Some of the many virtues of ṣalawāt mentioned in the Qur’ān and Sunnah are:
1. Follow the Command of Allah
Allah (subḥānahū wa ta‘ālā) says,
“Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings (ṣalāh) to the Prophet. O you who believe, invoke ṣalāh upon him, and send your salām (prayer for his being in peace) to him in abundance” (33:56).
If a person was to send ṣalawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ equivalent to his every breath, he will still not have fulfilled his right. – Ibn al-Qayyim (raḥimahullāh)
2. Reap Immense Rewards
Abū Ṭalḥah al-Anṣārī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrates, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ awoke one morning in high spirits with happiness gleaming from his face. (The Companions) asked, “O Messenger of Allah, you have awoken today in high spirits with happiness gleaming from your face. He ﷺ replied, “Yes! A messenger came from my Lord and said, ‘Whoever from your Ummah sends ṣalāh upon you once, Allah will record ten good deeds for him, erase ten sins from him, raise him ten degrees in status, and respond to him likewise (i.e. send ṣalāh upon him)’” (Aḥmad).
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever sends salāh upon me once, Allah will send ṣalāh upon him tenfold, erase ten sins from him, and will raise him ten degrees in status.” (Nasā’ī)
3. A Solution to Your Problems
Ubayy (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) asked the Prophet ﷺ, “O Messenger of Allah, I invoke ṣalāh upon you often. How much of my supplications should be dedicated for you?” He ﷺ replied, “As much as you wish.” Ubayy asked, “A fourth?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “As you wish, but the more, the better.” Ubayy asked, “A half ?” The Prophet replied, “As you wish, but the more, the better.” Ubayy asked, “Two-thirds?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “As you wish, but the more, the better.” Ubayy asked, “Should I dedicate all of my supplications for you?” The Prophet ﷺ replied, “In that case, your needs will be sufficed and your sins will be forgiven” (Tirmidhī).
“Know that no Muslim servant sends abundant ṣalawāt on Muḥammad ﷺ, except that Allah illuminates his heart, forgives his sins, puts his heart at ease, and makes his matters easy. Send abundant ṣalawāt, so that Allah will make you from the followers of his path, make you act upon his sunnah; and make him ﷺ our companion in Paradise.” – Ibn al-Jawzī (rahimahullah)
4. The Angels Send Salah Upon the Servant
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “There is no Muslim who sends ṣalāh upon me, except that the angels send ṣalāh upon him as long as he continues sending ṣalāh upon me. So, let the servant decrease in this or increase” (Ibn Mājah).
5. Closeness to the Prophet ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The closest of people to me on the Day of Judgement will be those who send the most ṣalawāt upon me” (Tirmidhī).
6. Completes Your Duʿa
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ once heard a person making du‘ā’ during prayer. He did not glorify Allah nor invoke ṣalawāt upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “He was too hasty.” He ﷺ called him and said, “When one of you makes du‘ā’, he should start off with praising and glorifying his Lord, and should then invoke ṣalawāt on the Prophet. He should then make duʿā’ for whatever he wishes” (Abū Dāwūd).
‘Whoever wants to ask Allah for his needs, let him start by sending salawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ then ask for what he needs, and then end his du‘ā’ with salawāt (again) upon the Prophet ﷺ. For sending salawāt upon the Prophet ﷺ will be accepted, and Allah is too generous to refuse (the du‘ā’ made) between the two salawāt.’ (Abu Sulaymān al-Dārānī rahimahullah)
7. Repels the Description of Being a Miser
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned, but he does not send ṣalāh upon me” (Tirmidhī).
8. Protection From the Prophet’s Curse
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “May the man before whom I am mentioned – and he does not send ṣalāh upon me – be humiliated” (Tirmidhī).
9. Leads to the Path Towards Paradise
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever forgets to send ṣalāh upon me, has missed the path to Paradise” (Ibn Mājah).
10. An Honorary Mention of You & Your Father to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Send blessings upon me frequently, because Allah has assigned an angel for me by my grave. When a person from my Ummah sends blessings upon me, the angel says to me, ‘Muḥammad, indeed so-and-so, the son of so-and-so has just sent blessings upon you”’ (Daylamī).
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Allah has angels who travel around the earth conveying to me the salām of my Ummah” (Nasā’ī).
“Protect yourself from the punishment of the Fire, and lighten the burden of your sins, by sending abundant blessings upon the Chosen Prophet ﷺ.” – Ibn al-Jawzī (raḥimahullāh)
