Honouring the Prophet ﷺ and the virtue of sending blessings upon him

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Allah, ta^ala, said to His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Suratu l-Fath:

﴾إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا، لِتُؤْمِنُوا بِاللهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ﴿

“Indeed, We have sent you as a witness, a bringer of glad tidings, and a warner of punishment so that you may believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you may glorify him and show him respect.”

The rank of the Prophet ﷺ and Allah's command to honour him

He ﷺ brought glad tidings to those who believe in him and adhere to his guidance and legislation, promising them Paradise. He warned that disobeying him renders one deserving of punishment in the Fire, may Allah protect us from it. Allah, ^azza wa jall, commands us in His words ﴾وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ﴿: “and that you may glorify him and show him respect,” to exalt the Prophet ﷺ. Exalting him ﷺ stems from our love for him as Muslims, reflecting our appreciation for this noble Prophet ﷺ. This is also a matter of showing gratitude for the immense favour he has bestowed upon us.".

The Messenger taught us the oneness of Allah and that Allah exists without resembling any of the created beings. He exists without a 'how' or a place, and He is not subject to time. Allah is attributed with the attributes of perfection that befit Him, exalted above any deficiency in His regard. There is absolutely nothing that can be compared to Him in any way whatsoever, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

The virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and its impact

He is our Prophet ﷺ, whom we honour and remember in our nights and throughout the day. Our remembrance of him is not confined to a single day, night, or month in the year; rather, we keep his memory alive at all times. We send abundant blessings upon him and enrich our gatherings by invoking Allah to elevate the honour of Prophet Muhammad, raise his rank, and safeguard his nation from that which he feared for it.

It is essential for every Muslim, both male and female, not to neglect sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ at any time or moment. One should not reserve this act solely for times of hardship while neglecting it during times of ease. Rather, one should consistently send blessings upon him in their prayers, while standing or sitting, during dressing, eating, drinking, and in all aspects of daily life. Such dedication will bring forth its blessings and invite abundant goodness into one's life.

The Prophet ﷺ said, as narrated by Al-Bayhaqiyy from ‘Anas ibnu Malik: “Whoever invokes blessings upon me, Allah elevates his honour, erases ten of his sins, and raises him by ten degrees. In another narration, it is mentioned: ‘And ten good deeds are recorded in his favour.’”

As for ^Abdu r-Rahman ibnu ^Awf, he conveyed that the Prophet ﷺ said: “I met Gabriel, and he said to me: ‘I bring you glad tidings that Allah ta^ala, says: Whoever calls upon Me to protect your nation from what you feared for it, I shall safeguard him from his own fears. And whoever invokes blessings upon you, I will elevate his honour and rank.’”

Allah raised the mention of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ across time, both with earlier and later generations, and among the angels until the Day of Judgment. Allah, ta^ala, said:

﴿وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ﴾

“And We have elevated the mention of your name “.

His mention ﷺ has been elevated through its pairing with the mention of Allah in the declaration of faith, the call to prayer, the iqamah, in sermons, the tashahhud, and in numerous passages of the Noble Qur’an. Additionally, he ﷺ has been honoured with the titles Messenger of Allah and Prophet of Allah ﷺ, and, beyond all of this, he is also mentioned in the scriptures of earlier peoples.

He ﷺ is from the Arabs, descended from ‘Isma^il, the son of ‘Ibrahim Khalilu l-Lah (meaning the one fully devoted to the worship of Allah). His noble lineage extends to ^Adnan, and Allah, subhanah, has decreed that Muhammad ﷺ is the best of mankind and the finest of all creation.

It is narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Gabriel told me: 'I have traversed the east and the west of the earth and found no man better than Muhammad. I have traversed the east and the west of the earth and found no lineage among the descendants of a father better than the Banu Hashim.'" This narration is reported by At-Tabaraniyy in his Al-Mu^jamu l-‘Awsat.