Sending blessings upon the Prophet
By Sheikh Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Sudais
First Sermon
Servants of Allah, a great treasure among the treasures of good and a wide door among the doors of charitable opportunities, long remained oblivious to it those serious, and were complacent in it the avaricious stale ones. Maybe rather a lot of the thrifty and even the preemptive came to the point of defaulting in it, until they came before the wrong-doers themselves by committing sins and evil deeds, and then each side held to what the other should have. Enmity appeared between them, hatred, names-calling and acts-calling, as some of the righteous and pious might come to the point of neglecting some of what the wrong-doers and defaulters do away from the people of obedience and acts of worship in this matter, and they did not know for certain it came from him.
Some of the people of default and hindrance even dared to renounce the righteous with estrangement and hard-heartedness. That was only for the reason of forgetfulness of the two sides of a good part of the message that was sent to them, so they were estranged with enmity and hatred between each other. If only each one of them returned to the immutable authentic, applied it and forsook everything other than it, then the two sides would have converged in this matter; their war of words put off and smoke crawled out of their fire. That act of worship, O servants of Allah, is sending blessings upon the prophet; how many are the virtues therein, and how the early predecessors did look after it! How impressive it is! How many were the authentic and true news in its regard! How impressive it is! How many did cast a slur in it on the selected Prophet! We are not in need to slander; it is enough for us what was authenticated from the best of creation.
It has been authenticated from him in the narration out of news; that which is worthy to stimulate every one with a live heart to rush in this matter, in order to receive in the sight of Allah the best of rewards, and Allah disposes of the best of rewards.
If you want Allah to send ten prayers upon you, then recite one prayer upon the Prophet. It has been authenticated from him as saying: ((Whoever recites one prayer upon me, Allah sends ten prayers upon him)) [Narrated by Muslim]. If you want Allah and his angels to send seventy prayers upon you, then recite prayers upon the Prophet. According to Abdullah ibn Omar ibn Al-‘Aas, may Allah be pleased with both of them: ((Whoever sent prayers upon the messenger of Allah, Allah and His angels sent seventy prayers, let him say so, or frequently)) [Narrated by Ahmad]. If you want the angels to send prayers upon you, then keep sending prayers upon the Prophet.
It has been authenticated from him: ((He who recites a prayer upon me the angels keep invoking prayers upon him as long as he keeps praying upon me, so let a servant of Allah makes as much of that or as little)). If you want ten good deeds to be recorded for you, and ten evil deeds to be wiped out for you, and be raised ten degrees, and that Allah sends ten prayers upon you, then recite prayers upon the prophet It was authenticated from him: (('whoever recited one single prayer upon me, Allah will send ten prayers upon him, and unburden him of ten evil deeds, and will raise for him ten degrees)) [Narrated by Ahmad and An-Nisa’i]. In another narration: ((Allah recorded for him, by it, ten good deeds, erased for him ten bad deeds, raised for him ten degrees and returned to him something similar to it)).
If you want your worries addressed and your sins be forgiven, then send prayers upon the Prophet.
It has been authenticated from Ubeiy that he said to the Prophet: (('I recite a lot of prayers upon you, so how much of my prayers should I make for you?' He said: as you like. He said: I said the quarter. He said: as you like. If you add more, it is better. He said: I said the third. He said: as you like. If you add more, it is better. He said: I said the half. He said: as you like. If you add more, it is better. He said: I said the two-thirds. He said: as you like. If you add more, it is better. He said: I said half. He said: as you like. If you add more, it is better. He said: I said I dedicate my whole prayer to you. He said: if it addresses your worries and your sins are forgiven.)) [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and Al-‘Haakim].
Sending prayers upon the Prophet is a reason to gain his intercession on the Day of Resurrection. It has been authenticated from him, peace and blessings be upon him: ((Whoever sends prayers upon me ten times when he wakes up and ten times in the evening, my intercession reaches him on the Day of Resurrection)).
And it was authenticated from him: ((When you hear the muezzin, repeat what he says, then invoke blessings upon me, for everyone who invokes a blessing upon me will receive ten blessings from Allah; then beg from Allah Al-Wasila for me, which is a rank in Paradise fitting for only one of Allah's servants, and I hope that I may be that one. If anyone who asks that I be given the Wasila, he will be assured of my intercession.)) [Narrated by Muslim]. And sending blessings on the Prophet is a reason to display the name of the one praying on the Prophet. It has been authenticated from the Prophet that he said: ((Invoke more of your prayers upon me, for Allah had allocated an angel for me by my grave; if a person from my nation invokes prayers upon me, the angel said: O Mohammed, the son of so and so has sent a blessing upon you at that time)).
And it has been authenticated from, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him : ((Allah the Almighty has an angel to whom He gave a hearing of people; so that no one invokes blessings upon me but he conveys it to me, and I asked Allah that no one sends prayers upon me but Allah sends upon him ten prayers like it)) and it has been authenticated: ((Allah the Almighty disposes of angels roaming the land; they convey to me peace from my nation)) [Narrated by Ahmad, Al-Nisa’i and others].
And invoking prayers upon the prophet is a means of purification from the twitter of councils. It has been authenticated from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: ((people who meet and then disperse without any mention of Allah and prayer on the Prophet, they disperse but from a fetid carrion)), and it has been authenticated from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: ((No people gather in an assembly, in which they do not remember Allah the Exalted, nor recite prayers upon their Prophet, without being afflicted with remorse. – the remorse is a lack of liability, frustration and grief– If Allah Wills, He punishes them, and if He Wills, he forgives them.)) and in a narration: ((no people who take seats wherein they do not remember Allah and invoke prayers upon the Prophet, but had to grieve on the day of Resurrection, even if they enter Paradise out of reward)).
That, O servants of Allah, was part of that which has been mentioned on the virtue of invoking prayers upon him, then is there any that will receive admonition, and that is the credit, so race to such bounty from Allah, and Allah is sufficient as All knower.
May Allah benefit me and you of the guidance of His Book. I say that which came to pass and I ask forgiveness from Allah for me and you and all the Muslims from every sin, so seek His forgiveness He is Oft-Forgiving, Oft- Merciful.
The Second Sermon
Praise be to Allah the Bestower of honor upon him who obeys Him and allies himself to Him, and the Humiliator of him who disobeys Him and contravenes His order, and I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone with no partner, and I bear witness that Mohammed is His servant and His Messenger, His chosen one and His friend, may Allah bless him, his family and his companions, and bestow upon them much peace.
O worshipers of Allah, you have heard some of that which has been mentioned on the virtue of invoking prayers upon him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and we committed ourselves not to cite but that which has been a proven narration from the prophet, and we avoided the weak and the forged. For there is in the proven authentic (tradition) an obviation from need of them, and in this respect it has been authenticated from him that he said: ((every supplication is veiled (not answered) until prayers have been sent upon the Prophet)) as authenticated according to him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him ((The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned, and he does not recite prayer upon me)) [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi, Al-Nisa’I, Al-Haakin and others].
And it has been authenticated from him: ((The most miser of people is the one in whose presence I was mentioned, and he does not recite prayer upon me)) and it has been proven according to him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: ((he who has forgotten invoking prayer upon me has indeed missed the path to Paradise)) i.e: he who forsake invoking prayers upon me intentionally. It has also been authenticated from him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: ((he on whose presence I was mentioned and he does not invoke prayers upon me has indeed missed the path to Paradise)). Such, O servants of Allah, are some of that which has been mentioned on the virtue of invoking prayer upon your Prophet, the Prophet of mercy and guidance, and perhaps in speeches to come, Allah willing, we will show popular invocations known according to him. We will elucidate invocations proven to be from him, peace be upon him, and their legitimate emplacements, in which Statements have been mentioned with regard to the desirability of invoking prayer upon him in them, and the desirable times to do so, and we will conclude by mentioning the benefits and the fruits to be reaped by invoking prayers upon him.
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan: “Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe Send blessings on him, and salute him with all respect”. O Allah send Your prayers upon Mohammed, and upon the family of Mohammed, as you have sent Your prayers upon Ibrahim, and upon the family of Ibrahim, You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious, and bless Mohammed and the family of Mohammed as you have blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are indeed Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah! Send your peace and blessings, and bestow your favors upon your servant and messenger; our Prophet Mohammed, his family and all of his companions. Glory to your Lord, the Lord of Honor and Power from what they ascribe (to Him) and Peace be on the apostles and Praise to Allah, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds.