The Ruling on Sending Blessings upon the Prophet in the Final Tashahhud
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Question:
What is the ruling for one who forgets to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the final tashahhud?
Answer:
Al-Nawawi, Al-Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim, and others have mentioned three opinions regarding sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The first is that it is an obligation (fard) that is not dropped, whether intentionally or by forgetfulness. This was narrated from 'Umar, his son, Ibn Mas'ud, and Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari. Al-Sha'bi from the Tabi'un held this view, and it is the view of Al-Shafi'i and Ahmad in the well-known report from him.
The second opinion is that it is obligatory (wajib) in the sense that if one leaves it out intentionally, his prayer is invalid, but if he leaves it out by forgetfulness, his prayer is sufficient. This is the view of Ibn Rahawayh, and a report from Imam Ahmad that Al-Khiraqi preferred. In al-Mughni, it is mentioned that this is the apparent view of Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him).
The evidence for these two opinions is what came in the authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated by Ka'b ibn 'Ujr, Abu Sa'id, Abu Humaid, Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari, and others. In them, it is stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was told: "Allah has commanded us to send blessings upon you, so how do we send blessings upon you?" He said:Mishkat al-Masabih 919 This is the wording of al-Bukhari in the chapter on the Prophets in the Book of the Beginning of Creation in his Sahih, narrated by Ka'b ibn 'Ujr (may Allah be pleased with him). He has other wordings in al-Bukhari and Muslim and others, but this wording we mentioned is the most complete and perfect of them.
In the hadith of Abu Humaid, "the family of Muhammad" was explained to mean his wives and his descendants, which clarifies the meaning of "family" in the remaining hadiths. Any wording from the authentic wordings that the worshipper uses is sufficient for him, and the Sunnah is achieved by it. The wording of the hadith of Abu Mas'ud in Muslim is: He said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:208 It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Daraqutni, al-Bayhaqi, Ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim with the wording: "How do we send blessings upon you when we send blessings upon you in our prayers?" Al-Daraqutni said: Its chain is good, and al-Hakim graded it as authentic.
In these hadiths, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded sending blessings upon him, and he explicitly stated in the hadith of Bashir mentioned above that this is in the prayer. The command implies obligation, as is known in the books of usul al-fiqh. Allah also commanded this in His Book in His saying: [Al-Ahzab: 56]. The hadiths mentioned are the explanation of the sending of blessings and peace mentioned in the verse.
The third opinion is that sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is a recommended practice (sunnah), and there is nothing upon one who leaves it out absolutely. This is the view of the majority of jurists and a report from Ahmad that some of his companions preferred. However, it is the weakest of the opinions because it contradicts the apparent meaning of the hadiths mentioned.
Al-Nawawi elaborated on this issue in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, and the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim in Jalay al-Afham. Quoting their words and elaborating on this issue would be lengthy, and what we have referred to is sufficient if you have understood it.
According to the first opinion, if one leaves it out by forgetfulness, he must return to the prayer, perform it, then say the taslim and prostrate for forgetfulness. It is better that the prostration here be after the taslim because he said the taslim while in a state of deficiency, which resembles what came in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah regarding the story of the man with two hands. If he prostrates before the taslim, it is sufficient for him. If a long time has passed, he must restart the prayer like the other pillars. According to the second opinion, if he remembers it soon, he prostrates for forgetfulness, and if a long time has passed, the prostration is dropped from him and his prayer is complete.
This opinion is closer to me in view; due to the hadith of Fadalah ibn 'Ubayd in Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Nasa'i with a good chain, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man supplicating in his prayer without praising Allah and without sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he said: Then he called him and said to him: Bulugh al-Maram 2:207 End of the hadith. And he did not order him to repeat the prayer.
The apparent view, and Allah knows best, is that this was due to his ignorance. It can be used as evidence for the dropping of the obligation from one who is ignorant of its obligation, and similarly for one who forgets. It was mentioned to you earlier that this is the view of Ishaq and a narrated report from Ahmad, preferred by the one mentioned above. According to this opinion, the hadiths regarding sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are reconciled. Adopting the first opinion is more cautious; because it involves acting upon all the hadiths and avoiding the disagreement.
Know that the relied-upon view among those who say sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is obligatory is that the obligatory part is sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only, not sending blessings upon his family and what follows. However, the believer should perform it in the manner the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his companions and not leave out any part of it; because the apparent meaning of his teaching them implies the obligation of that. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the Quranic command with it. So the Sunnah is that the worshipper performs it in the manner he (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to; because that is more perfect in following and more cautious for the religion. And Allah knows best.
And may Allah send blessings and peace upon Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
What is the ruling for one who forgets to send blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the final tashahhud?
Answer:
Al-Nawawi, Al-Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim, and others have mentioned three opinions regarding sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The first is that it is an obligation (fard) that is not dropped, whether intentionally or by forgetfulness. This was narrated from 'Umar, his son, Ibn Mas'ud, and Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari. Al-Sha'bi from the Tabi'un held this view, and it is the view of Al-Shafi'i and Ahmad in the well-known report from him.
The second opinion is that it is obligatory (wajib) in the sense that if one leaves it out intentionally, his prayer is invalid, but if he leaves it out by forgetfulness, his prayer is sufficient. This is the view of Ibn Rahawayh, and a report from Imam Ahmad that Al-Khiraqi preferred. In al-Mughni, it is mentioned that this is the apparent view of Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him).
The evidence for these two opinions is what came in the authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated by Ka'b ibn 'Ujr, Abu Sa'id, Abu Humaid, Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari, and others. In them, it is stated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was told: "Allah has commanded us to send blessings upon you, so how do we send blessings upon you?" He said:
He told us to say, “O God, bless Muhammad and Muhammad’s family as Thou didst bless Abraham and Abraham’s family. Thou art indeed praiseworthy and glorious. O God, grant favours to Muhammad and Muhammad’s family as Thou didst grant favours to Abraham and Abraham’s family. Thou art indeed praiseworthy and glorious.”
قولوا: 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 مجيدIn the hadith of Abu Humaid, "the family of Muhammad" was explained to mean his wives and his descendants, which clarifies the meaning of "family" in the remaining hadiths. Any wording from the authentic wordings that the worshipper uses is sufficient for him, and the Sunnah is achieved by it. The wording of the hadith of Abu Mas'ud in Muslim is: He said:
Bashir bin Sa'd said, "Allah has commanded us to invoke blessings on you, O Messenger of Allah! But how should we bless you?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) kept quiet (a while) and then said, "Say: 'O Allah, bless Muhammad and the members of his family as You have blessed Ibrahim, and grant favours to Muhammad and the members of his family as You have granted favours to Ibrahim. In the worlds You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious.' And the Taslim is as you know.
قال بشير بن سعد: يا رسول الله أمرنا الله أن نصلي عليك فكيف نصلي عليك؟ فسكت، ثم قال: قولوا اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على آل إبراهيم، وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على آل إبراهيم في العالمين إنك حميد مجيد. والسلام كما قد علمتمIn these hadiths, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded sending blessings upon him, and he explicitly stated in the hadith of Bashir mentioned above that this is in the prayer. The command implies obligation, as is known in the books of usul al-fiqh. Allah also commanded this in His Book in His saying:
O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.
يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًاThe third opinion is that sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is a recommended practice (sunnah), and there is nothing upon one who leaves it out absolutely. This is the view of the majority of jurists and a report from Ahmad that some of his companions preferred. However, it is the weakest of the opinions because it contradicts the apparent meaning of the hadiths mentioned.
Al-Nawawi elaborated on this issue in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, and the scholar Ibn al-Qayyim in Jalay al-Afham. Quoting their words and elaborating on this issue would be lengthy, and what we have referred to is sufficient if you have understood it.
According to the first opinion, if one leaves it out by forgetfulness, he must return to the prayer, perform it, then say the taslim and prostrate for forgetfulness. It is better that the prostration here be after the taslim because he said the taslim while in a state of deficiency, which resembles what came in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah regarding the story of the man with two hands. If he prostrates before the taslim, it is sufficient for him. If a long time has passed, he must restart the prayer like the other pillars. According to the second opinion, if he remembers it soon, he prostrates for forgetfulness, and if a long time has passed, the prostration is dropped from him and his prayer is complete.
This opinion is closer to me in view; due to the hadith of Fadalah ibn 'Ubayd in Ahmad, Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, and al-Nasa'i with a good chain, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) heard a man supplicating in his prayer without praising Allah and without sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), so he said:
You are in a hurry.
عجل هذاWhen any of you prays, he should begin with the glorification of his Rabb (Lord) and praise Him; he should then invoke blessings on the Prophet (ﷺ); thereafter he should supplicate Allah for anything he wishes.
إذا صلى أحدكم فليبدأ بتحميد ربه والثناء عليه ثم يصلي على النبي ﷺ ثم يدعو بما شاءThe apparent view, and Allah knows best, is that this was due to his ignorance. It can be used as evidence for the dropping of the obligation from one who is ignorant of its obligation, and similarly for one who forgets. It was mentioned to you earlier that this is the view of Ishaq and a narrated report from Ahmad, preferred by the one mentioned above. According to this opinion, the hadiths regarding sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) are reconciled. Adopting the first opinion is more cautious; because it involves acting upon all the hadiths and avoiding the disagreement.
Know that the relied-upon view among those who say sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is obligatory is that the obligatory part is sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only, not sending blessings upon his family and what follows. However, the believer should perform it in the manner the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his companions and not leave out any part of it; because the apparent meaning of his teaching them implies the obligation of that. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained the Quranic command with it. So the Sunnah is that the worshipper performs it in the manner he (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to; because that is more perfect in following and more cautious for the religion. And Allah knows best.
And may Allah send blessings and peace upon Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.