Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
1- Sending peace and blessings upon Prophet Muhammad is one of the best meritorious acts of worship that helps one draw closer to Allah and gain abundant rewards.
2- As for the time and place of saying salawat, we are ordered to do so definitely in our Prayers after tashahhud; we may also do so regularly before offering any supplication; likewise, after prayers; before retiring to bed or on any other occasion as we choose.
In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Saying salawat (known as darud sharif in Urdu) or benedictions on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is indeed a most meritorious act in Islam.
How can it be otherwise, when we believe that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was the gift of mercy to humanity from Allah, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful.
Allah addresses him saying, “O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness (to the truth) and a giver of good news, a warner, and caller to Allah with His leave, and as a shining lamp.” (Al-Ahzab 33:45-46)
He also addressed him saying, “We have indeed sent you as a (pure) mercy for the entire worlds.” (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:107) “You are indeed a man of lofty morals.” (Al-Qalam 68:4)
And Allah has ordered the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to say to the believers, “If you really love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you, and forgive your sins for you; verily Allah is Most-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.” (Aal `Imran 3:31)
Furthermore, Allah has ordered the faithful to say salawaat (darud) or send benedictions on the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Verily Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe, you too should send blessings on him and salute him with peace.” (Al-Ahzab 33:56)
Furthermore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “If a person were to say benediction on me once, Allah will bless him 10 times.”
As for the time and place of saying salawat, we are ordered to do so definitely in our Prayers after tashahhud; we may also do so regularly before offering any supplication; likewise, after prayers; before retiring to bed or on any other occasion as we choose. Saying salawat on the Prophet (peace be upon him) as often as we can is a sure sign of our faith and deep love for the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Finally, we must never forget to say salawat on the Prophet (peace be upon him) each and every time we say or hear his name, or read the same.
Let us pray to Allah to fill our hearts with true love of Allah and His Messenger and as well as those who walk in the footsteps of the beloved of Allah and His Final Messenger.
Let us pray that Allah showers him, his family, and his Companions with infinite blessings and peace; may Allah give us all the honor of being resurrected and gathered under the Prophet’s banner on the Day of Final Reckoning, and may Allah bless us all with the Prophet’s intercession to be finally saved from Hell, amen.
Almighty Allah knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.