Islamic Articles

The Prophet Listens to Greetings

Different traditions reveal that the Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) himself directly listens to those who invoke blessings on him irrespective of their nearness and remoteness. As Abû Dardâ' narrated Allah's Messenger (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) saying:

"Invoke blessings on me abundantly on Friday. Verily it is an attended day and the angels attend. Whoever invokes blessings on me, his voice reaches me regardless of the distance." We asked, "Even after your demise?" The Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) replied, "(Yes), even after my demise because Allah made unlawful for the earth to eat up the bodies of the Prophets."[1]

(Yûsuf bin Ismâ'îl Nabhânî [1265-1350/1849-1932], Hujjatullâhi `alal-`âlamîn (Faisalabad, Pakistan: al-Maktaba an-Nûriyya ar-Ridwiyya, n.d.), p. 713)

This Hadith reveals the vastness of the Prophet's sense of hearing. At another occasion, the Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) was asked about those who invoke blessings on him from far and wide. The Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) replied:

"I listen to the blessings of my lovers and know them."

(Muhammad Mahdi [bin Ahmad Fâsî, 1033-1109/1624-1698], Matâli`ul-masarrât bi jalâ'i dalâ'ilil-khayrât (Faisalabad, Pakistan: al-Maktaba an-Nûriyya ar-Ridwiyya, n.d.), p. 81)

It is revealed that the Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) knows his lovers and listens to them. Once he said to his companions about Hadrat `Îsâ (`alayhis-salâm) that he will return to this world. Then Hadrat `Îsâ (`alayhis-salâm) will visit Madina and the Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) said:

"And when he (`Îsâ) will stand beside my grave calling: 'O Muhammad!' I will respond to him."

([Ahmad ibn `Alî] Ibn Hajar `Asqalânî [773-852/1372-1449], al-Matâlibul-`âliyya (4 vols. Makkah, Saudi Arabia), 4:23 # 3853)

Taken from:

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri, Greetings and salutations of the Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) (Lahore, Pakistan: Minhaj-ul-Qur'an Press, 2000), pp. 60-61

Additional notes from the book "Hadiya Darûd sharîf":

[1] Arabic transliteration of the Hadîth:

"qâlaT-Tabarânî Haddathanâ yaHyâ bin ayyûbal-`allâfi Haddathanâ sa`îd bin abî maryama[2] `anna khâlid bin zaydin `an sa`îdibni abî hilâli `an abîd-dardâ'i qâla qâla rasûlullâhi Sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallama akthiruS-Salâta `alayya yawmal-jum`ati fa'innahû yawmun mash-hûdun tash-haduhul-malâ'ikatu laysa min `abdin yuSallî `alayya illâ balaghanî Sawtuhû Haythu kâna qulnâ wa ba`da wa fâtika qâla wa ba`du wafâti innallâha Harrama `alal-arDî an ta'kula ajsâdal-anbiyâ'i"

Also: Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, Jalâ'ul-afhâm, p. 63. It states in the margin of this: "Mentioned by al-Hâfiz al-Mundhirî in his at-Targhîb, in which he states: 'Narrated by Ibn Mâjâ with a strong chain of transmission (dhakarahul-HâfiZ al-mundhirî fit-targhîb wa qâla rawâhu ibnu mâjata bi isnâdin jayyidin).'"

[2] This is Sa`îd bin Abî Maryam who died in 224H.

The tashah-hud prayer recited in the five daily prayers (namâz/salât):

"at-taHiyyâtu lillâhi waS-Salawâtu waT-Tayyibâtu as-salâmu `alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa raHmatullâhi wa barakâtuh as-salâmu `alaynâ wa `alâ `ibâdil-lâhiS-SâliHîn…"

"All oral, physical and monetary worship is for Allah. Peace be upon you O Prophet and Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and on the `ibâdillâhiS-SaliHîn (righteous servants of Allah)…"

Some mistakenly say that the salâm's recited upon the Holy Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) in "tashah-hud" are not received by him. They say this because they believe that the tashah-hud is merely recalling the discourse which took place between the Holy Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) and Allah (subhânahu wa ta`âlâ) during the night ascension or Mi`râj. Please read up on this if you are not familiar with the events that took place during the Mi`râj. It is true that the tashah-hud does remind us of that. However, it is wrong to say that the recitation is just the remembrance this event and not actually giving salâm's to the Holy Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) with him receiving them. The Holy Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) himself answers this confusion in the following words:

"fa'innahû idhâ qâla dhâlika a-Sâba kulla `abdin Sâlihin fis-samâ'i wal-arDî"

"When they say, salâm be upon the `ibâdillâhiS-Sâlihîn (righteous servants of Allah), this reaches every sâlih (righteous) servant who is in the heavens and on the earth."

(Khatîb Tabrîzî, Mishkât, p. 85)

So, if the salâm's reach EVERY righteous servant of Allah, not just those on the earth but also those in the heavens, then why can't our Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) be receiving the salâms? It is for this reason that the traditional scholars of Islam, have actually recommended us to recite: "as-salâmu `alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa raHmatullâhi wa barakâtuh" as though the Holy Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) is present.

Imam Ghazâlî [d. 504H] states:

"At first, bring the holy figure of Rasûlullâh (`alayhis-salâm) present [HâDir] in your heart. Then recite As-salâmu `alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu and believe that he will hear you and answer you."

(Mulla `Alî Qârî, Mirqât sharh Mishkât, v. 2, p. 332)

Additional notes taken from: Mufti Ghulam Rasûl, Hadiya Darûd Sharîf, pp. 110-111

I would like to add:
It is most certainly not what Ismâ`îl Dehlwî [d. 1830AD/1246AH] wrote on page 118 of his book, Sirât-e-Mustaqîm (Pakistan, Lahore: "Nasharyât-e-Islâm", Urdu Bazar). He suggested in there that thinking of a cow in your prayers does not break the prayers, but thinking of the Holy Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) , in his view does - a`ûdhubillâhi min dhâlik.

Let us spend less of our time arguing and more of it devoted to sending salât and salâm on the Prophet (sallallâhu `alayhi wa sallam) , whether in a gathering or alone, whether standing or sitting, whether aloud or quietly to yourself.

aS-Salâtu was-salâmu `alayka yâ rasûlallâh wa `alâ âlika wa aS-Hâbika yâ sayyidî yâ Habîballâh!

(`abd Da`îf: Rafiq Ahmad)