The benefits of reciting shalawat for Prophet Muhammad

We have most of the time recited shalawat and sent blessings upon Prophet Muhammad SAW:

وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ

Shalawat and salam upon our master Muhammad SAW.

Allah SWT said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيما

Undoubtedly Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet. O' you who believe! Send upon Him Blessings and salute Him with all respect. (QS Al-Ahzab 33: 56)

Shalawat from Allah means rahmat (blessings). If the shalawat is from His angels it means doa (prayer). While salam is the protection from dangers and weaknesses.

Undoubtedly that reciting shalawat and salam is part of salutations (tahiyyah) so that when Allah commands us to recite shalawat upon Prophet Muhammad that means it is also the 'obligation' for Prophet Muhammad to pray for those reciting shalawat upon him. It is such a stipulation from the verse:

فَحَيُّواْ بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا

(When you are greeted with a greeting) return the greeting or improve upon it. (QS. An Nisa’: 86)

The prayer from the Prophet is called as syafaat. All ulema have agreed that the Prophet's prayer would not be rejected by Allah. At this point, Allah will receive his syafaat to anybody reciting shalawat upon him.

There are many hadist describing the benefits of reciting shalawat upon Prophet Muhammad SAW, among others:

مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ فِي كِتَابٍ لَمْ تَزَلِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ تَسْنَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَا دَامَ اسْمِي فِي ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابِ

Whoever invokes shalawat upon me in a book, the angels will always ask for Allah's forgiveness to him as long as my name is still written in the book.

مَنْ سَرَّهُ أنْ يُلْقِى اللهَ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ رَاضٍ فَلْيُكْثِرْ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَيَّ

Whoever wants to be happy as meeting with Allah and Allah is satisfied with him, please invoke shalawat upon me abundantly.

مَا أكْثَرَ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَيَّ فِيْ حَيَاتِهِ أَمَرَ اللهُ جَمِيْعَ مَخْلُوْقَاتِهِ أنْ يَسْتَغْقِرُوا لَهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ

Whoever recites shalawat upon me during his lifetime, Allah will command all of His creatures to ask for forgiveness to him after his death.

مَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ ثُمَّ تَقًرَّقُوْا مِنْ غَيْرِ ذِكْرِ اللهِ وَصَلَاةٍ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ إلَّا قَامُوْا عَنْ أنْتَنَ مِنْ حِيْفَةٍ

Those gathering (in a meeting) then going without praying to Allah and reciting shalawat upon the Prophet are like bringing anything that is worse than carcass.

Ulema have agreed it is permissible to add the word (lafadz) 'sayyidina' that means our master before the word muhammad. But there are different opinions among ulema in dealing with the additional word 'sayyidina' in shalawat whether the 'sayyidina' is considerably better (afdzol) or not.

Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Bajuri and Sheikh Ibnu Abdis Salam tend to say that adding the word 'sayyidina' is better, saying it is part of politeness and ethics to Rasulullah SAW. They are of the opinion that doing ethics and being polite are better than doing commands (muruatul adab afdzolu minal imtitsal), adding there are two hadist describing their importance.

As narrated that when Rasulullah commanded Abu Bakar to stand in his place as imam of subuh prayer, Abu Bakar did not obey and he said:

مَا كَانَ لِابْنِ أَبِيْ قُحَافَةَ أَنْ يَتَقَدَّمَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ

It is not appropriate for Abu Quhafah (Abu Bakar) to stand up before Rasulullah SAW.

While the second as narrated that Ali Ibn Abi Tholib did not want to omit the name of Rasulullah SAW from the sheet of the treaty of Hudaibiya. Whereas he was commanded by Rasulullah. Ali said:

لَا أمْحُو إسْمَكَ أَبَدُا

I would never omit your name forever.

The two hadist are mentioned in the Shahih Bukhori and Muslim. The taqrir conducted by Rasulullah SAW upon the disobedience of Abu Bakar and Ali Ibn Abi Thalib for doing the ethics clearly indicates its supremacy.


KH Abd. Nashir Fattah
Rais Syuriah of the Nahdlatul Ulama Branch Board (PCNU) of Jombang
Reported by Sholehuddin SH as following a religious gathering on Qurratul Ain Bimuhimmatid Din at Baiturrahman Mosque, Jlopo Tebel Bareng and participated by board members of NU and Ansor of Bareng subdistrict

Source : www.nu.or.id

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Celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (1)

Rasulullah SAW had basically never commemorated his birth. We have so far never found a hadits/religious text explaining that on every 12 Rabi'ul Awwal, Rasulullah celebrated the commemoration of his birth. Even since his death, we have again never found his disciples (sahabat), tabi'in and tabi'in tabi'in celebrating it.
According to Imam As-Suyuthi, it is said that the first king celebrating the birth of Rasulullah SAW with a great commemoration festival is Al Mudhaffar Abu Sa'id Kukburi ibn Zainuddin Ali ibn Baktakin. He spent more than 300 thousand (dinar) sincerely to finance the festival. The festival was solely aimed at turbo-charging the fighting spirit by reciting poetry and story depicting the birth of Rasulullah SAW.

One of the most popular works is the work written by Sheikh Al Banzanji telling the story of the Prophet's birth in the form of natsar (prose) and nadzam (poetry). On account of its popular we has till now heard the work of Barzanji during the commemoration of the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW.

Since then there have been festivals commemorating the birth of Rasulullah SAW in many Muslim countries. The purpose is to whip up the fighting spirit and Muslims unity in facing enemies' attacks. Then the form of celebrating and commemorating the birth of Rasullullah tends to develop and has variation.

In Indonesia especially in pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools), clerics have formerly recited both poetry and lyrics without being completed by religious sermon. Then there are ideas of celebrating the birth of Rasulullah SAW as such a medium of preaching and Islamic teachings. Finally, the religious sermon can be considered as one of main programs of the momentum as well as the attraction shown by santris (pesantren's pupils). Even some Muslim organizations have tried to use the momentum not only to celebrate and commemorate it but also to do meaningful activities such as social service, helping the poor, Islamic products expo, Islamic show and many other activities dealing closely with people problems.

Let us back to the views of celebrating the birth of Rasulullah SAW, is it considered as bidah (heresy) or not?

Ulema have generally regarded the commemoration (of the birth of Rasulullah SAW) is bidah (heresy) for formerly it had never been commanded by Rasulullah SAW and conducted by his disciples. But it is again and again considered as such a bidah hasanah (good innovation). For instance the Prophet SAW had ever celebrated his birth and the acceptance of revelation by fasting in every his day of birth. So in each Monday the Prophet SAW had always been fasting to celebrate his birth and acceptance of revelation.

عَنْ أَبِيْ قَتَادَةَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ: أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ الْإِثْنَيْنِ فَقَالَ” : فِيْهِ وُلِدْتُ وَفِيْهِ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيَّ . رواه مسلم

“Narrated from Abi Qatadah al Anshory (r.a) Indeed Rasulullah SAW has ever been asked about fasting on Monday. Rasulullah said: In the day I was born and the revelation was revealed to me,” (HR. Muslim).

We are advised to be proud of the blessing and mercy given to us by Allah SWT including the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW seeding blessing for the universe. Allah said:

قُلْ بِفَضْلِ اللّهِ وَبِرَحْمَتِهِ فَبِذَلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُواْ هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا يَجْمَعُونَ


There is a hadits narrated by Al Bukhori. It explains that on every Monday, Abu Lahab's torture in the hell is lightened if compared to other days. It is caused by the fact that he was very proud of the birth of Prophet Muhammad SAW till he freed his slaver named Tsuwaibatuh Al-Aslamiyah.

If Abu Lahab who is non-Muslim and the Qur'an has clearly condemned but his torture is lightened due to his proud over the birth of Rasulullah SAW, then how about the Muslims whose the same feeling over the birth of Rasulullah SAW?


HM Cholil Nafis MA
Vice Chairman of Problems Deliberation Committee (LBM) of PBNU
Source : www.nu.or.id

Read More - Celebrating the birth of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) (1)