Salaamun alaykum, dear readers!
Salawat upon the prophet is the common act of praying that God grants “salawat” upon the prophet Muhammad.
However, it is unfortunate that granting salawat upon the prophet is a much-misunderstood act, and we will discuss the real meaning of salawat upon the prophet.
It is commonly interpreted that “Salawat” (which is a plural word, the singular form in Arabic is Salah) means asking God to send blessings upon the prophet, and believers are told in verse 33:56 to send salawat upon the prophet.
- [33:56] Indeed, God and the angels “yusalloona” upon the prophet. O you who believe, “salloo” upon him and “sallimu tasleema”.
- The Arabic words “yusalloon” and “salloo” is the verb form and imperative form respectively, for sending salawat upon the prophet.
Quranic Definition of “Salawat”
People mistakenly believe that the action of giving “salawat” upon Muhammad is simply saying “O God, send salawat upon Muhammad, and upon his family” or something along those lines. This is part of why people say “peace be upon him” or “peace and blessings be upon him” or “PBUH” or “Salalahu alayhi wa sallam (peace and salawat be upon him).
The Hadiths state that the prophet will intercede on behalf of those who send salawat a certain number of times, and also it says that one’s prayers and invocations to God are not accepted unless one also sends salawat upon the prophet along with the prayers, thus contributing to the impression that the “salawat” is an exclusive honorary right of the prophet that can only be done when saying certain words.
Here are some of the Hadith on Salawat upon the prophet:
Narrated Ali ibn Abi Talib: “The stingy person is the one before whom I am mentioned, and he does not send Salawat upon me.” (Tirmidhi Hadith 3456)
Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab: Du’aa’ is suspended between heaven and earth and none of it is taken up until you send salawat upon your prophet”. (Tirmidhi no. 486)
The Prophet said: “Who recites blessings upon me ten times in the morning and ten times in the evening will obtain my intercession on the Day of Resurrection.” (Hisn al-Muslim 98)
There are a number of issues with this interpretation. The first is that if you examine verse 33:56, it states God and His angels already sends salawat upon the prophet, and asks the believers to do so as well.
But for some reason, Muslims typically try to send salawat upon the prophet by…asking God to send salawat upon him, which is what He already does?
This does not make any sense whatsoever. The question to you is: why are you asking God to send salawat upon him in your salawat when God is clearly saying that He already does so, and the angels already does so, and that now it is your turn to do the same?
Verse 33:56 doesn’t tell you to ask God to do something that He already said he does. Verse 33:56 is saying that God Himself does the thing, and that now He wants you to do it.
Secondly, many Muslims look at verse 33:56 and believe that the salawat granted upon the prophet Muhammad by God and His angels is an exclusive act to honor him that no other being has. However, the Quran says something different. According to the Quran in verse 33:43, God and His angels send salawat upon all the believers as well, not just the prophet, as evinced because the word “you” in this verse is in the second person plural form.
Therefore, the act of salawat upon the prophet is not something uniquely done to honor him.
[33:43] He is the one who “yusalli” (sends Salawat) upon you (the believers), as well as His angels, for He may exit you from the darkness to the light, and He is Merciful with the believers.
[2:157] Those (the believers) are granted “salawat” upon them, and mercy from their Lord, and those are the acceptors of guidance.
So let’s address the common misconception that the term “salawat” means “sending blessings”. To start, God already clarified in 33:56 that He already has sent His salawat upon Muhammad, as well as the angels, and in turn asks the believers to send THEIR salawat upon him.
The blessings (“barakat” in Arabic, not “salawat”) only originate from God, and only God can send blessings upon anyone. Our food, drink, sleep, the entire planet Earth, and all of Paradise are examples of blessings, and only God can provide them.
So logically when God is asking us to send our salawat, He is not asking to send blessings. We do not have that power or right.
Secondly, the Quran mentions instances of the prophet conferring his own salawat upon people, which gives them tranquility. Certainly, the prophet is not a deity who has the power to send blessings to anyone. And not only that, but the prophet was told to take charity from certain people who wished to atone for their mistakes as an act of conferring Salawat upon those people and cleansing them of their mistake.
- [9:99] But among the Bedouins is whoever believed in God and the Last Day, and takes what he spends as a means of closeness with God, as well as the “salawat” of the messenger. In fact, it is indeed a means of closeness for them. God will admit them into His mercy. Indeed, God is Forgiving, Merciful
- [9:103] Take from their wealth a charity. Cleanse them and purify them with it, and “salli” (send salawat) upon them. Indeed, your “salawat” is a tranquility for them, and God is Hearing, Knowledgeable.
So let’s infer the real meaning of salawat here. In verse 33:43, it is stated that God offers His salawat upon the believers, to guide them from the darkness to the light. This is an act of support of some kind from God and His angels to guide the believers away from darkness.
In verse 2:157, in Paradise all believers are granted Salawat, which is God’s way of supporting the believers in the afterlife.
In verse 9:103, one of the ways that the messenger sends salawat upon people who offer charities to atone for their mistakes is by accepting those charities. The charities cleanse the people, and by accepting the charities, the messenger is doing an act of spiritual support and favor for those people.
So the term salawat (or salah, the singular form of the word) seems to very broadly be any act of spiritual and religious support (such as praying for someone, asking forgiveness for someone, giving and receiving charities, helping to guide people on the right path, etc.)
As for “salawat” upon the prophet, how do we support him if he is already dead? The answer is in verse 33:56, which states that one way we send our salawat (support) upon him is to “sallimu tasleema”.
- [33:56] Indeed, God and His angels grant support upon the prophet. O you who have believed, grant support upon him, and “salimu tasleema”.
Quranic Definition of “Sallimu Tasleema”
The term “sallimu tasleema” is misinterpreted as sending greetings of “salaam” to the prophet. That’s why Muslims say “sallalahu alayhi wa sallam (may God grant salawat and peace upon him) when Muhammad is mentioned.
Some translators like the Quranic Arabic Corpus translate “sallimu tasleema” as “greet him (the prophet) with greetings”. Pickthall translates it as “salute him with a worthy salutation”.
But according to the Quran, “sallimu” means to accept something, and “tasleem” is the act of acceptance of something. Thus, “sallimu tasleema” has nothing to do with greeting anyone with salaam, but to “accept him (the prophet) with acceptance.”
- [4:65] But no, by your Lord; they will not believe until they make you (Muhammad) judge concerning what implants between them, then do not find in themselves guilt from what you have concluded, and “yusallimu tasleema (they accept with acceptance).
- [33:22] And when the believers saw the parties, they said, “This is what God and His messenger have promised us. God and His messenger have been truthful.” And it increased them not but in faith and “tasleema” (acceptance).
While the term “tasleem” shares the same root word as the term “salaam” (peace), they mean different things. The term “Islam” (the act of submission) and “Muslim” (those who submit) all share the same root as “salaam” (peace), and even the word “saleem (sound, as in having a sound heart)”. They share the same root, but they have different meanings.
Likewise, the term “tasleem” is closer in meaning to “Islam” than “salaam”.
In verse 4:65, after the prophet judges disputes between the people (in accordance with the Quran as per verses 5:48 and 4:105), they should accept the judgement with acceptance, not greet the judgement with “assalamu alaykum”.
And in 33:22, when seeing the incoming enemy confederates, the event increased the believers’ faith and acceptance (rather than faith and “greetings”), because God previously warned them about this battle before it occurred.
The correct translation of “sallimu tasleema” helps us realize that the primary way of sending salawat upon Muhammad as was commanded in verse 33:56 is to accept him as the prophet and messenger of God, and to follow the religion he was sent with.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the only form of salawat (support) given to Muhammad that we should be doing according to verse 33:56 to demonstrate our acceptance of him as prophet by being good Muslims.
The Salawat is not asking God to do something that He says He already does. It is something we ourselves should do.
The salawat is not a phrase that you recite a certain number of times to get certain benefits.
The salawat is not a phrase recited at the end of one’s Salat prayers.
The salawat is also NOT a phrase that gatekeeps all other prayers and invocations to God, even though Hadiths state otherwise. That is tantamount to making Muhammad a middleman for praying to God, like how Catholics make Mary the “universal mediatrix” for their prayers to God, such that no prayer reaches God if it is not prayed to Mary.
Salawat upon the prophet is very simply defined in the Quran alone as “sallimoo tasleema” (accept him with acceptance).
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