رَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ ذُكِرْتُ عِنْدَهُ فَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَيَّ ورَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ أَدْرَكَ أَبَوَيْهِ عِنْدَ الْكِبَرِ فَلَمْ يُدْخِلَاهُ الْجَنَّةَ ورَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ثُمَّ انْسَلَخَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُغفر لَهُ

‘May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he who hears me being mentioned and does not send Sallat upon me. May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he who has old parents and does not enter Paradise [due to not serving them]. May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he whom the month of Ramadan enters upon, but passes by without him been forgiven.’[1]

In another narration from Anas bin Malik who said:

ارْتَقَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ دَرَجَةً فَقَالَ: «آمِينَ» ثُمَّ ارْتَقَى الثَّانِيَةَ فَقَالَ: «آمِينَ» ثُمَّ ارْتَقَى الثَّالِثَةَ فَقَالَ: «آمِينَ» ثُمَّ اسْتَوَى فَجَلَسَ فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُهُ: عَلَامَ أَمَّنْتَ؟ قَالَ: ” أَتَانِي جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ: رَغِمَ أَنْفُ امْرِئٍ ذُكِرْتَ عِنْدَهُ فَلَمْ يُصِلِّ عَلَيْكَ، فَقُلْتُ: آمِينَ، فَقَالَ: رَغِمَ أَنْفُ امْرِئٍ أَدْرَكَ أَبَوَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَدْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ، فَقُلْتُ: آمِينَ، فَقَالَ: رَغِمَ أَنْفُ امْرِئٍ أَدْرَكَ رَمَضَانَ فَلَمْ يُغْفَرْ لَهُ فَقُلْتُ: آمِينَ “

‘The Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– took one step up on the Mimber and said: ‘Aameen’, then he took a second step and said ‘Aameen’, then he took the third step and said ‘Aameen’, then he stood straight and sat down. So, the Companions asked what did you say ‘Aameen’ to?

He said: ‘Jibra’eel came to me and said: ‘May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he who heard you being mentioned and does not send Sallat upon you. So, I said ‘Aameen’. Then he said: ‘May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he who has old parents and he does not enter Paradise’ [due to not serving them.] So, I said ‘Aameen’. Then he said: ‘May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he whom the month of Ramadan enters upon, but passes by without him been forgiven’. So, I said: ‘Aameen.’ [2]

b) From Ali –Radi Allaahu anhu– from the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– who said:

البخيلُ من ذكِرتُ عنده فلم يصلِّ عليَّ

‘The miserly person is the one who, when I am mentioned, does not send Salat upon me.’[3]

c) From Abee Dharr –Radi Allaahu anhu– who said, ‘I went out one day and I went to the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– who said:

ألا أخبرُكم بأبخلِ الناس؟!

‘Shall I not inform you of the most miserly of people?’

The people said: ‘Of course, O Messenger of Allaah!’

The Messenger said:

من ذُكرت عنده فلم يُصل عليَّ، فذلك أبخلُ الناسِ

‘The person in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send Salat upon me, that is the most miserly of people.’[4]

d) From Ibn Abbas –Radi Allaahu anhu– from the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam–:

مَنْ نسي الصلاة عليَّ؛ خُطِّئ طريق الجنَّة

‘Whoever forgets to send Salat upon me, then he has mistaken the way to Paradise.’[5]

d) From Hussain bin Ali –Radi Allaahu anhuma– who said the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– said:

من ذُكِرْت عنده فخَطِئَ الصلاة عليَّ؛ خُطِّئ طريق الجنَّة

‘Whoever I am mentioned in his presence and he forgets to send Salat upon me, then he has mistaken the way to Paradise.’[6]

Is it Obligatory to Send Salat Upon the Messenger Every Time he is Mentioned?

Ibn al-Qayyim’s reply to those who hold the opinion that it is obligatory to send Salat upon the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– every time he is mentioned:

Shamsuddeen Muhammad bin Abee Bakr ibn Qayyim aj-Jawzeeyah (d.751 A.H.) -Rahimullaah- said:

‘Those who deny the obligation [do not hold it to be obligatory] say: the proof for what we say is based upon the following points:

1 – What is well known, in which there is no doubt, is that not even one of the Salaf as-Salih, who are the example to be followed, would link the Salat upon the Prophet with his name every time the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– was mentioned. The instances of them addressing the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– are so many that it does not need to be mentioned. Indeed they would say: ‘O Messenger of Allaah’ and they would limit it to just this, and perhaps one of them would say: ‘SallAllaahu Alayka’ (May Allaah send Salat upon you) and this is mentioned in Ahadeeth clearly and a lot, therefore, if sending Salat upon him –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– was obligatory when he –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– is mentioned, then he –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– would criticise them for leaving it.

2 – That if the Salat upon him –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– was obligatory every time he is mentioned, then this would have been one of the clearest obligations and the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– would have explained it for his Ummah. So, clearly that would leave no room for any excuses, and the proof would have been established.

3 – That this opinion of being obligatory is not known from any of the Companions, or the Successors or those who followed them, and it is not known from anyone of them that they said this. Most of the scholars of Fiqh – but a verdict of consensus has been given that the Salat upon him –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– is not one of the obligatory acts of the prayer, and the opinion that it is obligatory in the prayer has been ascribed to being a weak opinion and opposing consensus, so how can it be obligatory outside of the prayer?

4 – That if it had been obligatory to send Salat upon the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– every time he was mentioned, then it would have been obligatory upon the Mu’adhin to say ‘Ashhaddu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam’ (I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam) and this had not been legislated in the Adhan let alone it being obligatory upon the Mu’adhin.

5 – That it would have been obligatory upon the one who heard the call to prayer and responded to the Mu’adhin to send Salat upon the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam, and the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– had ordered the one who hears the call to prayer to say that what the Mu’adhin says. This shows the permissibility of limiting the response to the Adhan to: ‘Ashhaddu an la illaha illa Allaah, wa Ashhaddu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allaah’ (I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah) because this is saying exactly what the Mu’adhin says.

6 – That there is an agreement that the first Tashahaud ends with saying: ‘wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammadan Abduhu wa Rasooluhu’ (and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger). The scholars differed on whether it is legislated to send Salat upon the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– and his family in the Tashhaud. There are three opinions:

a – That it is not legislated except in the last Tashhaud.

b – It is legislated.

c – It is legislated specifically upon the Prophet rather than his family and no one says it was obligatory in the first Tashahaud when the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– is mentioned.

7 – That a person enters into Islaam and becomes Muslim by saying the ‘Shahaadatayn’ (the two testifications); and he does not need to say: Ashhaddu anna Muhammadan Rasool Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam’.

8 – That the Khateeb does not need to send the Salat upon the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– in the testification, in the Juma’ and the Eid Khutbahs. If sending the Salat upon the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– was obligatory when he –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– is mentioned, then it would be obligatory upon the Khateeb to do it with the Shahaadda (testification of Islaam).

9 – That if it was obligatory to send Salat upon him every time he is mentioned, then it would be obligatory upon a reader that every time he came across the Prophet’s name that he would send Salat upon him, and the reader would have to stop reading to carry out this obligation. This is whether it was in the prayer or outside the prayer, because Salat upon him –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– does not invalidate the prayer and it is an obligation which is prescribed, so it must be performed. What is known is that, if it had been obligatory, the Companions and the Successors would have more rightly done it, and been hastier in carrying it out and leaving it would have been neglectful.

10 – That if it was obligatory to send Salat upon the Prophet every time he was mentioned, it would have been obligatory to send Praise and glorify Allaah –Azza wa Jal- every time His Name was mentioned. It would have been obligatory on the person who mentioned His Name to connect by saying:

‘Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala’ سبحانه و تعالى (Far is He from imperfection and He is the The Most-High)

or ‘Azza wa Jal’ عز وجل (The Mighty and The Majestic)

or ‘Tabaraka wa Ta’ala تبارك و تعالى (The Blessed and The Most-High)

or ‘Jalat ‘Athamattuhu’ جلت عظمته (Mighty and Exalted)

or ‘Ja’ala Jadduhu’ تعالى جده (Exalted be His Might) etc.

In fact, what would be foremost and more appropriate is to praise and glorify Allaah, rather than obligating sending praise upon the Prophet. This is because regarding the Messenger has being great and honorable, loving and obeying him actually follows on from regarding Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala Who sent the Messenger as being Great and Majestic, loving and obeying Him.

Therefore, it is impossible that love, obedience, regarding as great and being honourable can occur for the Messenger –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– and not for the One –Subhanahu wa Ta’ala- Who sent him. In fact, all of these things are affirmed for the Messenger because they follow on from the love of Allaah –Subhanahu wa Ta’ala – and regarding Him as Great and Majestic.

This is why obedience to the Messenger –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– is obedience to Allaah. So << He who obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allaah, >>[7]

Giving allegiance to the Messenger is giving allegiance to Allaah. <<Verily, those who give Bai’a (a pledge) to you they are giving Bai’a (a pledge) to Allaah. The Hand of Allaah is over their hands.>>[8]

Loving the Messenger is loving Allaah, Allaah says: << Say: ‘If you (really) love Allaah then follow me, Allaah will love you>>[9]

Regarding the Messenger as great is regarding Allaah as great, and aiding the Messenger is aiding Allaah, because His Messenger and slave calls to Allaah and to obeying Him, to His love, His Majesty, regarding Him as Great and to worshipping Him Alone without any partners. So how can it be said that: it is obligatory to send Salat upon him –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– every time he is mentioned, which is regarding him as great and glorifying him as was previously mentioned, and it is not obligatory to glorify and regard the Creator –Subhanahu wa Ta’ala- as Great every time He is mentioned? This is impossible.[10]

Is it Sufficient to Send Salat only Once in a Gathering?

Shaykh al-Albaani was asked:

Questioner: Regarding sending Salat on the Messenger –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– after the Adhan, is it sufficient to say ‘Allaahumma Salli Alaa Muhammad’ (O Allaah send Salat upon Muhammad) or must you say ‘Allaahumma Salli Alaal Muhammad until the end of the Salat upon the Prophet?

Shaykh al-Albaani: It is better to read it to the end of the text and it is allowed to summarise it.

Questioner: O Shaykh, regarding the issue of Salat upon the Prophet, one of our brothers present here mentioned while you were talking and said: ‘Alayhi as-Salam,’ he asked: ‘Is it sufficient to say ‘Alayhi as-Salam’ for mentioning Salat upon the Prophet, when the Prophet –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– said: ‘May the nose of a man be covered in dust out of humiliation, he who hears me being mentioned and does not send Salat upon me.’ What is the answer?

Shaykh Albaani: The answer is that if he says ‘Alayhi as-Salam’ every time the Messenger Alayhi as-Salam- is mentioned then that person has not fulfilled the obligation of sending Salat upon the Prophet. However, if he sometimes said that then this is allowed. This is because if he sends Salat once upon the Messenger -Alayhi as-Salam- in one gathering even if the Messenger was mentioned ten times and he did not send Salat or Salam upon him again [in that gathering], he is not sinful. This is because it is not obligatory upon him in one gathering to send Salat upon the Prophet every time he is mentioned, only if there are many gatherings.

Questioner: O Shaykh regarding the Hadeeth: ‘The miser is the one when I am mentioned…..’ does this play a part in this discussion?

Shaykh Albaani: I said that, ‘Who when I am mentioned does not send Salat upon me’[11] means in one gathering.[12]

Sending Salat When Conveying Knowledge to the People, Reminding them, in Stories, Giving Lessons, Teaching in the beginning & the End

Shamsuddeen Muhammad bin Abee Bakr Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzeeyah -Rahimahullaah- said:

‘Then the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– said:

إنّ الله وملائكتَه وأهلَ السمواتِ والأرضِ -حتى النملةَ في جُحرها، وحتى الحوتَ- لَيصلُّون على مُعلمي الناسِ الخيرَ

‘Indeed Allaah and His Angels and the people of the heavens and the earth, and even the ants in their colonies, and even the fish in the sea send Salat upon the one who teaches the people goodness.’[13]

Al-Fudayl bin ‘Aayaad said:

‘A scholar who practices the Deen and is a teacher is regarded as distinguished in the dominions of the heavens.’

This is narrated from the Companions.

Ibn Abbas said: The scholars of this Ummah are of two types:

A person whom Allaah gives knowledge to and he would sacrifice it for the people and he would not take wealth for it. He would not sell his religion for an amount of wealth. So for this type of person, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, the animals on the earth and the Angels who write down deeds all send Salat upon them.

As for the person whom Allaah gives knowledge, is miserly with his knowledge keeping it away from Allaah’s slaves, takes wealth for it and sells his religion for it, he will be brought on the Day of Judgment pulled with reins made from fire.’

As for the Messenger saying: ‘Indeed Allaah, His Angels, and the people of the Heavens and the earth send Salat (praise & Dua’) upon the person who teaches the people goodness.’

Since him teaching people goodness was a reason for their salvation, their happiness, and purification for their souls, Allaah rewards him in relation to his action. Thus, Allaah sends His Salat and the Salat of His Angels and the people of the earth which are the reasons for his salvation, happiness and success.

Also, when the one who teaches people goodness makes the Deen and the rulings of his Lord evident and familiarizes the people with Allaah’s Names and Characteristics, then as a result Allaah makes some of His Salat and the Salat of the people of His heavens upon those people as a praise for him, and as an honour for him, and Allaah manifests this praise upon him between the people of the heavens and the earth.’[14]

Ibn Qayyim aj-Jawzeeyah -Rahimahullaah- also said:

‘Salat is sent at this time and place, because it is a place for conveying knowledge with which he -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- came with, distributed in his Ummah, and gave to them. He called them to his Sunnah and his way.

This [conveying of knowledge] is one of the best actions, and one of the greatest benefits for the slave of Allaah in the Dunyaa and the Aakhira.

Allaah Ta’ala says:

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِمَّنْ دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ

<< And who is better in speech than he who [says: ‘My Lord is Allaah,’ and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites to Allaah’s (Islaamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: ‘I am one of the Muslims.’ >>[15]

Allaah Ta’ala also says:

قُلْ هَذِهِ سَبِيلِي أَدْعُو إِلَى اللَّهِ عَلَى بَصِيرَةٍ أَنَا وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَنِي

<< Say: ‘This is my way; I invite unto Allaah with sure knowledge, I and whosoever follows me (also must invite others to Allaah i.e to the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) with sure knowledge. >>[16]

This is because Allaah – far is He from imperfection – ordered the Messenger –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– to inform the people about His path, which is Dawa’ to Allaah. Therefore, whoever calls to Allaah Ta’ala is upon the path of His Messenger –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– and he will be upon knowledge and he will be one of the followers of the Messenger. Whoever calls to something else is not upon the Messenger’s path, nor is he upon knowledge, nor is he one of his followers.

Dawa’ to Allaah Ta’ala is the duty of the Messengers and their followers. They were the Khulafa of the Messengers in their Ummahs so the people could follow on, from them. Allaah -far is He from imperfection- ordered His Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- to convey what was revealed to him and Allaah guaranteed that He would protect and preserve him -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- from the people. Likewise, those people from his Ummah who convey his -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- message receive preservation and protection from Allaah in relation to how much of the Allaah’s Deen they establish and how much they convey it. The Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- ordered that we should convey from him -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- even if it is one Ayaah. The Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- prayed for the one who conveys a Hadeeth from him even if it is just one Hadeeth.

Conveying his -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- Sunnah to the Ummah is better than firing an arrow to the neck of the enemy, because that type of conveying can be done by many people. As for conveying the Sunnan, no one establishes it except the inheritors of the Prophets and their Khulafah of their Ummahs. May Allaah Ta’ala make us from among them with His Blessings and His Generosity.’[17]

During the Khutbah

From Abdullaah bin Abu Bakr who said, ‘We were in Khayf[18] and Abdullaah bin Utbah -radiAllaahu anhu- was with us. He praised Allaah and glorified Him. He then sent Salat upon the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, then supplicated with various supplications then he stood and led us in prayer.’[19]

Between the Takbeers during the Eid Prayer

Uqbah bin Aamir said: ‘I asked Ibn Mas’ood about what to say after saying the Takbeerat Eid. He said:

‘To praise Allaah and glorify him and send salat upon the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam[20].’

[1] Albaani said its Isnaad is Saheeh, its narrators are those of Bukhari and it was collected by Tirmidhi & Haakim. From ‘Fadl as-Salat ala Nabi –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam–‘ (p.31) (16)] & in Kitab al-Adhkaar by Nawawi – p.151 no. 348

[2] Albaani said its Isnaad is Saheeh, its narrators are those of Bukhari & it was collected by Tirmidhi & Hakim. From ‘Fadl as-Salat ala Nabi –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam–‘ (p.31) (16)] & in Kitab al-Adhkar by Nawawi – p.151 no. 348

[3] Collected by Nisa’ee – Albaani said in ‘Fadl Salat’ p.40: ‘The hadeeth is authentic due to the chains mentioned previously, it was collected by Ahmad, Tirmidhi and authenticated by Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim & Tabraani.’

[4] Collected by Ibn Abi Assim – Albaani graded it Saheeh lighayrihi in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 2/301/1684

[5] Collected by Ibn Majah & Tabarani – Albaani graded it Saheeh lighayrihi in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 2/301/1682 & Saheehah no.2035]

[6] Collected by Tabarani – Albaani graded it Saheeh lighayrihi in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 2/300/1681

[7] [Nisa: 80]

[8] [Fath: 10]

[9] [Ala-Imraan: 31]

[10] [Taken from: ‘Jeela al-Afhaam fee Fadl Salat wa Salam ‘ala Muhamamd Khair al-Anaam’ p. 554 – 557]

[11] See section: ‘Dispraise of the one who does not send Salam upon the Prophet – -.

[12] [Taken from Silsilah al-Huda wa Noor cassette no. 192 at 33 mins]

[13] Collected by Tirmidhi and Albaani grades it Hasan lighayrihi in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 1/144/81

[14] [From Miftah Dar as-Sa’ada 1/p.252 no.46]

[15] [Fussilat: 33]

[16] [Yusuf: 108]

[17] Taken From ‘Jela al-Afhaam’ By Ibn al-Qayyim p. 580 – 585

[18] [FN Masjid in Arafat during Hajj]

[19] From ‘Fadl as-Salat alaa an-Nabi -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.’ (p.78) (90)]

[20] [Narrated by al-Athrum and Harb and Ahmad used it as proof. Albaani said it was Saheeh in Irwaa al-Ghaleel Volume 3 p.114-115 no. 642]

Part 14 – Sending Salat when the Messenger is Mentioned

Dispraise of the One Who Does Not Send Salam Upon the Prophet

–sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam–

Is it Obligatory to Send Salat Upon the Messenger Every Time he is Mentioned?

Is it Sufficient to Send Salat only Once in a Gathering?

Sending Salat When Conveying Knowledge to the People, Reminding them, in Stories, Giving Lessons, Teaching in the beginning & the End

During the Khutbah

Between the Takbeers during the Eid Prayer