Earlier, we discussed the issue of saying a prayer on the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace, during the five-times obligatory prayers. Now we intend to discuss prayers on the Prophet ﷺ at other occasions, particularly in supplications.
The proper method of making supplication to Allah is to first praise Allah, then invoke praise on the Prophet ﷺ, and afterwards submit one’s needs before Allah. A person was making supplication by submitting his needs to Allah without making the required praise on the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said that it was hasty and asked him to repeat his supplication.
Abdullah, son of Masood, may Allah be pleased with him, advised that if a person has to supplicate to Allah, he should first begin by exalting Allah, then ask for blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. The supplications after these are most likely to be answered by Allah.
It is reported that Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said that supplication without praise on the Prophet ﷺ remains suspended between the earth and heaven. Similar views of Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, have been reported. The supplication ascends to Allah when it is coupled with praise on the Prophet ﷺ.
Jabir, son of Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not make me to be like the disposable jug of a rider, he fills his jug, puts it down, then loads his baggage. If he needs to drink, he drinks from it; if he needs to make ablution, he does so. If not, he pours it away.” Instead, the Prophet said to place him at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the supplications.
Another prophetic tradition is that Allah is pleased by a person who increases the number of praises on the Prophet ﷺ on Fridays. Similarly, it is advisable to say praise on the Prophet ﷺ while entering a mosque. Similarly, in the funeral prayer, the praise on the Prophet is invoked.
The Prophet ﷺ has given the good tidings that the angels pray to Allah for acceptance of the supplications that are made along with prayers on the Prophet.
How to invoke praise on the Prophet ﷺ?
The Prophet ﷺ has taught in many traditions the method of invoking praise on him. Many companions also asked him how to do so, and he taught them its wording. Their query related to the verse of the Qur’an that commands the believers to “Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him (the Prophet), and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.” (33:56)
The question that the companions asked was, as far as saluting him was concerned, they knew how to do that. But they wanted to know how to invoke blessings on him? The companions have reported several wordings of the praises on the Prophet, which are similar to each other but not the same. It is understood that no fixed wordings are intended, and the believers have the option to choose from a variety of them.
English translations of some of the wordings of the prayer on the Prophet, as reported by his companions, are as under:
“O Allah, praise Muhammad, his wives and descendants, as you praised the family of Ibrahim, and grant blessings on the family of Muhammad as you granted blessings to the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Gracious.”
“O Allah, praise Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as you praised Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Gracious.”
“O Allah, praise Muhammad, the Prophet, his wives, the Mothers of the believers, his descendants, and the people of his house, just as you praised the family of Ibrahim. You are the Praised, the Gracious.”
Two points may be noted about the above supplications for the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ. The first point is that the Prophet ﷺ did not want to have this prayer reserved only for himself, but also included his followers, and wives, and his offspring. The other point is that the Prophet ﷺ prayed to Allah that he may be blessed with the same kindness with which Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him, and his followers have been blessed. Allah blessed Prophet Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him, with something with which He has blessed no one else in the world. All those human beings who regard the Prophethood and the revelation and the Book as the source of guidance – be they Muslims, Christians, or Jews – agree on the leadership of Prophet Ibrahim, may Allah bestow peace on him. Therefore, it is prayed that no believer in Prophethood should remain deprived of the grace of believing in the Prophethood of Muhammad, may Allah grant and bless him peace.
The prayers of many Islamic scholars, including companions of the Prophet, invoking blessings on the Prophet, have also been recorded. Some of them are as under:
The supplications of Abdullah, son of Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them; “O Allah, accept the greatest intercession of Muhammad, and raise him to the highest station. Answer (grant) his every request in the Next Life and this Life as You answered the prayers of Ibrahim and Musa.”
The supplication of Abdullah, son of Masood, may Allah be pleased with him: “O Allah, bestow Your praise, Your mercy, Your blessings on the Messenger, the leader of those who fear You, the leader of the good and the Messenger of Mercy.”
The supplication of Hasan al-Basri, may Allah bestow His kindness on him: “O Allah, praise Muhammad and his family, his companions, wives, and descendants, the people of his house, his relatives by marriage, and the Ansars (Helpers), and his followers, as well as those who love him, and bless us along with all of them, O most Merciful of the Merciful.”