Why are Salli and Barik supplications read in prayer?
- Do Hz. Muhammad and his family need mercy? Why do Muslims say this supplication, which means mercy for the Prophet Muhammad, in prayer?
Submitted by on Wed, 19/03/2025 - 22:28
Dear Brother / Sister,
Allah orders us in the Quran to send blessings (utter salawat) to the Prophet.
He states the following in verse 56 of the chapter of al-Ahzab:
"Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect."
For, Allah and His angels always send blessings on the Prophet (pbuh). Allah sends blessings to the Prophet (pbuh) with His mercy and boons; the angels send him blessings by asking forgiveness and serving him. Thus, divine grace is sent to believers as it is stated in the verse below:
"He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light..." (al-Ahzab, 33/43)
"O believers! Send him blessings and greetings; surrender to him by greeting him." Utter supplications like that and ask Allah's blessing, mercy and grace for him. Show respect to him by greeting him. According to another meaning, surrender to him without offending him. This verse shows that it is fard to utter salawat for the Prophet (pbuh). However, repetition is not mentioned. What is sound is that salawat becomes wajib as his name is mentioned. There are various hadith narrations regarding the issue.
The Messenger of Allah states the following:
“May his nose soil with dust in whose presence mention is made of me and he does not utter salawat for me.” (Tirmizi, Daawat 110).
“The person closest to me on the Day of Judgment will be the one who says the most salawat for me.” (Tirmidhi, Salah 327),
“The real miser is the one who does not say salawat though my name is mentioned near him.” (Tirmidhi, Daawat 110)
According to Hanafi madhhab, it is sunnah to utter salawat for the Prophet (pbuh) in prayer (ad-Durrul-Muhtar, I, 478) and fard according to Shafiis. (Mughnil-Muhtaj, I, 173)
It is definite by hadiths to read "Allahumma Salli wa Barik" supplications in the last sitting of prayers. When the Companions said to the Prophet (pbuh), "We know how to greet you but we do not know how to send blessings to you", the Messenger of Allah taught them Allahumma Salli wa Barik supplications. (see Bukhari, Anbiya, 10, Muslim, Salat, 65, 66, 69; Nasai, Sahw, 49, 50-54)
The Prophet is in the post of prophethood and in the position of conveying the divine message to us. Therefore, the salawats we say express our loyalty to him, that is the post of prophethood.
Salawat said for the Prophet (pbuh) should not be regarded as need for salawat. It is a kind of prayer with which we ask Allah to increase the value of His messenger in His eye. The aim of salawat is to express our respect to him and God Almighty’s rewarding us due to it, and showing us His mercy and compassion, and to show our respect to the Prophet (pbuh).
When we give the salawat and greetings of all creatures to the Prophet (pbuh) to our Lord as a gift and greet the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in tashahhud, we renew our loyalty to him and show our obedience to his orders. The salawat of the whole ummah from the Era of the Bliss to the present day means saying amin to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) continuously and is a general participation. Furthermore, every salawat said for him is an amin for his prayer, and the salawat and greeting of every member of his ummah in their prayers are regarded as a strong and general amin for his prayer related to the endless bliss.
The salawat and greetings for the Prophet (pbuh) also mean fulfilling the debt of gratitude of the ummah to the Prophet (pbuh). For, a sentence of salawat and greeting to the Prophet (pbuh), who is very fond of his ummah and who shows his ummah the way of bliss in the world and the hereafter, should not be considered to be too much. (Assoc. Prof. Muhittin Akgül, 99 Soruda Efendimiz Sallallahu Aleyhi ve Sellem)
In conclusion, saying salawat and greetings is one of the most important duties of the believers toward the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).
Questions on Islam
- What are salawat supplications and their meanings? Will you write all salawat supplications and their meanings?
- Will you give information about the importance of saying salawat for the Prophet? Why are hands wiped over the face after saying salawat when the name of the Prophet is mentioned?
- Will you give information about the importance of saying salawat for the Prophet? Why are hands wiped over the face after saying salawat when the name of the Prophet is mentioned?
- Will you give information about salawat with a hundred thousand or a hundred million effects?
- How should we send greetings (utter salawat) to the Prophet (pbuh)? What salawat should we utter? Is it enough to say only "Allahumma salli ala sayyidina Muhammad" to send greetings and salawat to him?
- Did the Prophet himself read Salli and Barik supplications in prayer?
- Is the statement ‘He who utters salawat for me gets as many thawabs as the Mount Uhud” a hadith?
- Will you explain the hadith, "May his nose soil with dust in whose presence mention is made of me and he does not supplicate (utter salawat) for me!"? What is the importance of uttering salawat?
- What is the supplication of Nur adh-dhat salawat?
- What are salawat supplications according to four madhhabs?
