Salutations and Blessings to the Prophet
Provided hereunder is a selection of ahadith from the Ma’ariful Hadith by Mawlana Manzoor No’mani as translated by Muhammad Asif Kidwai under the title Meaning and Message of the Traditions
(1) It is related by Kaab bin ‘Ojra that “(once) we said to the Messenger of God, peace be upon him: ‘God has told us how to send salutation to you(i.e., you have informed us on behalf of the Lord that we should send the salutation to you by saying, Assalaamu’alaika ayyuhan nabeeyu wa rahmatul-laahi wa barakaatuh in Tashahhud; now tell us how are we to send blessings on you’. The Prophet replied: Do so by saying, Allahumma sal-lialaa muhammadin wa ‘alaa aal-i-muhammadin kamaa sal-laita ‘alaa Ibrahima wa ‘alaa aal-i-ibrahim in-naka hameedum majeed. Allahumma baarik’alaa muhammadin wa ‘alaa aal-imuhammadin kamaa baarakta ‘alaa ibrahima wa ‘alaa aal-iibrahim in-naka hameedum majeed (O God, bless Muhammad and his family as You have blessed Abraham and his family; Verily, You are the Praiseworthy, the Majestic. O God! magnify Muhammad and his family as You have magnified Abraham and his family; Verily You are the Praiseworthy, the Majestic). – Bukhari and Muslim
(2) It is related by Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, said: “When anyone of you completed the last Tashahhud, he should seek the protection of the Lord from four things: (i) the punishment of Hell; (ii) the punishment of the grave; (iii) the trials and temptations of life and death; and (iv) the calamity of Dajjal.” – Muslim
(3) It is related on the authority of Abdullah bin Abbas that “the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to teach this prayer to the Companions in the same way as he taught a Chapter of the Qur’an: Allahumma in-ni a-‘oodhu-bika min ‘adhab-i-jahannuma, wa a- ‘oodhu-bika min ‘adhab-il-qabr-i, wa a-‘oodhu-bika min fitna-til maseeh-ud-dajjal, wa a-‘oodhu-bika min fitna-til mahyaa wal mamaat (O God! I seek refuge in You from the punishment of Hell, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the calamity of Dajjal, and I seek refuge in You from the trials and temptations of life and death).” – Muslim
(4) It is related by Abu Bakr that “I said to the Prophet, peace be upon him: ‘O Apostle of God! Tell me a prayer which I may make in my Salah. Upon it, he replied: ‘Say: Allahumma in-ni Zalamtu nafsi zulman katheeran, wa laa yaghfiruz-zunooba illaa anta, faghfir-lee maghfiratam min indika warhamni in-nika antal ghafoorur-rahim (O God: I have done my soul a great harm and no one can forgive sins except You; so grant me forgiveness with Your pleasure, and have pity on me. You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful).’ – Bukhari and Muslim
(5) Abu Umamah narrated that (once) it was enquired from the Prophet of God, peace be upon him: ‘Sir, which prayer is heard most (i.e., a prayer made at what time has the greatest likelihood of being granted),’ ‘During the latter part of the night and at the end of an obligatory Salah,’ replied the Prophet.” – Tirmidhi
(6) Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas related to us that he used to teach the prayer-words of ‘refuge’ to his children and tell them that he had heard the Apostle of God, peace be upon him, seeking the refuge of the Lord after Salah in these words: ‘Allahumma in-ni a’oodhubika minal jubni, wa a’oodhubika min adhaabil-‘omri’ wa a’oodhubika min fitnatid-duniya wa ‘adhaabil qabr’ (O God! I seek refuge in You from stinginess, and I seek refuge in You from worthless age [when the organs and senses lose their function through old age and a man becomes unwanted and a burden on others], and I seek refuge in You from the ills and evils of life and the punishment of death). – Bukhari
(7) It is related by Abu Hurayrah that the Apostle of God said: “Whoever, after every Salah, recites Subhan Allah (Glory to God) 33 times, and, in the same way, Al-hamdu lillah (Praise be to God) 33 times, and Allah-u-Akbar (God is Great) 33 times, these make 99 prayer-words, and, then, in order to complete the figure of 100, says La ilaaha illallahu wahaduhu laa sharika-lahu, lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shai’in qadeer (No one is worthy of worship save God. He is One and without a partner. Unto Him belongs Sovereignty and unto Him belongs all praise. In His Hand is all good and He has power over all things) once, all (minor) sins will be forgiven even if they be as profuse as the foam of the sea.” – Muslim
(8) It is related by ‘A’ishah that the Apostle of God, peace be upon him, did not sit long after finishing the Salah, but for so long as to say: Allahumma antas-salaam wa minkassalaam, tabarakta yaa dhal-jalaal-i-wal ikraam (O God! You are Peace, and from You is peace and safety. Blessed are You, the Glorious One, the Most Exalted). – Muslim
Commentary
Apparently, the above Traditions tells that, after finishing the Salah, the Prophet sat only for such a little time as it took to recite Allahumma antas-salaam…, and then he stood up. But we can also see from the Traditions quoted earlier that he, also, recited other prayer-words.
The recitation of these prayer-words after finishing Salah, is confirmed by the teachings as well as the practice of the Prophet, peace be upon him. And one is free to say as many prayer-words as shown, according to his convenience. And it can also be taken note of that one is free to go his way once the Imam (one who leads the Prayer) finishes it.
