Introduction to Salawat
Among the highest and most blessed and rewarding practices in Islam is the invocation and supplication of divine blessings upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These divine blessings are called “Salawat”. Allah (SWT) Himself sends Salawat and Salaam (greetings of peace) upon the Prophet ﷺ and in doing so, bestows His blessings upon him. As Allah’s creation and in following in His command, the angels send Salawat and Salaam upon the Prophet ﷺ, as do we, as Muslims, to show our Creator our love and respect for the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a gift from Allah (SWT) and a token of His mercy to all mankind. As stated in the Holy Quran,
“We have sent you not but as a mercy to all the worlds”. (Surah Ambiya 107).
Introduction to Salawat
Among the highest and most blessed and rewarding practices in Islam is the invocation and supplication of divine blessings upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. These divine blessings are called “Salawat”. Allah (SWT) Himself sends Salawat and Salaam (greetings of peace) upon the Prophet ﷺ and in doing so, bestows His blessings upon him. As Allah’s creation and in following in His command, the angels send Salawat and Salaam upon the Prophet ﷺ, as do we, as Muslims, to show our Creator our love and respect for the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a gift from Allah (SWT) and a token of His mercy to all mankind. As stated in the Holy Quran,
“We have sent you not but as a mercy to all the worlds”. (Surah Ambiya 107).
Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:
“Surely Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Holy Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings (Salawat) and Salutations (Salams) on the Prophet with worthy Salutation”. (Surah al-Ahzab 56).
Through the blessings of Salawat and Salaam, Allah (SWT), the Most Benificent, the Most Merciful, forgives Muslims of their sins and increases their status in this world and the hereafter. Reciting Salawat on the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a sure means of securing Allah’s blessings for peace, prosperity and favours of magnitudes great and small alike. The reciter of Salawat is not only blessed with the benefits of this world and utmost gain in the next world, but more importantly, increases his love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
The invocation of Blessings upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ is referred to in Arabic as ‘Salawat’, in Persian as ‘Darood’, and in Urdu as ‘Salaat-O-Salam’. The regular recitation of Salawat on Holy Prophet ﷺ lifts upon our hearts to a level of comprehension where we gaze in our newfound peace and moral armour.
Allah (SWT) says in the Holy Quran:
“Surely Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Holy Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings (Salawat) and Salutations (Salams) on the Prophet with worthy Salutation”. (Surah al-Ahzab 56).
Through the blessings of Salawat and Salaam, Allah (SWT), the Most Benificent, the Most Merciful, forgives Muslims of their sins and increases their status in this world and the hereafter. Reciting Salawat on the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a sure means of securing Allah’s blessings for peace, prosperity and favours of magnitudes great and small alike. The reciter of Salawat is not only blessed with the benefits of this world and utmost gain in the next world, but more importantly, increases his love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
The invocation of Blessings upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ is referred to in Arabic as ‘Salawat’, in Persian as ‘Darood’, and in Urdu as ‘Salaat-O-Salam’. The regular recitation of Salawat on Holy Prophet ﷺ lifts upon our hearts to a level of comprehension where we gaze in our newfound peace and moral armour.
The reciter of Salawat will, upon continuous recitation, come to his own realization that it is the spontaneous outpouring of his heart before the Great Prophet ﷺ of Islam, for whom love and attachment brings resolution to the trials and tribulations of this world and secures Allah’s mercy upon us in the afterlife.
The more Salawat one recites, the greater the gain and benefit will be achieved, both in this life as well as the hereafter. Hazrat Shaykh Akbar Moinuddin ibn Arabi (RA) has stated that, “Those who claim to love and revere the Holy Prophet ﷺ should increase their recital of the Salawat in patience and perseverance, until, through the mercy of Holy Prophet ﷺ, they have the opportunity of witnessing his blessed countenance.”
The special and exclusive aspect of Salawat is that it is immediately accepted by Allah. Its acceptance is undoubtable and assured, as Salawat is being recited by Allah (swt) Himself, as a token of His own love towards the best of his creation, our Holy Prophet ﷺ. Allah (SWT) has revealed this secret in the Holy Quran by saying,
“Have I not exalted thy name (O Prophet).” (Surah Ash-Sharh 4).
Holy Prophet ﷺ taught us the practice of Salawat to attain salvation, peaceful contentment and maximum gain in this world as well as the next. The soul is the soil where faith in Allah is to be implanted firmly and faithfully. To prosper, this very same soul requires continuous recitation of Salawat as nourishment to strive and fulfill its purpose. The Holy Prophet ﷺ taught us that Salawat is itself light and that when light enters the soul, every worldly and eternal aspiration is achieved, and every goal attained with the utmost benefit.
The daily recitation of Salawat has a tremendous and apparent physical and spiritual effect on the human body, heart, mind and soul. The regular recitation of Salawat purifies our thoughts and intensifies our good actions, while making way for utmost inner peace and personal satisfaction.
