How to send blessings upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), as innovations have spread in all matters and we fear that there may be innovation in our sending of blessings
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The questioner : Noble Shaykh, how do we send blessings upon the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? Innovations have spread in all matters, and we fear that there may be innovation in our sending of blessings. Is this sending of blessings with these phrases valid: “O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon his family and companions, and peace. O Allah, send blessings upon our happiness, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and peace. O Allah, send blessings upon our beloved, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and peace. O Allah, send blessings upon our intercessor, Muhammad, and upon his family and companions, and peace. O Allah, send blessings and peace and mercy upon the spirit of our master Muhammad among the spirits, and upon his body among the bodies, and upon his noble heart which is light, and upon his luminous grave among the graves, and upon his name among the names, as many as the number of Your knowledge and the ink of Your words, whenever the rememberers remember You and the heedless forget You and the remembrance of Him”? Is it permissible in supplication to say: “O Allah, make us among those who visit his grave” or “among those who visit his mosque”?
The Shaykh : Sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the best of deeds, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Ahzab 33:56] And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded us to send many blessings upon him, and informed that whoever sends blessings upon him once, Allah will send blessings upon him ten times. The best formula to use in sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) chose for sending blessings upon him, such as his saying: Sahih al-Bukhari 3370 and other formulas of sending blessings that were reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
And among the best books written on this is the book by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) titled: “Jala' al-Afham fi al-Salah 'ala Khayr al-Anam”. Let the questioner and other listening brothers refer to it to benefit from it.
As for sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the formula mentioned by the questioner, it is an innovative sending of blessings. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 7277 These formulas of sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the remembrance of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) that people persist in are contrary to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and they are all from innovations and misguidance. I do not know how it befits a believer to turn away from what the Sunnah brought to these innovative words, and that is only from the adornment and deception of Satan.
And those who abandon what the Sunnah brought of formulas of remembrance and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for what was innovated in them of innovations have a share in the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Kahf 18:103-104] So if you, my Muslim brother, want to tire yourself, or rather want to draw near to your Lord with some remembrance and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), then you must follow what the Shari'ah brought, for that is the guidance, the light, and the healing. Beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is misguidance. Most people, especially students of knowledge, know that it is a condition for the validity of worship, indeed they know that worship is not valid except with two conditions: one is sincerity for Allah, and the second is following the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
And as for the sayingThe questioner : Is it permissible for us to say: “O Allah, make us among those who visit his grave” or “his mosque”?
The prescribed thing is to say: “O Allah, make me among those who visit his mosque,” because his mosque is what the journeys testify to, not his grave. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 5:58.
And here is a point I would like to point out, which is that many people are more eager to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than they are to visit his mosque, indeed more than they are to visit the Ka'bah, the House of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And this is from clear misguidance. For the right of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), no one doubts that it is less than the right of Allah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a human being sent from Allah, and were it not that Allah the Exalted chose him for His message, he would not have had this right that exceeds the right of every human being.
As for it being equal to the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), or for there to be in the heart of a person a love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that exceeds the love of Allah, then this is a great error. For the love of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is subordinate to the love of Allah, and our exalting of him is subordinate to the exalting of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and it is less than the exalting of Allah the Exalted. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us to exaggerate in him and to make for him a right equal to the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). A man said to him once: “What Allah wills and what you will.” So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 18:1391.
And the summary is that it is obligatory for a person to have the exalting of Allah and the love of Allah in his heart greater than the love and exalting of everyone, and that the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his exalting in his heart be greater than the love and exalting of every created being. As for equating the right of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with the right of Allah the Exalted in what pertains to Allah alone, this is a great error.
The Shaykh : Sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is among the best of deeds, as Allah the Exalted said:
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.
إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبي يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه وسلموا تسليماًSay: O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent your Blessings on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious.
اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد ، اللهم بارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيدAnd among the best books written on this is the book by Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) titled: “Jala' al-Afham fi al-Salah 'ala Khayr al-Anam”. Let the questioner and other listening brothers refer to it to benefit from it.
As for sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with the formula mentioned by the questioner, it is an innovative sending of blessings. It is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
and the best way is the way of Muhammad, and the worst matters are the heresies (those new things which are introduced into the religion)
خير الهدي هدي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم وشر الأمور محدثاتها وكل بدعة ضلالةAnd those who abandon what the Sunnah brought of formulas of remembrance and sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for what was innovated in them of innovations have a share in the saying of Allah the Exalted:
(103) Say, [O Muhammad], "Shall we [believers] inform you of the greatest losers as to [their] deeds? (104) [They are] those whose effort is lost in worldly life, while they think that they are doing well in work."
قل هل ننبئكم بالأخسرين أعمالا ًالذين ضل سعيهم في الحياة الدنيا وهم يحسبون أنهم يحسنون صنعاًAnd as for the sayingThe questioner : Is it permissible for us to say: “O Allah, make us among those who visit his grave” or “his mosque”?
The prescribed thing is to say: “O Allah, make me among those who visit his mosque,” because his mosque is what the journeys testify to, not his grave. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
One should not undertake journeys except to three mosques: al-Masque al-Haram (in Makkah ), the Aqsa mosque, or this mosque (in Madinah).
لا تشد الرحال إلا إلى ثلاثة مساجد : المسجد الحرام ومسجدي هذا والمسجد الأقصىAnd here is a point I would like to point out, which is that many people are more eager to visit the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than they are to visit his mosque, indeed more than they are to visit the Ka'bah, the House of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). And this is from clear misguidance. For the right of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), no one doubts that it is less than the right of Allah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is a human being sent from Allah, and were it not that Allah the Exalted chose him for His message, he would not have had this right that exceeds the right of every human being.
As for it being equal to the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), or for there to be in the heart of a person a love for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that exceeds the love of Allah, then this is a great error. For the love of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is subordinate to the love of Allah, and our exalting of him is subordinate to the exalting of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and it is less than the exalting of Allah the Exalted. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade us to exaggerate in him and to make for him a right equal to the right of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). A man said to him once: “What Allah wills and what you will.” So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Have you made Me equal to My servants? Rather, it is what Allah alone wills.
أجعلتني لله نداً بل ما شاء الله وحدهAnd the summary is that it is obligatory for a person to have the exalting of Allah and the love of Allah in his heart greater than the love and exalting of everyone, and that the love of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his exalting in his heart be greater than the love and exalting of every created being. As for equating the right of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with the right of Allah the Exalted in what pertains to Allah alone, this is a great error.