Salawat on the Prophet ﷺ: How to Send Blessings and Its Reward
Alhamdulillahi rabbil ‘alamin, all praise is for Allah, who chose us to be part of the ummah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. One of the simplest ways to show our love for him is salawat on the Prophet ﷺ, asking Allah to send blessings on him. And the reward comes back to us: Allah sends His blessings on us ten times for every one we send.
At a glance
- Source: Sahih Muslim 408 and Sunan an-Nasa’i 1297
- Narrated by: Abu Hurairah and Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with them)
- Grade: Sahih (Muslim); Sahih (Darussalam) for an-Nasa’i
- Topic: Sending salawat on the Prophet ﷺ
- Practise it: Send salawat many times a day, especially when his name is mentioned
The reward of salawat
مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَىَّ وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “He who blesses me once, Allah would bless him ten times.”
Sahih Muslim 408 · Narrated by Abu Hurairah · Translation from Sunnah.com
Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the same promise with more detail:
مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَىَّ صَلاَةً وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرَ صَلَوَاتٍ وَحُطَّتْ عَنْهُ عَشْرُ خَطِيئَاتٍ وَرُفِعَتْ لَهُ عَشْرُ دَرَجَاتٍ
“Whoever sends salah upon me once, Allah will send salah upon him tenfold, and will erase ten sins from him, and will raise him ten degrees in status.”
Sunan an-Nasa’i 1297 · Narrated by Anas ibn Malik · Grade: Sahih (Darussalam) · Translation from Sunnah.com
Three rewards for one short sentence: ten blessings from Allah, ten sins erased, and ten degrees raised.
The command in the Quran
Salawat is not only a Sunnah; Allah Himself commands it, and tells us that He and His angels do it too:
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
Indeed, Allāh confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allāh to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allāh to grant him] peace.
Surah al-Ahzab 33:56 · Translation: Saheeh International (Quran.com)
This shows how beloved the Prophet ﷺ is to Allah and the angels, so as Muslims we honour him too, as Allah commanded.
How to say salawat: the wording from Bukhari
Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) called this hadith a gift. The companions asked the Prophet ﷺ how they should send salawat on him and his family, since Allah had already taught them how to send salam. He said:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid
O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Mercy on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious. O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your Blessings on Abraham and on the family of Abraham, for You are the Most Praise-worthy, the Most Glorious.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3370 · Narrated by Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah · Translation from Sunnah.com
This is the salawat many of us know from the last tashahhud of salah. Bukhari also narrates it in Sahih al-Bukhari 6357, and other authentic wordings exist too, such as in Sahih al-Bukhari 4798, Sahih Muslim 407 and Sunan an-Nasa’i 1285. Any of them is fine to use.
The salawat I choose to practise
I chose two salawat because they are easy for me to memorize and practise. The first is the one above, the same as the salawat recited in the final tashahhud. The second is short and easy to recite while I’m working around:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad
O Allah, send salah upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad.
Sunan an-Nasa’i 1292 · Narrated by Zaid ibn Kharijah · Grade: Hasan (Darussalam) · Translation from Sunnah.com
In this narration the Prophet ﷺ said: “Send salah upon me and strive hard in supplication”, then taught this short form.
Reflection: we send one salawat, and Allah answers with ten blessings. We are the ones who gain most from honouring the Prophet ﷺ.
How to practise it
The hadith does not set a number, so these are suggestions:
- Say the short salawat whenever you hear or say the name of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Learn the full Ibrahimiyyah salawat from Bukhari 3370 if you have not yet; you already say it in salah.
- Make Friday a day of extra salawat, along with the other Friday Sunnahs in The Blessings of Friday in Islam.
- Begin your dua with praise of Allah and salawat, as explained in the etiquette of supplication.
Key lessons
- Send one salawat and Allah sends ten blessings upon you.
- Ten sins are erased and you are raised ten degrees.
- Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, and Allah commands us to do the same.
- The Ibrahimiyyah salawat in Bukhari 3370 is the wording the Prophet ﷺ taught.
Questions people ask
What is the reward of sending salawat on the Prophet ﷺ?
Allah sends blessings on you ten times, erases ten sins and raises you ten degrees (Sahih Muslim 408, Sunan an-Nasa’i 1297).
What is the wording of Allahumma salli ala Muhammad in Sahih al-Bukhari 3370?
Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta ‘ala Ibrahima wa ‘ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid (Sahih al-Bukhari 3370).
How do I praise the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?
The way he taught us is salawat: asking Allah to send blessings on him, as Allah commands in Surah al-Ahzab 33:56. The shortest form is Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammad (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1292).
Let’s practise salawat on the Prophet ﷺ in our daily lives, as much as we can, and add it to our daily dhikr. May Allah let us keep sending salawat on him until the end of our time.
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