Monday, March 22, 2021

Conception of Salaat 'alan Nabi in light of the Qur'an and Sunnah

 Introduction

 

 One of the practices universally observed in Muslim culture is- when referencing Prophet Muhammad, to recite statements such as Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam after his name. Similarly, neglect of reciting this term can be viewed as disrespectful by some observers. The practice is called by various names worldwide, such as Salaat 'alan Nabi, Durood Sharif, salaat wa salaam,  and even salawaat.


Several questions emerge as a result of this practice, among them being : (1) Does the religion require this to be recited frequently, or simply on occasion?  ( 2) Does this practice elevate Prophet Muhammad to an object of worship ? (3) Is there a distinction being created for him-in contradistinction to the other Prophets? 

While this article does not seek to answer those questions, it does seek-by analysis of the Islamic texts, to provide an understanding of the foundations behind the practice, and take away a deeper cognition of the texts themselves.


Salaat 'Alan Nabi in the Qur'an

 A solitary Quranic text forms the strongest evidence for the practice. The verse itself is often recited as a prelude to Salaat 'alan nabi itself, as well as Mawlid events, poems, and supplications. The text reads

اِنَّ اللّٰہَ وَ مَلٰٓئِکَتَہٗ یُصَلُّوۡنَ عَلَی النَّبِیِّ ؕ یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا صَلُّوۡا عَلَیۡہِ وَ سَلِّمُوۡا تَسۡلِیۡمًا

"Indeed, Allah and His angels Yusalloona upon the Prophet. People of faith, do salaah on him, and give obedient submission" (Q 33:56)

The verb yusallona is typically translated as "send blessings". However, contextual understanding is very important. This Soorah, Al Ahzab - as a whole- discusses issues related to conflict, as well as domestic  issues, and inspirational material. When read in context, especially in considering the term "Indeed Allah and His angels", it becomes apparent that Yusalloona means that God, through the agency of his angels, give the Prophet what he needs for success, and that the believers are told to do the same thing, i.e. to give their support, be it morally, physically, financially, to the Prophet, in order that the cause he is standing upon is successful.


It is worth noting here that the same Soorah has the same sentiment, with the same wording, as applied to believers. "It is He (God) who  is conveying upon you the meeting of your needs (yusalli 'alaikum), and the angels (are involved in this process), in order to remove you from darkness to light, and God is merciful to people of faith." ( Q 33:43).

 ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ یُصَلِّیۡ عَلَیۡکُمۡ وَ مَلٰٓئِکَتُہٗ لِیُخۡرِجَکُمۡ مِّنَ الظُّلُمٰتِ اِلَی النُّوۡرِ ؕ وَ کَانَ بِالۡمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ رَحِیۡمًا

 


Salaat 'alan Nabi in the hadeeth literature

There are a number of reports in the hadeeth literature that place emphasis on reciting salaat 'alaa Nabi, one of them saying that for every time it is done, Allah will send ten blessings on that person. (saheeh Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud). These reports have varying degrees of authenticity, but nonetheless has always been acted upon, in particular in the final sitting posture in prayers.


The general wording is as follows:



(1) "O Allah, send upon (salli 'ala) Muhammad the necessities, and upon the followers of Muhammad, as you did upon Abraham, and the followers of Abraham, Indeed, You are praiseworthy, glorious."


(2) "O Allah, give blessings upon (Baarik 'ala) Muhammad, and upon the followers of Muhammad as you did give blessings to Abraham and the followers of Abraham, Indeed, You are praiseworthy, glorious." 

 

What is interesting is that in the hadeeth literature, we find that the Prophet himself, upon whom be peace, used the same phraseology in connection to other people:

 

" 'Abdullah b. Abi Awfaa related that whenever a people would bring their charity (sadaqatihim) to the Prophet, he would say "O Allah, send upon the people of so and so their necessities (Allahumma salli 'ala Aal Fulaan)." 

The same report says the Prophet would make the same invocation- the one traditionally made by Muslims on his behalf- for the behalf of specific individuals when they gave their charities (Saheeh Al Bukhari and Muslim )

 

Do Muslims worship   the Prophet?

Some critics assert that the practice of Salaat 'alan Nabi constitutes worship of the Prophet. They further assert this because the term Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam has been translated by some as "prayers and peace be upon him".

 

The term Salaat is used for prayer, as in the prayers Muslims do on a daily basis. However, I hope it has been seen that the term, as thousands of other terms in every language, do not always the same meaning every time. One laughable critic has claimed that Islam teaches that "God prays to Muhammad", citing the expression Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam as evidence. 

 

Other important points

(1) The Muslims generally have agreement of the necessity of doing Salaat 'alan nabi inside the prayers, in the final sitting position. The first part, in Arabic Allahumma Salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'alaa  aali Muhammad.. is viewed as necessary, whereas the second part, wherein Baaraka is mentioned, is deemed as, at best, a Sunnah

(2) There is an important distinction between the two parts of the supplication given in the "Salaat 'alan Nabi in the hadeeth literature" section above. The first part shows us a prayer for the necessities, the tools for success, be met, and that the Qur'an and hadeeth both use it in that sense, whereas the second one is for extras, for those things that, while unneeded for survival, enhances one's life and general happiness.

(3) There are narrations, including above, which speak of both aspects being extended not only to the Prophet, but to his followers (Aal Muhammad). This shows that even in worship, one has positive desires for others, as well as that we seek Divine help for the cause that the Prophet represented. After all, the Prophet is dead, and receives his rewards from his Lord, Allah Almighty. So "Muhammad" inside the sitting posture of prayer represents advocating or praying for the cause the Prophet stood for!


(4) The Shiites apply the term Aal Muhammad to the Prophet's family. This is a different understanding of a linguistic point, which should not be a point in polemics. 


Conclusion

There are many concepts in religion which take on a cultural dimension, and while this is not a problem, it is good to examine, with as much open-mindedness as possible, the sources of these concepts, to see the original intent behind them.

Salaat 'alan Nabi is clearly used in the Qur'an as an exhortation to physically, morally, and financially, to the believers, to assist the Prophet, to support him in his cause.

We believe the Prophet did also ask for a verbal supplication be made for him in prayers. However, the hadeeth literature is clear that he would do the same supplication, in the same wordings (Qaala: Allahumma salli 'ala 'alayh.) for people who would come to him.

We certainly are not advocating changing the practice of reciting Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam (or expressions of a similar import) after the Prophet's name, we are simply stating, in light of the Qur'an and Hadeeth literature, that the Quranic verse which serves as the primary textual support for this- that verse (Q 33:56) has a deeper message than usually imagined.





 

7 comments:

NB said...

Hello Waheed.

I was hoping that you would find time to respond to my March 12 comments about Safi Kaskas's article. I am waiting to hear what you say there before commenting further on his argument.

Now, regarding Q 33:56: As always, we need to read the verse in context. Muhammad begins the Surah by making clear, once again, his fundamental theological principle: Allah watches our every action and He rewards us for what please Him and He punishes us for what does not. This is not a new nor unique theological principle and it is much the same as what we read in the Bible. The problem is that there is so much in life which appears to contradict this principle. Theologians who accept this principle as some sort of "truth" struggle to explain all of the contradictions that are so evident. Muhammad's struggle is evident in this Surah.

This Surah is said to have been revealed in AH 5, or thereabouts. Muhammad had been preaching this principle for something like 18 years and had seen some progress in his mission, but major setbacks, too. In spite of all of his righteous acts in Mecca, he received no reward there and was forced to leave with only what he could carry. He gained a "miraculous" victory at Badr, convincing him that now Allah was going to reward him, but since then he had suffered a defeat at Uhud which included the loss of his dear uncle Hamza. Like so many, he believes that outcomes of battles reveal which side Allah favours, but why would Allah reward him at Badr but not at Uhud? He needed to be able to explain this... and he does so in the way that so many do in such circumstances: He blames the people around him.

Effectively, he is accusing his followers of not having enough faith in him. He is telling them that unless he has their blessings, they will not be successful. In short, they need to worship him. Furthermore, he tells them that those who resist him will be destroyed, not by Allah, but by himself.

I have no wish to get into a discussion about the nuances of the word "salaat". I believe strongly in the value of prayer, however, I understand clearly that there is one and only one being who hears my prayers, and that is myself. Understanding that, what benefit can come from "doing salaah on Muhammad"?

As you point out, Muhammad is dead, and as such you are praying for the cause that he represents. Nothing wrong with praying for the society that you hope for; with praying for family and community and for all life on Earth. Just remember that YOU are your sole agent to affect change in the world.

Please observe that Q 33:56 when read in the context of the verses to the end of the Surah commanded Muhammad's followers to worship and obey Muhammad or be put to death! It should also be observed from these verses that Muhammad clearly understands that he is reliant on his followers and not on Allah alone, and also that he himself would be the agent of punishment, both in direct contradiction to the principle that he is preaching.

Only nonsense can flow from a mistaken principle.

NB said...

Waheed, I would like to make clear for your readers the difference between how Muslims read the Qur'an and how non-Muslims read it.

Muslims say that Muhammad is merely a vessel for transmitting the word of God to Mankind. Therefore, making this idea explicit, verses 33:56-57 would read as follows:

"And God said: Indeed, I confer blessings upon Muhammad and My angels shower blessings on him, too. You shall ask for blessings upon him and salute him with greetings of peace.

"And God said: whosoever offends Muhammad is cursed in this world and in the Hereafter and I have prepared a humiliating torment for them."

What Muslims need to understand is that the billions of us who do not believe Muhammad to be the vessel that Muslims say that he is don't merely deny that God transmitted these word, but, those of us who believe in God are OUTRAGED that anyone would dare to suggest that God would utter such words. I can only imagine the reaction of the Jews of Medina who heard these words first hand.

The only way that the billions of us, past and present, can read these words is to hear them coming from Muhammad, himself:

"And Muhammad said to the People of Medina: Indeed, Allah confers blessings upon me and the angels shower blessings on me, too. You shall ask for blessings upon me and salute me with greetings of peace.

"Whosoever offends me is cursed in this world and in the Hereafter and Allah has prepared a humiliating torment for them."

Billions of us see these words as the words of a delusional man who had the power and used that power to bring grievous injustices to those around him.

It is an enormous tragedy that billions continue to worship this man in direct contradiction to their religious belief that Allah alone is worthy of worship.

To be absolutely clear, I am not, in any way, saying that there is anything wrong with how Muslims worship the Creator and His Creation. The one thing that all of Mankind, regardless of religious beliefs, should be able to agree on is that the Creation itself is worthy of worship.

Shamsuddin Waheed said...

Hi N-B,

It is a strange and far stretch to assert that the text under discussion asserts that non worship of Muhammad would result in being put to death! Come on now, surely you are not seriously saying that, are you?

Soorah 33 certainly speaks on the themes of obedience to the Messenger, some ethics and such, but you have to present evidence that [1] The message is worship of Muhammad . (2) That failure to comply results in death.

You speak of Madinan Jews being afraid of the Prophet (peace be on him), and outraged at the words he would speak. Well, let's see what the Bible says:

But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ ( Deut.18:20).

Should people who are used to Bible language be so frightened when hearing Quranic verses that speak of obedience to God and God's messenger?

NB said...

Waheed, I am simply reading beyond the verse that you cite.

33:60-61 "If the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is disease and those who spread rumors in al-Madīnah do not cease, We will surely incite you against them; then they will not remain your neighbors therein except for a little, Accursed wherever they are found, [being] seized and massacred completely."

I understand "hypocrite" to mean someone who has sworn allegiance to Muhammad but knows in his heart that Muhammad is not the prophet that he says he is. Those are the ones who are being threatened by this belligerent and aggressive language. Those are the ones whose failure to worship Muhammad, if discovered, would be massacred.

Also, bear in mind that actions speak louder than words, and these words were accompanied by the violations, including massacres, against the Jews and the Banu Mustaliq which occurred at about this same time.

As for the question of "worship", any "evidence" would depend on the definition of "worship". Obviously, Muslims have chosen a definition so as to exclude their adoration of Muhammad. I view it from a pragmatic perspective: what are the harms that come from "worshipping" a man? Do we see these harm in Muslim communities? It is obvious to me that such harms are present.

I don't understand your point about Deut 18:20. The only one who would fear that verse would be a false prophet, in this case, Muhammad.

Thousands of people believe that God or angels or other supernatural beings are speaking directly to them, and many believe that they have been commanded by God to speak, yet they are never smitten. I can only assume that this verse is not meant to be taken literally or doesn't apply to the mentally ill who can't be held responsible.

Shamsuddin Waheed said...

Hello NB,

It's good that you take time to read the Qur'an.

"Hypocrite" is a strong term in scripture, and in particular in the Qur'an, one finds it connected to parties that create upheaval, in order to derive political gain. That is a longer discussion, perhaps best left for another occasion.

The point in bringing Deut.18:20 was to show that the Madinan Jews, familiar with that text, should not find it outrageous Quranic texts which speak on the Prophet doing what he is told to do by God etc.

Q 33:57-58 has more to do with the opposition to the spread of the faith and the cultivation, growth of the Muslim community, by engaging in repeated intrigue, seeking to undermine and destroy the community. External foes in collaboration with local support, the latter generally known as hypocrites ( which has been discussed elsewhere in this blog). It's not simply an issue of theology.

Hameem Abdul Al Hakim Habeeb said...

Good addendum to the practice. I never knew the 2nd part of the tashahuud was sunnah. In practice as far as I can discern from the length of time in jalsa at the end of salah both parts are recited by the various Imams I have followed around the world. Are you aware of any who only do the first part?

Shamsuddin Waheed said...

As salaamu 'alaikum @Hameem Abdul Al Hakim Habeeb:

The Shiite practice is that they recite the first part of the prayer for the Prophet (albeit in a shorter fashion, i.e. Allaahumma Salli 'ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad), be it in individual salaat or in a masjid behind the Imam (in their practice, the Imam recites all of these texts loudly), but for Imams of Masjids in the Sunni tradition, both parts are recited.

There is a Shafi'ee practice of reciting the Tashahhud and the first line of the prayer for the Prophet even in the Jalsa of the second Rak'ah, and in the final sitting, reciting Tashahhud as well as both parts of the prayer for the Prophet, whereas for the others, as you know, the prayer for the Prophet is restricted to the final Jalsa.