Khutba on Salat on the Prophet

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي أمر عباده بالصلاة على رسوله الكريم والإكثارَ من التسليم، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع 

الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر.

During the course of our khutba last week, we mentioned that even though it is a strongly emphasised sunna for every Muslim to visit the grave of the Prophet in Madina, that should not stop him from greeting him and saying salawat upon him when he is elsewhere. So, this week, let us remind ourselves of the importance of those salawat.

قال اللَّهِ تعالى في كتابه العزيز: إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “Allah and His angels call down blessings on the Prophet. You who have belief, call down blessings on him and ask for complete peace and safety for him.” This amazing aya of the Quran gives us a glimpse of the station of the Messenger of Allah and the degree to which he is honoured by both his Lord and Creator, and the best of his Lord’s creation, the mala’i-l-a‘laa – the highest assembly, the angels. In effect, Allah is saying, ‘This slave is worthy of My praise and worthy of the dua and prayers of My angels, so what is stopping you, O believers from calling your blessings down upon him. Allah wants his creation to reverberate with prayers on his Prophet, for he is the most beloved of them to Him and it was for his sake that He created them. Indeed, so great was His esteem for him that He commanded every prophet ever sent to mankind to believe in him and be prepared to drop everything to serve and follow him, saying:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ النَّبِيِّينَ لَمَا آَتَيْتُكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابٍ وَحِكْمَةٍ ثُمَّ جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَكُمْ لَتُؤْمِنُنَّ بِهِ وَلَتَنْصُرُنَّهُ قَالَ أَأَقْرَرْتُمْ وَأَخَذْتُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ إِصْرِي قَالُوا أَقْرَرْنَا قَالَ فَاشْهَدُوا وَأَنَا مَعَكُمْ مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

the translation of which is, “When Allah made a covenant with the Prophets: ‘Now that I have given you a share of the Book and Wisdom, when a messenger comes to you confirming what is with you, you must believe in him and help him.’ He asked, ‘Do you agree and undertake my charge on that condition?’ They replied, ‘We agree!’ He said, ‘Bear witness! I am with you as one of the witnesses.” Ali ibn abi Talib said, commentating on this aya,

لم يبعث الله نبيا من آدم فمن بعده إلا أخذ عليه العهد في محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم: لئن بعث وهو حي ليومنن به ولينصرنه، ويأخذ العهد بذلك على قومه.

“Allah did not send any prophet from the time of Adam onwards without making a pact with him about Muhammad. If Muhammad were sent while that prophet was still alive, then he would have to believe in him and help him. He had to make a contract to that effect against his own people.”
This salaat ‘ala an-nabi, this prayer on the Prophet, is agreed by the great men of knowledge of this umma to be an obligation on every Muslim. Qadi Abu Bakr ibn Bukayr said, 

افترض الله على خلقه أن يصلوا على نبيه ويسلموا تسليما، ولم يجعل ذلك لوقت معلوم، فالواجب أن يكثر المرء منها، ولا يغفل عنها

“Allah obliges His creation to pray on His Prophet and ask for peace on him, but he did not assign that to a specific time. Rather, man’s obligation is to do it often and not neglect it.” And according to some commentators, it is the middlemost prayer/the salat al-wusta that Allah commands us to safeguard when He says:

حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَى وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ

“Safeguard the salat – especially the middle one. Stand in obedience to Allah.” Doing the prayer on the Prophet is part of the contract that every one of us makes when he utters the shahada and enters into the deen of Allah. And Allah only makes obligatory on His slaves what is best for them, as is proven by the fadl/ excellence of the salawat ‘ala’n-nabi and the many benefits it brings to the one who does it:
For the prayer on the Prophet brings down the blessings of Allah on a person. Anas ibn Malik narrated that the Prophet said,

من صلى علي صلاةً صلى الله عليه عشر صلوات، وحط عنه عشر خطيئات، ورفع له عشر درجات

“Whoever blesses me once, Allah blesses him with ten prayers and ten wrong actions fall away from him and he is raised by ten degrees.”
The prayer on the Prophet guarantees a person his intercession. Zayd ibn al-Hubab said that he heard the Prophet say, 

من قال: اللهم صل على محمد وأنزله المنزل المقرب عندك يوم القيامة وجبت له شفاعتي

“Whoever says, ‘O Allah, bless Muhammad and place him near to You on the Day of Rising,’ will definitely have my intercession.” 
The prayer on the Prophet grants a person close proximity to the Prophet on the Day of Rising. Ibn Mas‘ud narrated from the Prophet, 

أولى الناس بي يوم القيامة أكثرهم علي صلاة.

“The nearest people to me on the Day of Rising will be those who have said the most prayers on me.”
The prayer on the Prophet removes a person’s wrong actions. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq said,

الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم أمحق للذنوب من الماء البارد للنار

“The prayer on the Prophet wipes out wrong actions more swiftly than cold water puts out fire.”
The prayer on the Prophet protects a person from the terrors of the Day of Rising. The Prophet said,

إن أنجاكم يوم القيامة من أهوالها ومواطنها أكثركم علي صلاةً

“Those who are saved the most from the terrors of the Day of Rising and its places will be those who did the most prayers on me.”
And the prayer on the Prophet strengthens a person’s foothold when he is crossing the sirat/ the bridge over the Fire. Saeed ibn al-Musayyib narrated that the Prophet said,

رأيت رجلاً من أمتي يزحف على الصراط ويحبو أحياناً ويتعلق أحياناً فجاءته صلاته علي فأقامته على قدميه وأنقذته

“I saw a man from my umma advancing across the bridge. On occasion he would crawl and he would slip and hang on. Then his prayer upon me came, set him upright upon his feet and saved him.”
These are but some of the numerous benefits granted the one who prays upon the Prophet abundantly, for the reality is that benefits of doing are far too great to count while the dangers of not doing it are enough to frighten even the bravest of us. For Abu Hurayra said from the Prophet,

من نسي الصلاة علي نسي طريق الجنة

“Whoever forgets to pray on me, forgets the path to the Garden.” So do not forget, but rather use every opportunity that presents itself to you to call down blessings upon him, his family and his Companions.

أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله لي و لكم و لسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.

Although the prayer on the Prophet is recommended in a general way and is appropriate to almost every situation, there are certain situations, times and places in which doing the prayer on the Prophet is particularly emphasised.
The first of those is in the tashahhud during the prayer. Indeed some, including Imam ash-Shafii, have gone so far as to declare that it is obligatory to do it there and that the prayer is not valid without it, basing their position on the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud,

من صلى صلاةً لم يصل فيها علي وعلى أهل بيتي لم تقبل منه

“Whoever prays a prayer in which he does not bless me and the people of my house, will not have that prayer accepted.” and the hadith narrated Sahl ibn Sa‘d, in the course of which the Prophet said, 

لا صلاة لمن لم يصل على النبي

“He who does not say salawat on the Prophet has no prayer.” The majority, however, including Imam Malik and Imam Abu Hanifa, consider it not to be obligatory but rather a sunna, something that no one should leave out lest their prayer be deprived of all good. for Umar ibn al-Khattab said,

الدعاء والصلاة معلق بين السماء والأرض، فلا يصعد إلى الله منه شيء حتى يصلي على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم

“Supplication and prayer are suspended between the heaven and the earth and none of it rises to Allah until you pray on the Prophet.” 
And that brings us to the second place in which it is important to do prayers on the Prophet: during one’s duas. As we have seen from this statement of Umar, a person’s dua remains veiled and in limbo until he links it to prayers on the Prophet. And that is confirmed by a hadith of the Messenger of Allah,

كل دعاء محجوب دون السماء، فإذا جاءت الصلاة علي صعد الدعاء

“Every dua is veiled below heaven and then when the prayer on me is made, it ascends.” You should never make a dua without starting it with praise of Allah and prayers on His Prophet for they are the secret behind that dua being answered. Ibn Mas‘ud said, 

إذا أراد أحدكم أن يسأل الله شيئاً فليبدأ بمدحه والثناء عليه بما هو أهله، ثم يصلي على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، ثم ليسأل، فإنه أجدر أن ينجح

“When one of you wants to ask Allah for something, he should begin by praising and extolling Him as He deserves and then bless the Prophet. Then his supplication is more likely to be successful.”
Another place in which it is important to pray on the Prophet is whenever his name is mentioned – to not do so is the very height of miserliness and distances a person from the path to the Garden. For the Prophet said,

من ذكرت عنده فلم يصل علي أخطيء به طريق الجنة

“If I mentioned in a person’s presence and he does not say salawat on me, the path to the Garden passes him by.” And he also said,

بحسب امرىء من البخل أن أذكر عنده، فلا يصلي علي

  “It is enough miserliness in a man that he not pray on me when I am mentioned in his presence.”
Another place in which one should pray upon the Prophet is when writing books, letters and the like. The Prophet said, 

من صلى علي في كتاب لم تزل الملائكة تستغفر له ما دام اسمي في ذلك الكتاب

“Whoever blesses me in a book or a letter, the angels continue to ask forgiveness for him as long as my name is on it.”
Another place one should make prayers on the Prophet is whenever you have a gathering of people. Jabir narrated that the Prophet said, 

ما جلس قوم مجلساً ثم تفرقوا على غير صلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إلا تفرقوا على أنتن من ريح الجيفة

“A people do not sit in a gathering and then part without saying the prayer on the Prophet but that they part on something fouler than the smell of a corpse.” And according to Abu Isa at-Tirmidhi, one of the great men of knowledge said,

إذا صلى الرجل على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم مرة في المجلس أجزأ عنه ما كان في ذلك المجلس

“When a man prays upon the Prophet once in an assembly, he is rewarded for whatever takes place during the course of that assembly.”
Other places include during the janaza prayer, during the adhan, after the prayer, upon entering and exiting the mosque, and when standing upon Safa and Marwa during the Hajj. As for the best times during which to pray upon the Prophet, they include the beginning and end of each day, and upon the day of Jumua, for Aws narrated that the Prophet said,

أكثروا علي من الصلاة يوم الجمعة، فإن صلاتكم معروضة علي

“Do a lot of prayer on me on the day of Jumu‘a, for your prayer is presented to me [on that day].”
In the places and during the times that we have mentioned, no man nor woman should fail to make prayers on the Prophet, for he is the means by which every good thing comes to us. And as Shaykh Abdas-Salaam ibn Mashish, the teacher of Imam ash-Shadhili, says in his salat al-mashishiyya, 

 لولا الواسطة لذهب كما قيل الموسوط

“If it were not for the means, the end would have escaped us.” So fill your times with plentiful prayers on the Prophet, his family and Companions and always be present and in the moment when you do so, for each and every one of those prayers and greetings will be conveyed to him.

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. اللهم اجعل صلواتك وبركاتك ورحمتك على سيد المرسلين، وإمام المتقين، وخاتم النبيين، محمد عبدك ورسولك، إمام الخير، ورسول الرحمة. اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما صليت على إبراهيم، إنك حميد مجيد، وبارك على محمد وعلى آل محمد كما باركت على إبراهيم وعلى آل إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد.

وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.  

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ (3) وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى.

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَدَعْ فِي مَقَامِنَا هَذَا ذَنْباً إِلاَّ غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ عَيْباً إِلاَّ سَتَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ مَرِيضاً إِلاَّ شَفَيْتَهُ وَعَافَيْتَهُ، وَلاَ مَسْجُوناً إِلاَّ طَلَقْتَ سَرَاحَهُ، وَلاَ مُسَافِراً فِي بَرِّكَ وَبَحْرِكَ إِلاَّ سَلِِمْتَهُ وَغَنِمْتَهُ.

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.