In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Reciting Surah Kahf (the 18th Surah in the Qur'an) on Friday is a well-known Sunnah that we should strive to follow. This Surah gives us the message that those who believe in Allah and ask for protection from Him, He gives them the best protection the likes of which the world has never seen.
Besides this illuminating Message, there’s a simple Sunnah— with amazing virtues— created specifically for Fridays. It is invocating blessings and peace upon the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wasallam (salawat).
Allah Almighty establishes this noble act Himself first and foremost; how noble is an act that Allah, the Compassionate Himself confirms to do. He, The Exalted, states:
إِنَّ اللَّـهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا ﴿٥٦[Qur'an Al-Ahzab 33:56]
Verily, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet: O you who believe, send blessings upon him and salute him with all due respect to him. (56)
This verse is just as emphatic as the commands to pray, fast, give zakat, and so on. We should send salutations upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) because Allah Almighty has exhorted us to do so. It is His Command.
“Salat” is prayer or supplication (du'a). Allah’s blessing (salat) is His mercy and honoring of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam). Allah’s peace (salaam) is His greeting of honor, His granting eternal peace and contentment.
The salam is also a prayer from us, asking Allah to put the Prophet’s heart at rest (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) regarding us (his community) –- that we will uphold our covenants with him, embody his guidance, and spread the light he came with (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
There are numerous benefits and rewards of sending peace and blessings on the Prophet (salawat) sallallahu alayhi wasallam.
An immediate and a significant benefit is that our invocation to Allah Almighty for peace and blessings upon His Beloved is a means of healing, Shifa, upon our own selves.
Invoking peace and blessings upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) opens the floodgates of peace and blessings upon ourselves. In the midst of a world absent of peace, and starving of blessings, there is no quicker, better and greater way for the Believer of One God to seek His Grace, Protection, Favor and Blessing.
Beyond the benefits one attains in this world (removal of anxiety, harm and anarchy) by the Will of Allah, The All-Knowing All-Wise of our states and realities, there are benefits beyond this ephemeral world; the reality of such salutation’s objective being the Grace of Allah in the Hereafter. It would be remiss of us not to remind ourselves of these ultimate benefits. Here are some of the statements of the Prophet of Allah regarding them:
“From those from among my community who send blessings upon me sincerely from his heart, Allah will shower His blessings upon him ten times, elevate his status by ten, and will have the angels record ten good deeds for him and will erase ten of his sins.” [Hadith, recorded by Nasa’i]
“Without a doubt supplications are stalled between the heavens and the earth, and are not lifted up until the supplicant invokes blessings upon the Prophet (upon whom be peace and blessings of Allah, The Exalted).” [Hadith, recorded by Tirmidhi]
There is not a single Believer who does not hope for his supplication to be answered by the Answerer of supplications. Invoking blessings upon the Prophet when asking our Lord, hastens a response from our Merciful Lord. The Prophet’s intercession with our Lord is a Mercy from our Lord.
“The closest people to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who invoked the most blessings upon me.” [Hadīth, recorded by Tirmidhi]
And who from amongst you would not want to be in the company of the Beloved of the Lord, who has been given the authority when no other authority will exist to intercede for us, let alone be closest to him!
“He who invokes blessings upon me, the angels send blessings upon him equal to that which he invoked, so let the worshiper invoke some, or increase upon that.” [Hadith, recorded by Tirmidhi]
Note here that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) himself authorizes not only one or ten salutations, but as many as anyone wishes, that they are permitted to increase it to whatever they are capable of. Whether it is one, one hundred, one million or one billion; the right to send as many salutations upon the Prophet is your God-given right.
But take heed, that anyone who would either see the sending of salutations upon the Prophet as a wasteful act or a simple matter, or not worthy of gathering for, then the Prophet has also warned us:
“He who, when I am mentioned before him, fails to invoke blessings upon me is a miser.”
And:
“Disgraced be the person who, when I am mentioned before him, fails to invoke blessings upon me.” [both Hadīths, recorded by Tirmidhi]
Understand its irreplaceable value and hold on to those who aid and assist you to invoke Allah’s Peace and Blessings. As the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said himself:
“Allah, without any doubt, has angels that roam the earth and convey to me the greetings of my community.” [Tirmidhi]
Make a daily routine of sending blessings upon him (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Hasten to send blessings upon him, whenever his noble name is mentioned -- out of following the Divine command, out of love, and out of gratitude for the gift of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
The most famous and best is: “Allahumma salli alaa Muhammadin wa alaa ali Muhammadin, kama sallayta alaa Ibraheem wa alaa ali Ibrahim” [Faydul Qadeer #1403]
Remember, what an honor it is to be able to do something that even Allah does.
Seek every gathering and every moment of your voluntary and free time and send salutation upon the one whom Allah does not reject.
May Allah's Grace be upon us all to be blessed to be part of the Prophet’s community, and may Allah, the Exalted, bestow His unbounded and overflowing peace and blessings be upon His Beloved Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
May Allah grant us tawfiq and increase our love for His beloved Messenger sallallahu alayhi wassallam.
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wasallam.
And Allah knows best and is Most Wise, and He alone grants success, and to Him is the final return of all.
Wassalaam
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