What is Selawat?
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
”Surely, Allah and His angels send blessings to the Prophet. O you who believe, do pray Allah to bless him, and send your Salām (prayer for his being in peace) to him in abundance.” [Surah Al-Ahzab 33:56]
Selawat upon Prophet ﷺ means "Prayers of peace and blessings upon the our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ".
From the verse above, much can be understood and pondered. One of them being the meaning of Selawat upon Prophet ﷺ. Amongst the key lessons are as follows:
Allah the Exalted establishes the sending of prayers upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ first Himself, followed by commanding the Angels, and lastly all those who believe in Him to do the same. No Prophet nor man have been and will never be granted such an honour, upon whom Allah the Exalted Himself sends prayers of peace and blessings upon.
The next key lesson that relates to us is the honour that one may receive from this noble command, whereby those who enjoins Allah s.w.t. and the angles in sending peace and blessings, he too may be granted such an honour as narrated in various hadiths and works on the matter
Imam ‘Abdallah Sirajuddin Al-Husayni mentions in his book “Sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ; It’s rulings, virtues and benefits”, that by the aforementioned verse, Allah the Exalted announces to His servants the lofty station and dignified rank of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ with Him. The use of his description as “The Prophet” (An-Nabi) instead of mentioning him by name is also contrary to the predominant way Allah the Exalted addresses the other Prophets in the Qur’an (upon all of them be peace and blessings).“The mention of his description is in order to indicate the added magnificence, nobility, and lofty rank and position with which Allah has uniquely granted him ﷺ to the exclusion of all others... elevating his status above that of others.”
A companion of the Prophet ﷺ, Ubayy bin Ka’ab (RA) said, “I once told the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ‘O Messenger of Allah, I invoke much. What portion should I offer salutations upon you?’
The Prophet replied, “However much you wish.”
To this I asked, “A fourth?”
He said, “If you wish, but should you increase the number, it will be better for you.”
I then asked, “A third?”
He said, “If you wish, but should you increase the number, it is still better for you.”
I then asked, “A half?”
He said, “If you wish, but should you increase the number, it is still better for you.”
I then said, “Indeed in my invocation, I shall make all of my prayers upon you!”
To this, the Messenger of God replied, “If you do that you will be freed from anxiety and all your wrongs pardoned.”
[Hadith, recorded by Imam at-Tirmidhi]
Benefits of Selawat
Numerous benefits of Selawat have been recorded by scholars and saints across centuries, some of which are meant for this life while others for the next, as promised by Prophet ﷺ himself.
The benefits of Selawats are not limited to the ones mentioned explicitly by Prophet ﷺ. Other variations of Selawat, composed and compiled across time by respective scholars, saints and lovers of Prophet ﷺ.
While the list of benefits may not be exhaustive, here are some benefits that we hope would encourage everyone in striving towards embarking or increasing our Selawat upon Prophet ﷺ:
1. Allah Most High sends ten prayers upon the person who sends one prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ
2. The Messenger of Allah, our Master Muhammad ﷺ, sends prayers upon the one who sends prayers upon him
3. The Angels of Allah Most High send prayers upon the one who sends prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ
4. The one who sends prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ will have his levels raised, his good deeds increased, and his bad deeds effaced
5. Sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is cause for being relieved of the stresses of the worldly life and the Hereafter
6. Sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is a tremendous cause for the Descent of Mercy
7. Whoever persists in sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ will be closest of people to him
Etiquettes of Selawat
Being in a state of wudhu'
Begin with reciting al-fatihah for Rasulullah ﷺ ( al-Fatihah )
Recite surah Al-Ahzab verse 56 [33:56]
Setting good intentions such as (not limited to):
To attain the pleasure of Allah
To obey the command of Allah in surah al-Ahzab verse 56
To achieve closeness to Rasulullah ﷺ
To attain syafa'at (intercession) in the Hereafter, to attain salvation in this world and the next
To relieve problems and difficulties
To be able to dream of Rasulullah ﷺ
Recite the title of "Sayyidina" (Master) before the name of "Muhammad"