Is it obligatory to send blessings upon the Prophet whenever he is mentioned?
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The questioner : It is a matter, meaning, I read it in the books of al-Nawawi, and there is a lot of discussion around it. It states that it is not permissible for us to say that when we mention the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it is obligatory to associate that with sending blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah. What is your comment on that?
The Shaykh : First, it is a matter that requires consideration, because if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned in a gathering more than once, it is obligatory to send blessings upon him only once, and in the other instances it is recommended to send blessings upon him. In that first instance, one should say, "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad," and the completion of the sending of blessings is the taslim (peace) upon him, and not the reverse.
The questioner : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : And not the reverse.Sunan Abi Dawud 4859Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani)
The Shaykh : First, it is a matter that requires consideration, because if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is mentioned in a gathering more than once, it is obligatory to send blessings upon him only once, and in the other instances it is recommended to send blessings upon him. In that first instance, one should say, "O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad," and the completion of the sending of blessings is the taslim (peace) upon him, and not the reverse.
The questioner : Yes, that is correct.
The Shaykh : And not the reverse.
Glory be to Thee. O Allah, and I begin with praise of Thee, I testify that there is no god but Thou; I ask Thy pardon, and return to Thee in repentance.
وسبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت أستغفرك وأتوب إليك
Source
سلسلة الهدى والنور، المجلس 1095 — d3watuna.com (37:06)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.