْمُقَرَّبَ عِنْدَكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Claimed Virtue:
“Whoever recites this durūd, my intercession becomes obligatory upon him.”
(Source: Targhīb wa Tarhīb, 2/329, Ḥadīth: 30)
Reality:Shaykh al-Albānī has classified this hadith as weak (ḍa‘īf) in several of his works including: Silsilat al-Ḍa‘īfah, Fadhīlah al-Ṣalāh ‘alā al-Nabī ﷺ, Takhreej al-Mishkāt, and others.
❖ Two Supplications Recited by Dawat-e-Islami
✿ First Du‘ā: Equal to a Thousand Days of Good Deeds
جَزَى اللّٰهُ عَنَّا مُحَمَّدًا مَّا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ
Claimed Virtue:
“Seventy angels write good deeds for a thousand days for the one who recites this.”
(Source: Majma‘ al-Zawā’id, Book of Supplications)
Reality:This hadith is weak (ḍa‘īf). Shaykh al-Albānī declared it rejected (munkar) in Silsilat al-Ḍa‘īfah (Hadith: 5109).
✿ Second Du‘ā: Equal to Gaining Laylat al-Qadr
لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ الْحَلِيمُ الْكَرِيمُ، سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ رَبِّ السَّمَاوَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَرَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ
Claimed Virtue:
“Whoever recites this supplication thrice has attained the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr.”
(Source: Tārīkh Ibn ‘Asākir, 19/155, Ḥadīth: 4415)
Reality:The narration is mursal (chain is broken) and thus weak. This has been confirmed by Mahmūd ‘Umar Dimyātī in his verification of Kanz al-‘Ummāl.
The Sunnah Way of Sending Durūd
The most authentic and virtuous way of sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is what he himself taught his Companions.
Sayyidunā Ka‘b bin ‘Ujrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
"O Messenger of Allah! We know how to greet you with salām, but how should we send ṣalāt (durūd) upon you?"
He ﷺ replied:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari: 6357
❖ Final Thoughts
Those who truly love the Prophet ﷺ will never abandon the method he taught. Anyone who invents new forms of durūd, promotes fabricated narrations, and creates unauthentic methods, proves through their actions that they do not truly love the Prophet ﷺ, but rather deceive people under the banner of love for the Messenger ﷺ.
