The virtues and benefits of salat and salam – Part 2

The legal ruling (hukm) of salat and salam

Every action we do has a legal ruling in the sharia. Some actions are obligatory (fard) like the five daily prayers. Other actions are emphasised Sunnahs (Sunnah muakadah) like using the miswak during wudu or recommended (mustahab) like fasting on Mondays. Similarly, certain actions are disliked (makruh) like praying bareheaded (for men) or forbidden (haram) like drinking alcohol. So, what is the legal ruling on sending salat and salam upon the Prophet ﷺ? The answer is that the ruling differs depending on the situation. Below is a summary according to the Hanafi school of law.

• To send salat and salam upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once in your life is an obligation (fard).

Essentially this means that if somebody was to live their entire life and never recite salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ then they would have passed away whilst being sinful. Reciting it just once would lift the obligation. This of course however is the bare minimum.

• To invoke salat and salam every time the Prophet ﷺ is mentioned is wajib (necessary). This is the relied upon position in the Hanafi school. Another opinion states that it is wajib once in a gathering and thereafter it is recommended (mustahab).

Fard and wajib are practically the same and the difference is a technical one. This means that failing to recite salawat (for example by saying sallalahu alayhi was salam) every time you hear the Prophet ﷺ mentioned would be a sin. According to the second opinion it would be sufficient to say the salawat once in a gathering and this would fulfil the wajib. This opinion however is weaker and entails missing out on great reward and benefit as we will see.

• Reciting the salat and salam is an emphasised Sunna (Sunna muakada) in every prayer

We fulfil this in every prayer in the sitting position after the tashahud when we recite the aforementioned Ibrahimiya prayer (Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala aali Muhammadin kama salayata ala Ibrahima…). Missing a Sunna Muakada without excuse can cause one to become sinful and renders the prayer deficient albeit valid.

• There are many occasions when it is recommended (mustahab) to recite salat and salam such as after hearing the azan, when making dua, upon entering and leaving the Masjid, during gatherings, when writing the name of the Prophet ﷺ, on Fridays etc.

Other schools of Islamic law (madhabs) may have slight differences in their legal ruling on salat and salam. An example would be that in the Shafi’i school it is Fard to recite the salawat in every prayer. There is no difference of opinion however when it comes to the benefits, virtues and rewards of this noble act. We will discuss some of these in the next part if Allah wills.

Part 3