Question: How has the Prophet (S.A.W.) described the quality of offering peace and salutation to himself?
Bukhari and Muslims including all of the Sunnis’ scholars of Hadith have narrated that when this verse was revealed, “Surely Allah and His angles bless the Prophet; O you who believe! Call for blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation.” the Companions went to Prophet (s.a.w.) and said: “Teach us how to offer peace and salutation to you. We don’t know how we should do that.” Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “Say: O God! Send peace and salutation upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you send peace and salutation upon Abraham and the family of Abraham surely You are Laudable and Glorious.” Some people have said that His Highness also said: “Don’t offer peace and salutation to me incompletely.” they said: “O the Messenger of Allah! What is incomplete peace and salutation (salawat)?” he said: “that is to say O God! Send peace and salutation upon Muhammad and to remain silent”. Allah is perfect and doesn`t accept anything except a perfect one.”For this Imam Shafi`i says: “he who doesn’t offer peace and salutation to the Household, his prayer is not accepted.” In Sunnan of Dar Qutni has been quoted f r o m ´Abu Mas`ud ´Ansari that: “He said: ‘Prophet (s.a.w.) said: Anybody who says a prayer in which doesn’t offer peace and salutation to me and my descendants, his prayer is not accepted.’” In al-Sawa`iq al-Muhraqah, ´ibn Hijr has said that: “Diylami has quoted f r o m the Prophet (s.a.w.) that: ‘A prayer will not ascend to heaven unless the one who says them offeres peace and salutation to Muhammad (s.a.w.) and his ascendants. In al-Mu`jam al-´Awsat ,Tabrani has quoted f r o m `Ali (a.s.) that: “all the prayers are prevented f r o m ascending to heaven unless the one who says them offeres peace and salutation to Muhammad and his descendants.
Although the manner on which we should offer peace and salutation to Muhammad and his descendants has been clearly explained in Sahih and it became clear for us that if a person says a prayer without offering peace and salutation to Muhammad and his descendants, God will not accept his prayer and also knew that the Muslim’s prayer will not reach God unless he offers peace and salutation to Muhammad and his descendants, why some people offers peace and salutation incompletely and while uttering the words Muhammad (s.a.w.), Prophet (s.a.w.) or the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) they just say God sent peace and salutation upon him and doesn’t mention Muhammad’s descendants and some people even expressed the very words so fast and put them in such a complete disorder that it can be just heard sent peace and salutation.
In the books of Sunnis it has been narrated that the Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “Say: ‘O God! Send peace and salutation upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad’ and say it in the present and the future tenses and ask it f r o m God like a prayer.” In spite of this, they just say God sent peace and salutation upon him which is in the past tense and an informative sentence and they don’t mention the descendants.¹
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1- Real Sunnis (1), page 220.
source : hawzahnews
