Shaikh Abdul-Azīz ibn Bāz (may Allāh have mercy on him) said [1]:
All praise is for Allāh, and may Allāh extol and send blessings of peace upon the one after whom there is no Prophet, and upon his true followers, and his Companions. To proceed:
Then Allāh sent His Messenger Muḥammad (ﷺ) to all of those of mankind and jinn, as a bringer of good tidings and as a warner; and as a caller to Allāh, by His permission; and as a shining light. He sent him with guidance, and mercy and with the true Religion. So happiness and well-being is this world and the Hereafter is for those who truly believe in him, love him, and follow his (ﷺ) way. Since he carried out his Messengership, fulfilled his trust, and sincerely advised the Ummah, and truly strove and fought for Allāh as was due. So may Allāh reward him for that with the best, finest and most complete reward.
Then obeying him and carrying out his orders, and avoiding what he forbade is one of the most important obligations in Islām, and that is what was intended from his being sent as a Messenger.
Furthermore, testifying to his Messengership necessitates that a person loves him, follows him, and sends ‘Ṣalāt’ upon him at every suitable time and whenever he is mentioned, since that is fulfilment of a part of his (ﷺ) right, and involves giving thanks to Allāh for His having favoured him by sending him (ﷺ) as a Messenger.
Then in sending ‘Ṣalāt’ upon him (ﷺ) there are many benefits. From them are: — Compliance with the command of Allāh (the Perfect and Most High), and conformity with Him in sending ‘Ṣalāt’ upon him (Peace and blessings be upon him), and conformity with the Angels in that also. Allāh (the Most High) said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
[meaning:] “Allāh sends ‘Ṣalāt’ (i.e. extols) upon the Prophet (ﷺ) and also His Angels (supplicate for blessings and forgiveness for him). O you who believe ask Allāh to extol and send blessings of peace upon him.” — Sūrah Aḥzāb (33): 56
Also from them is: that the reward of one who supplicates for blessings for him will be multiplied, and it to be hoped that supplication he makes will be answered, and that he will gain blessings, and that he will continually have love for him (ﷺ), and that this will be increased and multiplied, and that it will be a cause of guidance for the servant, and of life for his heart. So the more that the person sends blessings upon him and mentions him, then the more his heart will be overcome with love for him, until it reaches the point that there remains no opposition in his heart to anything that he commanded, nor any doubt with regard to anything he informed of.
Furthermore he (ﷺ) encouraged the sending of blessings upon him in a number of aḥādīth that are established from him.
From these are what Muslim reports in his ‘Ṣaḥīḥ’ from Abū Hurayrah (may Allāh be pleased with him) that Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا
“Whoever sends blessings (Ṣalāt) upon me one, then Allāh sends blessings upon him ten times.”
And from him (may Allāh be pleased with him) that Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
لاَ تَجْعَلُوا بُيُوتَكُمْ قُبُورًا وَلاَ تَجْعَلُوا قَبْرِي عِيدًا وَصَلُّوا عَلَىَّ فَإِنَّ صَلاَتَكُمْ تَبْلُغُنِي حَيْثُ كُنْتُمْ
“Do not make your houses as graves, and do not make my grave a place for continual visits, but rather send blessings upon me, because your sending of blessings will reach me whenever you are.”[2]
And he (ﷺ) said:
رَغِمَ أَنْفُ رَجُلٍ ذُكِرْتُ عِنْدَهُ فَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَيَّ
“May the nose of one who does not send blessings upon me when I am mentioned in his presence be pushed in the dirt.”[3]
Furthermore along with the fact that sending blessings upon the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) is prescribed in the tashahhud within the Prayer, and prescribed within speeches, supplications, and when seeking forgiveness, and after the adhān, and when entering and leaving the mosque, and when mentioning him, and at other times, then it is emphasised when one writes his name on a book, or some work, or in a letter, or a saying or so on due to the preceding proofs. Then what is prescribed is to write it out completely in order to carry what Allāh (the Most High) commanded us with; and in order that the reader should be reminded when he comes across it; and it is not proper that when writing a person suffices for sending blessings upon Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) with putting (Ṣ) or (ṢL’M) and similar abbreviations which some writers and authors use because this runs contrary to the command of Allāh (the Perfect and Most High) in His Mighty Book where He said:
صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
[meaning:] “Ask Allāh to extol and send blessings of peace upon him.” — Sūrah Aḥzāb (33): 56
So what is required is not attained by doing that, and the excellence and virtue found in writing (ﷺ) is lost completely. Also the reader may not notice it, or may not understand what is intended by it, whilst we know that writing an abridgement for it was hated by some of the people of knowledge, and they warned against it.
So Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāh said in his book ‘Ulūmul-Ḥadīth’, which is known are ‘Muqaddimah Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāh, under the twenty-fifth subject in his book, concerning writing down aḥādīth and how books are to be carefully written, he said:
“Ninthly: That writing ‘Ṣalāt’ and ‘Salām’ be adhered to upon the Messenger (ﷺ) when he is mentioned, and a person should not feel averse to repeatedly writing that when it repeatedly arises, for indeed this is one of the greatest benefits which the students of ḥadīth and its scribes earn immediately. But as for those who neglect that, then they have been deprived of a very great share of good. Also we have seen a number of good dreams for those who do that; and whatever of that is written, then it is a supplication which he is establishing, not just some words he is reporting, therefore it is not restricted and limited to the narration, and he should not restrict himself to what occurs in the source material.Likewise with regard to praising Allāh (the Perfect) when mentioning Him name, with the like of ‘the Mighty and Majestic’ (Azza wa-Jalla), and ‘the Exalted and Most High’ (Tabāka wa-Taālā), and the like of this” … until he said: “Then when establishing it he should avoid two deficient renderings: Firstly: Writing it in abridged form, by putting two letters or the like; and secondly: Writing it with abridged meaning, such that he does not write (وَسَلَّمَ). So it is related from Ḥamzah al-Kinānī (may Allāh have mercy on him) that he used to say: “I used to write down the aḥādīth, and when mentioning the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) I had not used to write (وَسَلَّمَ). But then I saw the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and he asked me why I had not used to complete the blessings upon him. So after that I would never write (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيه) without writing (وَسَلَّمَ)…”
Until Ibn aṣ-Ṣalāh said: “And it is also hated to suffice with saying (Alaihisallām), and Allāh knows best.”
Also al-Allāmah as-Sakhāwī (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in his book ‘Fatḥul-Mughīth Sharh Alfiyyatil-Ḥadīth lil-Irāqī’: “And avoid, O writer, (abridging it): meaning ‘Ṣalāt’ and ‘Salām’ upon Allāh’s Messenger (ﷺ) when you write, such that you suffice with writing two letters of it, or the like, such that is it deficient in appearance, as was done by al-Kaltānī and the ignorant ones from the sons of the non-Arabs mostly and by the common students, who instead of writing (ﷺ) write (ص) or (ص م) or (صلعم), for this will incur reduction in reward, due to the deficiency in what is written, and is therefore contrary to what has more right.”
And as-Suyūṭī (may Allāh have mercy on him) said in his book ‘Tadrībur-Rāwī fī Sharh Taqrīb an-Nawāwī’: “And it is disliked to abridge the ‘Ṣalāt’ and ‘Salām’ here, and at every place where it is prescribed to send blessings, as occurs in the explanation of Muslim and elsewhere, due to the Saying of Allāh (the Most High): ‘Ask Allāh to extol and send blessings of peace upon him.’ …” Until he said: “And it is disliked to indicate is when writing by using a letter or two, like those who write (صلعم). Rather it should be written out completely.”
—This is the end of what we desired to quote from what he said, in an abridged form – (may Allāh have mercy on him).
This, and my advice to every Muslim, every reader and writer, is that he should seek to do what is best, and should seek after that which contains more good and reward, and should keep away from whatever will annul or reduce that.
We ask Allāh (the Perfect and Most High) to guide and grant us all attainment of that which is pleasing to Him. Indeed He is the Bounteous and Generous.
And may Allāh extol and send blessings of peace upon our Prophet Muḥammad, and upon his true followers, and his Companions.
Additionally
Shaikh Bakr Abū Zayd says in his book ‘Muʿjamul-Manāhiyy al-Lafdhiyyah’ (pp. 350-351): “(صلعم): There occurs in ‘at-Tadhkiratut-Taymūriyyah’: “The word (صلعم) is not allowed, rather it is obligatory to send ‘Ṣalāt’ and ‘Salām’: ‘al-Fatāwal-Ḥadīthiyyah of Ibn Ḥajr al-Haytamī (1/548): the manuscript, and p.168 of the printed work. So this shows that this abridgement, or this detestable notation existed in the time of Ibn Ḥajr” — End.
And Ibn Ḥajr died in the year 948H.
Furthermore prohibition of this was indicated prior to him by al-Fayrūzabādī in his book ‘aṣ-Ṣalāt wal-Bushr’, where he said: “And it is not right to indicate sending ‘Ṣalāt’ in the manner that some of the lazy and ignorant people and common students do, writing the form (صلعم) instead of (Peace and blessings be upon him)…”
And Shaikh Aḥmad Shākir (may Allāh have mercy on him) described it as: “An absurd/despicable terminology.” (Iṣṭilāḥ Sakhīf)
References:
- ‘At-Tadhkiratut-Taymūriyyah’, p. 229,
- ‘Al-Fatāwal-Ḥadīthiyyah’ of Ibn Ḥajr al-Haytamī, p. 168,
- ‘Fatāwā Ibn Bāz’: 1/-.
- ‘Aṣ-Ṣalāt wal-Bushr’, p. 114,
- ‘Al-Musnad’ checking of Aḥmad Shākir, 7/5088, and from him the book ‘Baṣāʾir’ (p. 86).
[1] Taken from ‘Majallatul-Buḥūth al-Islāmiyyah’, no. 12, pp. 7-9 & ‘Majmū Fatāwā wa Maqālāt Mutanawwi’ah’ (2/396-399).
[2] Ṣaḥīḥ: Reported by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd.
[3] Ḥasan: Reported by at-Tirmidhī.
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