Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As salaam aleikum.

Whenever we mention the last prophet`s name we add Peace be upon him and his family(PBUHAHF). However, I often hear the khateeb giving khutbah saying only Peace be upon him(PBUH) and many scholars also omit the mention of family. Is this permissible or must one say the full form after the last prophet`s name is mentioned? Also, is it permissible to say Peace be upon him and his descendants(PBUHAHD)? Does saying PBUH only imply disrespect for the prophet?

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Answer:

Durood on pm name

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 56:

Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him and salute him with all respect.

When the above aayah of the Quran was revealed the companions asked the Prophet (saws) how should the believers send salutations to him (saws).

Abu Mas'ud Al-Ansari reported the following account from Bashir ibn Sa'd: "I asked Prophet (saws) 'O Messenger of Allah (saws), Allah has commanded us to invoke blessings upon you. How should we do it?' The Messenger of Allah (saws) remained silent until we wished we had not asked him. Then he told us to say,

'Allahumma salli 'ala muhammadin wa 'ala ali muhammadin kama sallayta 'ala ali ibrahima, wa barik 'ala muhammadin wa 'ala ali muhammadin kama barakta 'ala ibrahima wa 'ala ali ibrahima; fil 'alamin, innaka hammidum majeed. {Narrated by Muslim.}

(O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Ibrahim, and give baraka to Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You gave baraka to Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. In all the worlds, You are worthy of Praise and Glorious)

Your Question: Whenever we mention the last prophet`s name we add Peace be upon him and his family(PBUHAHF).

Hadrat Abu Dharr Ghaffari (r.a.) said that he heard the Prophet (saws) saying: 'The most miserly among people is the one who fails to invoke blessings upon me when my name is mentioned in his or her presence'.

Related by Tirmidhi.

Whenever one says the Prophet’s (saws) name, or the Prophet’s (saws) name is mentioned in their midst, it is obligatory for one who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to send salutations of peace and blessings upon the Prophet (saws).

If one recites the full ‘durood’ or salutation like one recites in the ‘tashahud’ in prayer as taught the Messenger of Allah (saws), it would be best; if one sends a shortened salutation on only the Prophet Mohamed (saws) and his family, that would suffice to fulfill the command of Allah Subhanah; and if one sends salutations only upon the Prophet (saws) by declaring ‘sallalaaho alayhe wa sallam’, that too would suffice.

Your Question: I often hear the khateeb giving khutbah saying only Peace be upon him(PBUH) and many scholars also omit the mention of family. Is this permissible or must one say the full form after the last prophet`s name is mentioned?

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 33 Surah Ahzaab verse 56:

Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him and salute him with all respect.

Beloved brother, if one sends salutations only upon the Prophet (saws) when his name is mentioned, it would suffice to fulfill the above Command of Allah Subhanah.

But in the course of reciting the ‘tashahud’ in prayer, one should recite the full salutation as taught by the Messenger of Allah (saws) which includes the Prophet (saws), his family, and Prophet Ibraheem (a.s.) and his family.

Your Question: Also, is it permissible to say Peace be upon him and his descendants(PBUHAHD) ? Does saying PBUH only imply disrespect for the prophet?

Although the literal meaning of the Arabic term ‘aal’ means family, it also refers to the people who follow.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 40 Surah Mumin verses 45-46:

45 Then Allah saved him (Prophet Musa (a.s.) from (every) ill that they plotted (against him); but the brunt of the penalty encompassed on all sides of the ‘Aale-Firaun’ (People of Pharaoh.)

46 In front of the Fire will they be brought morning and evening: and (the sentence) on the Day that Judgment will be established: "Cast ye the ‘Aale-Firaun’ (People of Pharaoh) into the Severest Penalty!"

Thus as is evident in the verses above, the ‘aale-Firaun’ is not exclusive to Firaun’s family, but all those who followed his way.

It would be absolutely permissible and acceptable for one to say ‘Salle ala Mohamed wa aale-Mohamed’ (Peace be upon Mohamed (saws) and upon his family or the people who followed him); just as it would be permissible and suffice to say only ‘salallaho alayhe wa salaam’ (peace and blessing be upon him (Prophet Mohamed (saws)) whenever the name of the Messenger of Allah (saws) is mentioned in their midst.

The term ‘aal’ is Arabic implies the family, the people who followed, and also the descendants…..thus it would be absolutely permissible and acceptable in Islam if one wishes to say ‘Salle ala Mohamed wa aale-Mohamed’, the ‘aal’ implying the righteous amongst his family, his descendants, and all the people who followed his way.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan