Principles & Benefits
of
Sending Salat and Salam on the Prophet
<< Indeed Allaah and His Angels send Salat on the Prophet. O you who believe, Send Salat upon him, and send complete Salam upon him.>>
Part Nine
On the Day of Jumu’a
By
Abbas Abu Yahya
A series on issues regarding sending the Salat and the Salam upon the Prophet.
On the Day of Jumu’a’[1]
1 – From ‘Aus bin ‘Aus that the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– said:
مِنْ أفضل أيامِكم يومُ الجمعة، فيه خُلِقَ آدم، وفيه قُبَض، وفيه النفخةُ، وفيه الصعقةُ، فأكثروا عليَّ من الصلاة فيه؛ فإنَّ صلاتَكم معروضةٌ عليَّ
‘Indeed one of your best days is Friday. Adam was created on that day, on the Friday he was taken, on a Friday the horn will be blown and on that Friday whoever is on the earth will fall dead, so send a lot of Salat upon me, since indeed your Salat is presented to me.’
The Companions said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah how will our Salat be presented to you when you will have become decayed (body)?
He –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– said:
إنَّ الله عزَّ وجلَّ حرَّم على الأرض أن تأكل أجْسادَ الأنبياء
‘Indeed Allaah prohibited the earth from eating the bodies of the Prophets.’[2]
2 – From Abu Darda – Radi Allaahu anhu – who said: ‘The Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– said:
أكثروا مِنَ الصلاةِ عليّ يومَ الجمعةِ؛ فإنه مشهودٌ تشهدُه الملائكةُ، وإنّ أحداً لن يصليَ عليّ؛ إلا عُرِضَتْ عليّ صلاتُه حتى يفرغَ منها
‘Send a lot of Salat upon me on Friday (the Day of Jumu’a); since it is a day which is witnessed. The Angels witness it, and no one sends Salat upon me except that his Salat is presented to me until he finishes saying it.’
Abu Darda continued: ‘I asked: ‘Even after your death?’
The Messenger replied:
إن اللهَ حرمَ على الأرضِ أن تأكلَ أجسادَ الأنبياءِ عليهم السلام، [فنبيُّ الله حيٌّ يُرزقُ]
‘Indeed Allaah prohibited the earth from consuming up the bodies of the Prophets –alyahim as-Salam, so the Prophet of Allaah is alive[3] and is given provision.’[4]
3 – From Anas – Radi Allaahu anhu – who said: the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam– said:
أَكْثِرو الصَّلاة عليَّ يوم الجمعة؛ فإنه أتاني جبريلُ آنِفاً عن ربه عز وجل فقال: ما على الأرض من مسلم يُصلِّي عليك مرَّة واحدةً؛ إلا صلَّيْت أنا وملائكتي عليه عشراً
‘Send a lot of Salat upon me on Friday; since Jibra’eel just came to me from his Lord -The Magnificent and the Almighty- and said: ‘There is no Muslim on the face of the earth who sends Salat upon you once, except that I and My Angels send Salat upon him ten times.’[5]
4 – From Anas – Radi Allaahu anhu – from the Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam:
أكثروا الصلاة علي يوم الجمعة وليلة الجمعة، فمن صلى علي صلاة صلى الله عليه عشرا
‘Send a lot of Salat upon me on Friday and Thursday night; because whoever sends Salat upon me once, Allaah sends Salam upon him ten-fold.’[6]
Ibn Qayyim aj-Jawzeeyah (d.751 A.H.) -Rahimullaah- said:
‘The recommendation to send a lot of Salat upon the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- on Friday and its night, is due to the saying of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam:
أكثروا الصلاة علي يوم الجمعة وليلة الجمعة
‘Send Salat upon me a lot on the day of Jumu’a and the night of Jumu’a.’[7]
The Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– is the chief of human beings, and Friday is the chief of days, therefore, sending Salat upon him on this day has a distinction which no other day has, along with other wisdom. Part of that wisdom is that all the goodness that his Ummah has acquired in the worldly life (of the Deen) and the Hereafter, has been acquired at his hand -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.
Therefore, Allaah gathered the goodness of the worldly life and the Hereafter for his Ummah through him -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam-.
The greatest honour & dignity that will be achieved for them occurs on the Friday, since on that day they will be sent to their homes and their palaces in Paradise. Friday will be the day when they will see their Lord, when they enter Paradise, and Friday is a day of ‘Eid for them in the worldly-life. It is the day in which Allaah the Most High- grants them with their requests and needs, Allaah does not reject the one who supplicates from amongst them.
The people came to know these things and they acquired them due to the Messenger -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- and upon his -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- hand. Therefore, part of being thankful to him, praising him and fulfilling a little of his -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- rights is that we should send a great deal of Salat upon him a lot on Friday and its night.’[8]
[1] Imam ash-Shafa’iee -Rahimuhullaah- said: ‘I love to send a lot of Salat upon the Prophet in all circumstances. I recommend it even more so on Thursday night and on Friday. I Love to recite Soorah al-Kahf Thursday night and on Friday because of what is mentioned in it.’ [al-Umm 1/239]
[2] [Collected by Abu Dawood, Ahmad, Hakim, Ibn Majah & Ibn Hibban. Albaani said: ‘Its Isnaad is Saheeh’ in ‘Fadl as-Salat ala Nabi –sallAllaahu alayhi wa Salam–‘ (p.35 (20) & also in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 2/1674]
[3] The Description of the type of lives the Prophets live in their Graves – By Shaykh Muhammad Nasir uddeen al-Albaani ‘The Messenger of Allaah –sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– said:
الأنبياء – صلوات الله عليهم – أحياء في قبورهم يصلون
‘The Prophets –alayhim as-Salaam- are alive in their graves praying.’
Albaani said: ‘Know that the type of life which has been affirmed in this hadeeth is for the Prophets –alayhim as-Salaam, and this is indeed a life of the Barzakh (a stage from after death till resurrection), and it is nothing at all like the life of this world.
This is why it is obligatory to have Eemaan in this point without bringing examples for it, or trying to describe how it is or trying to compare it to what was is well known to us in this worldly life.
This is the stance that is obligatory for the believers to take regarding this issue. That is having Eemaan in what is mentioned in the hadeeth without adding to it by way of analogies and opinions like what the Ahl-ul-Bida’ do, to the extent that the matter has reached the point that some of them claim that the life of the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- in his grave is a real type of life [worldly life]!
They say: ‘He eats, drinks and has relations with his wives! !
But rather it is a life of Barzakh of which no-one knows the reality except Allaah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.’
[Taken from ‘Silsilah as-Saheehah’ No. 621 p.190]
[4] [Collected by Ibn Majah & Albaani declared it Hasan lighayrihi in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 2/296-7/1672]
[5] [Collected by Tabraani – Albaani graded it Hasan lighayrihi in ‘Saheeh Targheeb wa Tarheeb’ 2/292/1662]
[6] Collected by al-Bayhaqi in his ‘Sunnan’ & al-Albaani declared the Hadeeth to be Hasan in Silsilah Saheehah no. 1407
[7] [The Researcher said: ‘Collected by Bayhaqi from the hadeeth of Anas & it is Hasan.]
[8] [Taken from ‘Zad al-Ma’ad 1/376]