The Limits of the Obligation to Send Blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
I have heard some people say that it is obligatory to send blessings upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) once in a lifetime, and that the rest is a recommended practice. What is your view on this?
The Shaykh:
Yes, some people say this, but the correct view is that one should send blessings upon him every time his name is mentioned (peace and blessings be upon him). One sends blessings upon him in the tashahhud, which is a pillar of the prayer; the final tashahhud in the prayer is a pillar. One sends blessings upon him in the sermons; the sermons for Jumu'ah, the two 'Ids, and the prayer for rain are pillars of the sermon, to the extent that they said the sermon is not valid except with sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner:
The condition of the thing. Can this be explained to the listener?
The Shaykh:
There are situations where, even if one mentions the one who sends blessings upon him, such as in the adhan. If he says "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," it is not permissible to send blessings upon the Messenger in the adhan, because this is not an innovation. And so on. Yes, in the khutbah, the Jumu'ah khutbah, this is a pillar of it. As for the adhan and the iqamah, it is not permissible to send blessings upon him, because this is an addition to the legislation that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not authorize. In situations where he is mentioned, it is not permissible to send blessings upon him, such as in the adhan and the iqamah. The criterion is the evidence. If one sends blessings upon him in his heart during the prayer, there is no harm; there is no harm in sending blessings upon him in his heart. Yes.
The questioner:
Of course, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh:
Fine, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If this verse passes by,[Ali 'Imran 3:144] send blessings upon him outside the prayer and inside the prayer as well, but do not raise your voice. Yes.
I have heard some people say that it is obligatory to send blessings upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) once in a lifetime, and that the rest is a recommended practice. What is your view on this?
The Shaykh:
Yes, some people say this, but the correct view is that one should send blessings upon him every time his name is mentioned (peace and blessings be upon him). One sends blessings upon him in the tashahhud, which is a pillar of the prayer; the final tashahhud in the prayer is a pillar. One sends blessings upon him in the sermons; the sermons for Jumu'ah, the two 'Ids, and the prayer for rain are pillars of the sermon, to the extent that they said the sermon is not valid except with sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The questioner:
The condition of the thing. Can this be explained to the listener?
The Shaykh:
There are situations where, even if one mentions the one who sends blessings upon him, such as in the adhan. If he says "I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah," it is not permissible to send blessings upon the Messenger in the adhan, because this is not an innovation. And so on. Yes, in the khutbah, the Jumu'ah khutbah, this is a pillar of it. As for the adhan and the iqamah, it is not permissible to send blessings upon him, because this is an addition to the legislation that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not authorize. In situations where he is mentioned, it is not permissible to send blessings upon him, such as in the adhan and the iqamah. The criterion is the evidence. If one sends blessings upon him in his heart during the prayer, there is no harm; there is no harm in sending blessings upon him in his heart. Yes.
The questioner:
Of course, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
The Shaykh:
Fine, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. If this verse passes by,
Muhammad is not but a messenger
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تتمة باب سجود السهو وغيره — islamhouse.com (55:28)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.