Abuz Zubair
24th July 2006, 10:10 PM
Salah and Salam upon the Prophet, his follows and companions
æóÕóáøö Úóáóì ÎóíúÑö ÇáúÃóäóÇãö æóÂáöåö*** æóÃóÕúÍóÇÈöåö ãöäú ßõáøö åóÇÏò æóãõåúÊóÏò
Send prayers to the best of the creation, his followers
And his companions from the guiding and the guided ones
After praising Allah as He deserves to be praised, the author sends prayers upon the Prophet, his followers and companions, encouraging the reader to do the same, saying: ‘…and send prayers…’
This is in compliance with Allah’s command in the Quran:
“Verily, Allah and His angels send prayers upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send prayers upon him and peace!” al-Ahzab 56
Praying (Salah) upon the Prophet
The literal meaning of Salah is none other than Du’a, or as we know in English, ‘the prayer’.
Hence, when one performs Salah to Allah, he is praying to Allah.
Similarly, when one sends Salah upon the Prophet, he is not actually praying to the prophet, but in fact, sending prayers upon the Prophet, thereby praying to Allah alone.
Some scholars have opined that Salah means ‘mercy’. According to this opinion, when one prays to Allah, he is asking for Allah’s mercy, and if he prays upon the Prophet, he is asking Allah to have mercy on the Prophet.
Other scholars reconciled between the two opinions and said that the prayer in reality is to seek mercy. Therefore, if one prays to Allah, it is as though he is seeking His Mercy, and similarly praying upon the Prophet is asking for Allah’s Mercy upon the Prophet.
Ibn al-Qayyim opined that for Allah to pray over His Prophet, in fact means Allah’s praise for the Prophet in the heavens. This is substantiated by a narration in al-Bukhari that Abu al-‘Aliya said: ‘Allah’s prayer upon His Prophet, is for Him to praise him amongst His angels’
According to this view, for the angels or human beings to send prayers upon the Prophet, is asking Allah to praise the Prophet and exalt his status.
Muhammad b. ‘Abdullah – the best of the creation
The author refers to the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – as the best of the creation. This confirms with the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah that a) the prophets are the best of Allah’s creation, and b) Prophet Muhammad – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – is the best of all prophets and messengers.
This is at odds with what many of the Sufis, such as Ibn ‘Arabi, claim that the ‘friends of Allah’ (Awliya) are of a higher rank than the prophets and messengers. They argue their case claiming that the ‘friends of Allah’ take their knowledge directly from the source where the prophets and messengers obtained their knowledge; however, while messengership and prophethood have ceased, Allah’s friendship (wilaya) continues, and in that sense, the friends of Allah are on a level higher than the prophets and the messengers in Barzakh.
Their argument that they take from the same source as the prophets is false from the start, for a friend of Allah, only becomes so by following the prophet, and even then, he can never obtain knowledge from Allah directly, and therefore, can never attain the level of the prophets. Needless to say that such a belief is considered to be disbelief on two counts: i) believing that one may reach salvation without following the Prophet, and ii) belittling the prophets by ranking them below non-prophets.
Therefore, the prophets and messengers are the best of Allah creation, while the Prophet Muhammad is the best of messengers. In that regard Ibn ‘Abbas said: Allah has not invented a creation, or created one more beloved to Him than Muhammad – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam.
The Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wasallam – said: ‘I am the best of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection; I am the first from whom the Earth will burst open; and I am the first to make intercession and the first whose intercession is accepted.’ (Muslim)
Beginning one’s tasks by sending prayers upon the Prophet, and the virtues thereof
The author began his poem by praising Allah, and then sending prayers upon the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam.
This practise is often substantiated with a Hadeeth found in Musnad of Imam Ahmad: ‘Any speech which is devoid of Allah’s mention, that is to begin with it and then to send prayers upon me, then it is cut of and perished from any blessing’. Although, the Hadeeth is weak, it still remains the practise of all Muslims to begin by praising Allah, and then sending prayers upon the Prophet.
As for the virtues of sending prayers upon the Prophet, then they are numerous.
* “Whoever prays upon me once, Allah prays over him ten times” [Muslim]
* “Whoever sends upon me one prayer, Allah prays over him ten prayers, and deducts from his account ten sins” [Sahih – Ahmad]
* “May his nose be covered with dust, one to whom I am mentioned and he does not send prayers over me” [Hasan – al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad]
* ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr said: “One who sends prayers upon the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, Allah and His angels pray over him 70 times” [Da’if - Ahmad]
According to Ibn al-Qayyim one of the occasions where a person should remember to send prayers upon the Prophet is during making du’a.
There are three ways in which a person can send prayers upon the Prophet whilst making du’a.
The first way is to send prayers upon the Prophet before making du’a, and straight after praising Allah. This is based on an authentic Hadeeth narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and others.
The second way is to send prayers upon the Prophet at the beginning of the du’a, during it and towards the end.
The third way is to send prayers upon the Prophet at the beginning and the end, making his du’a in between.
The second and the third way, however, are not based upon authentic narrations. Nevertheless, sending prayers upon the Prophet, before, during and after the du’a is still noble, and no doubt, one should endeavour to send prayers upon the Prophet at all times.
Sufyan al-Thawri would say to the effect that a traditionist (muhaddith), even if he himself had no virtue and benefit, it is enough a virtue for him to send prayers upon the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, each time he narrates a Hadeeth saying: ‘The Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam said…’ Such is the virtue of a traditionist.
The meaning of ‘Aal’
The word ‘Aal’ in the Arabic language refers to a person’s family as it also refers to his followers.
Hence, the scholars have differed with respect to the word ‘Aal’ that occurs in the syntax of prayers upon the Prophet, as to what exactly it refers to.
The first view states that ‘Aal’ refers to those of the Prophet’s family to whom it is forbidden to give Zakah.
The second view states that ‘Aal’ refers to the Prophet’s wives and children in particular.
The third view states that ‘Aal’ refers to all those who follow the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – until the Day of Resurrection. This is also reportedly the view of Jabir b. ‘Abdullah – may Allah be pleased with him, and the correct position in Hanbali Madhab.
The forth view states that ‘Aal’ refers to God-fearing members of the Ummah. This is the opinion of al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la, Ibn Qudama, al-Majd Ibn Taymiyya and other Hanbalis.
Prayer upon the Prophet’s Companions
Sahabi is a legal term which refers to the Prophet’s companion. It has six plurals; i) Ashaab, ii) Asaaheeb, iii) Suhbaan, iv) Sahaab, v) Sahaaba, vi) Suhub. The most famous of these are the 1st and the 5th.
By definition, a Companion is one who met the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, even if it be for a moment, and died upon Islam.
Although, the definition for a Companion seems wide, Ibn al-Jawzi still divided the Companions into three levels:
i) Those who frequently accompanied the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam
ii) Those who merely met the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – once, as believers.
iii) Those who did not meet the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, but saw him as believers.
Irrespective of the variance in the ranks of the Companions, they form an important part of the foundation of Islamic civilisation. It is amongst them that the Quran was revealed. It was to them the implantation of the Quran was demonstrated by the Prophet. They lived and fought along with the Prophet and championed the cause of Islam through different stages. They deserve the ultimate credit for preserving the Quran, and its interpretation by the Prophet in his words and deeds. Islam without the companions is rendered defunct. Thus, to emphasise the importance of the companions, the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – said, “Do not abuse my companions for if any one of you spent gold equal to Uhud (in Allah's Cause) it would not be equal to a Mud (a handful) or even a half Mud spent by one of them." [al-Bukhari]
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) also said: “Do not revile my Companions, do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if one amongst you would have spent as much gold as Uhud it would not amount to as much as one mudd on behalf of one of them or half of it” [Muslim]
Hence, the scholars argue that the worst of the Companions is better than the best of the Tabi’un (companion’s followers), merely for the virtue of having seen the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam.
The Companions are guided and guide others
The author describes the Prophet’s Companions as Had and Muhtad.
Both of the words are derived from the root word: hadiya, referring to guidance.
Had refers to ‘the one who guides’, while Muhtad refers to ‘the one who is guided’.
Hence, the Prophet’s companions are referred to as Had because they guide others, as they are also referred to as Muhtad because they are guided by Allah.
The word Hidaya, or guidance, is usually used in reference to guiding someone to good.
Ibn al-Qayyim says that the guidance is of four types:
The first type of guidance is a very general one, in which all of Allah’s creation have a share. Such guidance is witnessed in the entire creation, such as guiding a human being how to walk, talk, mate, reproduce and nurse.
The second type of guidance refers to the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, righteousness and wickedness, faith and disbelief. Having this type of guidance does not necessitate that a person might be guided, for many people are clearly shown the right path and the wrong, yet they choose to take the wrong path.
The third type of guidance refers to Allah inspiring a person and guiding him to take the right path, and to choose guidance over misguidance.
The forth type of guidance refers to Allah guiding the people to either Paradise or Hell on the Day of Judgement.
According to al-Baydhawi, guidance is also of four types, albeit slightly different to Ibn al-Qayyim’s categorisation.
The first type of guidance is for Allah to empower the man with the ability to distinguish between what is good or harmful for him.
The second type of guidance is for Allah to show to the man the signs with which he may distinguish between good and bad, righteousness and impiety.
The third type of guidance is for Allah to send Messengers and Books with which to guide the people.
The forth type of guidance is for Allah to reveal the secret of various things through inspiration or true dreams. This guidance is specifically for the Prophets and the righteous.
Is it permissible to send prayers and peace upon other than the Prophets?
The scholars have differed whether or not it is allowed to send prayers over persons other than the prophets.
Those who disliked sending prayers upon other than the prophets include the Malikis, Hanafis and Shafi’is.
Many of the Hanbalis on the other hand did not dislike for one to do that. The compiler of Sunan, Imam Abu Dawud reports that Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal was asked about the permissibility of sending prayers upon other than the prophets, to which he replied: ‘Didn’t ‘Ali say to ‘Umar: May Allah’s prayers be upon you’? This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, Mujahid, Muqatil b. Sulayman, Ishaq b. Rahway, Abu Thawr, al-Tabari and others. They argued that the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – would send prayers upon those of his companions who would come to him offering Zakah.
Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyya also considered it permissible for one to send prayers upon other than the Prophet, provided that a) it does not become an insignia, or b) it is not used with only certain personalities in exclusion to the others, such as the Shi’ites who send prayers specifically upon ‘Ali in exclusion to the rest of the companions.
Sending Salaam, or peace upon someone takes the same ruling as sending prayers, as far as the Hanbalis are concerned. The Shafi’is differed amongst themselves with regards to this issue, some of them disliking it as they disliked the sending of prayers. Others differentiated between sending prayers and peace; the former they argued is specific to the prophets, while the latter is a common salutation amongst the believers, and hence, there is no objection in a person sending Salam upon another Muslim, whoever it may be.
If one sends prayers and peace upon the prophets and follows this up immediately by non-prophets, then such is permissible, without any known difference of opinion amongst the scholars. That is, for one to say: May Allah’s Salaah and Salaam be upon the Prophet, his companions, and all those who follow him until the day of resurrection.
Saying: Karram Allahu Wajhah for ‘Ali b. Abi Talib
Karram Allahu Wajhah means: May Allah honour him!
It has generally been a practice amongst many Sunni scholars to use this du’a specifically for ‘Ali b. Abi Talib – may Allah be pleased with him. Such scholars include al-Shafi’i, al-Tabari, Ibn Abi Ya’la, Ibn Qudama, Ibn al-Qayyim and many other countless scholars.
Other scholars disliked for one to single out ‘Ali b. Abi Talib with this du’a. Amongst such scholars is Ibn Kathir who opines that even though the meaning of this du’a with respect to ‘Ali is fine, one should still avoid singling out ‘Ali with this prayer, and instead treat all of the companions equally. For if ‘Ali deserves this particular du’a, then Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are more deserving of it, for they were both better than ‘Ali.
Although, Ibn Kathir’s argument seems strong, it must be noted that even if ‘Ali is singled out with this du’a, it does not necessitate that ‘Ali is better than Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, for ‘Umar too is singled out with many qualities, which do not make him better than Abu Bakr.
Some scholars, and nearly all the Shi’a justify singling out ‘Ali with this du’a saying that ‘Ali never worshipped idols. We say in response: ‘Ali was not the only companion in that regard, for there were also other companions who were not known to have worshipped idols. In fact, Zayd b. ‘Amr b. Nufayl was born during the days of ignorance and died before the prophethood, all the while he remained a monotheist and never worshipped an idol.
Wahhabis and Sending Prayers upon the Prophet
It is often claimed by some anti-Wahhabist propagandists that the Wahhabis hate the Prophet, and therefore, dislike sending prayers upon the Prophet.
A simple answer to that would be: The Wahhabis, much in line with the Hanbali Madhab to which they adhere, consider sending of prayers upon the Prophet during prayers, specifically in Tashahhud as obligatory. Hence, unlike the Hanafis and Malikis, they believe that if a person intentionally does not send prayers upon the Prophet, his prayer is rendered invalid.
May Allah send his prayers and peace upon the Prophet, his companions and his followers until the Last Day.
æóÕóáøö Úóáóì ÎóíúÑö ÇáúÃóäóÇãö æóÂáöåö*** æóÃóÕúÍóÇÈöåö ãöäú ßõáøö åóÇÏò æóãõåúÊóÏò
Send prayers to the best of the creation, his followers
And his companions from the guiding and the guided ones
After praising Allah as He deserves to be praised, the author sends prayers upon the Prophet, his followers and companions, encouraging the reader to do the same, saying: ‘…and send prayers…’
This is in compliance with Allah’s command in the Quran:
“Verily, Allah and His angels send prayers upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send prayers upon him and peace!” al-Ahzab 56
Praying (Salah) upon the Prophet
The literal meaning of Salah is none other than Du’a, or as we know in English, ‘the prayer’.
Hence, when one performs Salah to Allah, he is praying to Allah.
Similarly, when one sends Salah upon the Prophet, he is not actually praying to the prophet, but in fact, sending prayers upon the Prophet, thereby praying to Allah alone.
Some scholars have opined that Salah means ‘mercy’. According to this opinion, when one prays to Allah, he is asking for Allah’s mercy, and if he prays upon the Prophet, he is asking Allah to have mercy on the Prophet.
Other scholars reconciled between the two opinions and said that the prayer in reality is to seek mercy. Therefore, if one prays to Allah, it is as though he is seeking His Mercy, and similarly praying upon the Prophet is asking for Allah’s Mercy upon the Prophet.
Ibn al-Qayyim opined that for Allah to pray over His Prophet, in fact means Allah’s praise for the Prophet in the heavens. This is substantiated by a narration in al-Bukhari that Abu al-‘Aliya said: ‘Allah’s prayer upon His Prophet, is for Him to praise him amongst His angels’
According to this view, for the angels or human beings to send prayers upon the Prophet, is asking Allah to praise the Prophet and exalt his status.
Muhammad b. ‘Abdullah – the best of the creation
The author refers to the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – as the best of the creation. This confirms with the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah that a) the prophets are the best of Allah’s creation, and b) Prophet Muhammad – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – is the best of all prophets and messengers.
This is at odds with what many of the Sufis, such as Ibn ‘Arabi, claim that the ‘friends of Allah’ (Awliya) are of a higher rank than the prophets and messengers. They argue their case claiming that the ‘friends of Allah’ take their knowledge directly from the source where the prophets and messengers obtained their knowledge; however, while messengership and prophethood have ceased, Allah’s friendship (wilaya) continues, and in that sense, the friends of Allah are on a level higher than the prophets and the messengers in Barzakh.
Their argument that they take from the same source as the prophets is false from the start, for a friend of Allah, only becomes so by following the prophet, and even then, he can never obtain knowledge from Allah directly, and therefore, can never attain the level of the prophets. Needless to say that such a belief is considered to be disbelief on two counts: i) believing that one may reach salvation without following the Prophet, and ii) belittling the prophets by ranking them below non-prophets.
Therefore, the prophets and messengers are the best of Allah creation, while the Prophet Muhammad is the best of messengers. In that regard Ibn ‘Abbas said: Allah has not invented a creation, or created one more beloved to Him than Muhammad – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam.
The Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wasallam – said: ‘I am the best of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection; I am the first from whom the Earth will burst open; and I am the first to make intercession and the first whose intercession is accepted.’ (Muslim)
Beginning one’s tasks by sending prayers upon the Prophet, and the virtues thereof
The author began his poem by praising Allah, and then sending prayers upon the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam.
This practise is often substantiated with a Hadeeth found in Musnad of Imam Ahmad: ‘Any speech which is devoid of Allah’s mention, that is to begin with it and then to send prayers upon me, then it is cut of and perished from any blessing’. Although, the Hadeeth is weak, it still remains the practise of all Muslims to begin by praising Allah, and then sending prayers upon the Prophet.
As for the virtues of sending prayers upon the Prophet, then they are numerous.
* “Whoever prays upon me once, Allah prays over him ten times” [Muslim]
* “Whoever sends upon me one prayer, Allah prays over him ten prayers, and deducts from his account ten sins” [Sahih – Ahmad]
* “May his nose be covered with dust, one to whom I am mentioned and he does not send prayers over me” [Hasan – al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad]
* ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr said: “One who sends prayers upon the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, Allah and His angels pray over him 70 times” [Da’if - Ahmad]
According to Ibn al-Qayyim one of the occasions where a person should remember to send prayers upon the Prophet is during making du’a.
There are three ways in which a person can send prayers upon the Prophet whilst making du’a.
The first way is to send prayers upon the Prophet before making du’a, and straight after praising Allah. This is based on an authentic Hadeeth narrated by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and others.
The second way is to send prayers upon the Prophet at the beginning of the du’a, during it and towards the end.
The third way is to send prayers upon the Prophet at the beginning and the end, making his du’a in between.
The second and the third way, however, are not based upon authentic narrations. Nevertheless, sending prayers upon the Prophet, before, during and after the du’a is still noble, and no doubt, one should endeavour to send prayers upon the Prophet at all times.
Sufyan al-Thawri would say to the effect that a traditionist (muhaddith), even if he himself had no virtue and benefit, it is enough a virtue for him to send prayers upon the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, each time he narrates a Hadeeth saying: ‘The Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam said…’ Such is the virtue of a traditionist.
The meaning of ‘Aal’
The word ‘Aal’ in the Arabic language refers to a person’s family as it also refers to his followers.
Hence, the scholars have differed with respect to the word ‘Aal’ that occurs in the syntax of prayers upon the Prophet, as to what exactly it refers to.
The first view states that ‘Aal’ refers to those of the Prophet’s family to whom it is forbidden to give Zakah.
The second view states that ‘Aal’ refers to the Prophet’s wives and children in particular.
The third view states that ‘Aal’ refers to all those who follow the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – until the Day of Resurrection. This is also reportedly the view of Jabir b. ‘Abdullah – may Allah be pleased with him, and the correct position in Hanbali Madhab.
The forth view states that ‘Aal’ refers to God-fearing members of the Ummah. This is the opinion of al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la, Ibn Qudama, al-Majd Ibn Taymiyya and other Hanbalis.
Prayer upon the Prophet’s Companions
Sahabi is a legal term which refers to the Prophet’s companion. It has six plurals; i) Ashaab, ii) Asaaheeb, iii) Suhbaan, iv) Sahaab, v) Sahaaba, vi) Suhub. The most famous of these are the 1st and the 5th.
By definition, a Companion is one who met the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, even if it be for a moment, and died upon Islam.
Although, the definition for a Companion seems wide, Ibn al-Jawzi still divided the Companions into three levels:
i) Those who frequently accompanied the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam
ii) Those who merely met the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – once, as believers.
iii) Those who did not meet the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam, but saw him as believers.
Irrespective of the variance in the ranks of the Companions, they form an important part of the foundation of Islamic civilisation. It is amongst them that the Quran was revealed. It was to them the implantation of the Quran was demonstrated by the Prophet. They lived and fought along with the Prophet and championed the cause of Islam through different stages. They deserve the ultimate credit for preserving the Quran, and its interpretation by the Prophet in his words and deeds. Islam without the companions is rendered defunct. Thus, to emphasise the importance of the companions, the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – said, “Do not abuse my companions for if any one of you spent gold equal to Uhud (in Allah's Cause) it would not be equal to a Mud (a handful) or even a half Mud spent by one of them." [al-Bukhari]
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) also said: “Do not revile my Companions, do not revile my Companions. By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if one amongst you would have spent as much gold as Uhud it would not amount to as much as one mudd on behalf of one of them or half of it” [Muslim]
Hence, the scholars argue that the worst of the Companions is better than the best of the Tabi’un (companion’s followers), merely for the virtue of having seen the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam.
The Companions are guided and guide others
The author describes the Prophet’s Companions as Had and Muhtad.
Both of the words are derived from the root word: hadiya, referring to guidance.
Had refers to ‘the one who guides’, while Muhtad refers to ‘the one who is guided’.
Hence, the Prophet’s companions are referred to as Had because they guide others, as they are also referred to as Muhtad because they are guided by Allah.
The word Hidaya, or guidance, is usually used in reference to guiding someone to good.
Ibn al-Qayyim says that the guidance is of four types:
The first type of guidance is a very general one, in which all of Allah’s creation have a share. Such guidance is witnessed in the entire creation, such as guiding a human being how to walk, talk, mate, reproduce and nurse.
The second type of guidance refers to the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, righteousness and wickedness, faith and disbelief. Having this type of guidance does not necessitate that a person might be guided, for many people are clearly shown the right path and the wrong, yet they choose to take the wrong path.
The third type of guidance refers to Allah inspiring a person and guiding him to take the right path, and to choose guidance over misguidance.
The forth type of guidance refers to Allah guiding the people to either Paradise or Hell on the Day of Judgement.
According to al-Baydhawi, guidance is also of four types, albeit slightly different to Ibn al-Qayyim’s categorisation.
The first type of guidance is for Allah to empower the man with the ability to distinguish between what is good or harmful for him.
The second type of guidance is for Allah to show to the man the signs with which he may distinguish between good and bad, righteousness and impiety.
The third type of guidance is for Allah to send Messengers and Books with which to guide the people.
The forth type of guidance is for Allah to reveal the secret of various things through inspiration or true dreams. This guidance is specifically for the Prophets and the righteous.
Is it permissible to send prayers and peace upon other than the Prophets?
The scholars have differed whether or not it is allowed to send prayers over persons other than the prophets.
Those who disliked sending prayers upon other than the prophets include the Malikis, Hanafis and Shafi’is.
Many of the Hanbalis on the other hand did not dislike for one to do that. The compiler of Sunan, Imam Abu Dawud reports that Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal was asked about the permissibility of sending prayers upon other than the prophets, to which he replied: ‘Didn’t ‘Ali say to ‘Umar: May Allah’s prayers be upon you’? This is also the opinion of al-Hasan al-Basri, Mujahid, Muqatil b. Sulayman, Ishaq b. Rahway, Abu Thawr, al-Tabari and others. They argued that the Prophet – SallAllahu ‘alaihi wa-sallam – would send prayers upon those of his companions who would come to him offering Zakah.
Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyya also considered it permissible for one to send prayers upon other than the Prophet, provided that a) it does not become an insignia, or b) it is not used with only certain personalities in exclusion to the others, such as the Shi’ites who send prayers specifically upon ‘Ali in exclusion to the rest of the companions.
Sending Salaam, or peace upon someone takes the same ruling as sending prayers, as far as the Hanbalis are concerned. The Shafi’is differed amongst themselves with regards to this issue, some of them disliking it as they disliked the sending of prayers. Others differentiated between sending prayers and peace; the former they argued is specific to the prophets, while the latter is a common salutation amongst the believers, and hence, there is no objection in a person sending Salam upon another Muslim, whoever it may be.
If one sends prayers and peace upon the prophets and follows this up immediately by non-prophets, then such is permissible, without any known difference of opinion amongst the scholars. That is, for one to say: May Allah’s Salaah and Salaam be upon the Prophet, his companions, and all those who follow him until the day of resurrection.
Saying: Karram Allahu Wajhah for ‘Ali b. Abi Talib
Karram Allahu Wajhah means: May Allah honour him!
It has generally been a practice amongst many Sunni scholars to use this du’a specifically for ‘Ali b. Abi Talib – may Allah be pleased with him. Such scholars include al-Shafi’i, al-Tabari, Ibn Abi Ya’la, Ibn Qudama, Ibn al-Qayyim and many other countless scholars.
Other scholars disliked for one to single out ‘Ali b. Abi Talib with this du’a. Amongst such scholars is Ibn Kathir who opines that even though the meaning of this du’a with respect to ‘Ali is fine, one should still avoid singling out ‘Ali with this prayer, and instead treat all of the companions equally. For if ‘Ali deserves this particular du’a, then Abu Bakr and ‘Umar are more deserving of it, for they were both better than ‘Ali.
Although, Ibn Kathir’s argument seems strong, it must be noted that even if ‘Ali is singled out with this du’a, it does not necessitate that ‘Ali is better than Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, for ‘Umar too is singled out with many qualities, which do not make him better than Abu Bakr.
Some scholars, and nearly all the Shi’a justify singling out ‘Ali with this du’a saying that ‘Ali never worshipped idols. We say in response: ‘Ali was not the only companion in that regard, for there were also other companions who were not known to have worshipped idols. In fact, Zayd b. ‘Amr b. Nufayl was born during the days of ignorance and died before the prophethood, all the while he remained a monotheist and never worshipped an idol.
Wahhabis and Sending Prayers upon the Prophet
It is often claimed by some anti-Wahhabist propagandists that the Wahhabis hate the Prophet, and therefore, dislike sending prayers upon the Prophet.
A simple answer to that would be: The Wahhabis, much in line with the Hanbali Madhab to which they adhere, consider sending of prayers upon the Prophet during prayers, specifically in Tashahhud as obligatory. Hence, unlike the Hanafis and Malikis, they believe that if a person intentionally does not send prayers upon the Prophet, his prayer is rendered invalid.
May Allah send his prayers and peace upon the Prophet, his companions and his followers until the Last Day.