Question:

There are so many virtues of different Azkar. Like for Darood as well. There was a Sahabi whom Nabi SAWW encouraged to do Zikr of Darood all the time and leave out all other Azkar.

Different groups of angels are also engaged on only one Zikr that is assigned to them.

How does one decide to this Zikr and leave out all others?

Answer:

In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Sending salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ is indeed among the most virtuous acts one can engage in. The merits of this practice are so abundant that scholars have authored numerous volumes dedicated exclusively to documenting its virtues and exploring the various forms of salat upon the Prophet ﷺ. However, I am not aware of any hadith that directs one to limit themselves exclusively to sending salawat while abandoning other forms of dhikr. If you know of such a narration, please share its reference.

One of the hadith concerning the virtue of sending salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ is:

وَعَنْ أُبَيِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ قَالَ: قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أُكْثِرُ الصَّلَاةَ عَلَيْكَ، فَكَمْ أَجْعَلُ لَكَ مِنْ صَلَاتِي؟ فَقَالَ: “مَا شِئْتَ” قُلْتُ: الرُّبُعَ؟ قَالَ: “مَا شِئْتَ، فَإِنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ”. قُلْتُ: النِّصْفَ؟ قَالَ: “مَا شِئْتَ، فَإِنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ”. قُلْتُ: فَالثُّلُثَيْنِ؟ قَالَ: “مَا شِئْتَ، فَإِنْ زِدْتَ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكَ” قُلْتُ: أَجْعَلُ لَكَ صَلَاتِي كُلَّهَا؟ قَالَ: “إِذًا يُكْفَى هَمُّكَ، وَيُكَفَّرُ لَكَ ذَنْبُكَ” مشكاة المصابيح  #929

Ubayy b. Ka’b said he told God’s Messenger that he frequently invoked blessings on him and asked how much of his prayer* he should devote to him. He replied that he might devote as much as he wished, and when he suggested a quarter he said, “Whatever you wish, but if you increase it that will be better for you.” He suggested a half and he replied, “Whatever you wish, but if you increase it that will be better for you.” He suggested two-thirds and he replied, “Whatever you wish, but if you increase it that will be better for you.” He then suggested devoting all his prayer to him and he replied, “Then your concerns will be taken care of, and your sins will be forgiven.” (Mishkat al Masabih #929)

The word used in the hadeeth is salat. The scholars have explained this as referring to the petitions (du’a) offered at the end of the salat.

Al-Tibi said in his commentary of Mishkat:

His saying: “How much should I devote to you from my supplication?”

(Commentary): The meaning is how much should I devote to you from the supplications I make for myself. He continued to present options to establish a limit for this. However, the Prophet ﷺ did not see fit to set a specific limit for this, firstly to prevent confusion between what is virtuous and what is obligatory, and secondly to not close the door to potential increase. He continued to frame the matter in terms of encouragement and motivation for increase until he (Ubayy) said: “Should I devote all my supplications to (sending salawat upon) you?” meaning, should I send salawat upon you instead of making supplications for myself? The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Then your concerns will be taken care of,” meaning the concerns of both your religious and worldly affairs. This is because sending blessings upon him encompasses the remembrance of Allah the Most High, honoring the Messenger ﷺ, being occupied with fulfilling his rights instead of supplicating for one’s own wishes, and preferring to supplicate for him over oneself. How magnificent are these traits of great importance and noble effects!

I see this hadith as following the meaning of the Prophet’s ﷺ narration about his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic: “Whoever is occupied with My remembrance rather than asking of Me, I will give him better than what I give to those who ask.”

And I say: It has been established that when a servant sends blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ once, Allah the Mighty and Majestic sends blessings upon that person ten times, and when they send blessings, they achieve conformity with Allah and enter among the ranks of the close angels in His saying: “Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet.” How can one’s supplication for oneself compare to this?[1]

This hadith and its commentary reveal several important points:

1. The Prophet ﷺ deliberately avoided setting a fixed limit on the proportion of salawat, firstly to prevent confusion between what is virtuous (الفضيلة) and what is obligatory (الفريضة), and secondly to keep the door open for increase.

2. While sending salawat encompasses the remembrance of Allah, honoring the Messenger ﷺ, and brings multiple rewards, it was left to the individual’s capacity (إطاقة). The Prophet ﷺ indicated that whatever amount one can manage is beneficial, even if that means doing it frequently outside of obligatory duties.

3. Though we are encouraged to increase our salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ, exclusively adhering to it at all times without explicit prescription from the Sharia is problematic. This may border on being classified as an innovative practice, where we effectively elevate a voluntary act to the status of an obligation and commit ourselves to something that the Sharia has not made binding upon us.

Furthermore, if abandoning all other forms of dhikr in favor of salawat was intended, we would have clear instructions to this effect. Instead, we find numerous authentic narrations where the Prophet ﷺ taught various forms of dhikr and duas to the Sahaba. When specific dhikr has been prescribed for particular times or contexts, one should prioritize those during those occasions. Otherwise, each person may engage in whatever forms of remembrance they find most beneficial, provided they align with the Qur’an and Sunnah. [2]

And Allāh Taʿālā Knows Best

Maulana Israar Ahmed
Edmonton, Canada

Checked and Approved by:

Muftī Faisal bin Abdul Hamīd al-Mahmūdī
Darul Iftaa Canada (www.fatwa.ca)

[1] قوله: ((فكم ‌أجعل ‌لك ‌من ‌صلاتي)): المعنى كم أجعل لك من دعائي الذي أدعو به لنفسي، ولم يزل يعارضه ليوقفه علي حد من ذلك. ولم ير النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يحد له في ذلك حداً؛ ئلا تلتبس الفضيلة بالفريضة أولا، ثم لا يغلق عليه باب المزيد ثإنياً، فلم يزل يجعل الأمر فيه مراعياً لقرينة الترغيب والحث علي المزيد حتى قال: ((إذا أجعل لك صلاتي كلها))، أي أصلي عليك بدل ما أدعو به لنفسي، فقال: ((إذاً يكفي همك)) أي ما يهمك من أمر دينك ودنياك؛ وذلك لأن الصلاة عليه مشتملة علي ذكر الله تعالي وتعظيم الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، والاشتغال بأداء حقه عن مقاصد نفسه، وإيثاره بالدعاء علي نفسه، وما أعظمها من خلال جليلة الأخطار، وأعمال كريمة الآثار! وأرى هذا الحديث تابعاً في المعنى لقوله صلى الله عليه وسلم حكاية عن ربه عز وجل: ((من شعله ذكري عن مسألتي أعطيته أفضل ما أعطي السائلين)). وأقول: قد تقرر أن العبد إذا صلي مرة علي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم صلي الله عز وجل عليه عشرة، وأنه إذا صلي وفق الموافقة لله، ودخل في زمرة الملائكة المقربين في قوله تعالي: {إن الله وملائكته يصلون علي النبي}. فأنى يوازي هذا دعاءه لنفسه (شرح المشكاة للطيبي الكاشف عن حقائق السنن ج3 ص1046)

[2]    وفيما يلي بعض الكتب المصنفة في جمع روايات الصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وفضلها

– جلاء الأفهام في فضل الصلاة والسلام على خير الأنام

– القول البديع في الصلاة على الحبيب الشفيع

– سر الأسرار في ذكر الصلاة على النبي المختار

– الكنوز المحمدية في الصلاة على خير البرية

– سعادة الدارين في الصلاة على سيد الكونين  -يوسف النبهاني

– أفضل الصلوات على سيد السادات-  يوسف النبهاني