Durood Sharif is an invocation we make to Allah to bestow His choicest favours and blessings on the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). It is a kind of prayer. The truth is that, after Allah, the greatest obligation on us is that of the sacred Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon whom). He underwent tremendous hardship and endured the bitterest of persecutions in order to convey the divine guidance to us had he not borne these trials and sufferings the light of faith would never have reached us. We would be dwelling in the gloom of apostasy and making our home in hell after death.

Since faith is the greatest blessing on the earth and we have attained it solely through the merciful agency of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), our greatest benefactor, next to Allah, is Prophet Mohammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). There is nothing we can do to pay back the enormous debt of gratitude we owe him. We can only pray for him to Allah as a token of our loyalty and gratefulness.

But what prayer can we make that may be worthy of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)? Naturally, none besides that Allah may magnify him and bless him with His choicest favours. This is just what Durood is.

The Quran clearly enjoins on us to offer the Durood, and in what a wonderful manner does it do so:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا ()

Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam): O Ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him and salute him with all respect. (33:56)

In this verse we are first told that Allah Himself honours the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and holds him in strongest affection and that His Angels also do the same-they pay reverence to him and beseech Allah to bless him with His most marvelous favours. The verse then goes on to command us also, i.e., the believers to send blessings on him and salute him with all respect. Thus, before the command is given care is taken to explain to us that the thing we are being required to do is something which is particularly pleasing to Allah and which the angels also fondly do. After knowing it, what Muslim is there worth his name who will not make it a religious duty to offer the Durood?

Below we give a few Traditions of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) extolling the virtue and merit of Durood Sharif.

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is reported to have said: "He who will send blessings on me once Allah will confer ten favours on him." (In another Tradition it has also been said that, "Allah will forgive his ten sins and raise him higher in rank by ten degrees)".

"There are many angels of Allah whose special duty is that they keep on moving in the world and whichever follower of mine sends blessings on me they carry it to me at-once."

Gracious is the Lord! Our Durood is communicated to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) by the angels and through it we get a chance of being mentioned in his presence. What greater honour could there by for us, really.

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) says: "Closest to me on the Day of Requital will be he who sends blessings on me oftener." "That man is a big miser in whose presence my name is taken and he does not offer the Durood." "May he be disgraced in whose presence my name is taken and he fails to offer the Durood." In sum, to send blessings on the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is a foremost duty we owe to him a source of stupendous virtue and blessedness and the fountainhead of prodigious blessings in this world and the next.

Words of Durood

Once the companions asked the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), "How are we to offer Durood and salutation." The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) advised them about Durood-I-Ibrahimi which is recited in the Salaah. We have already reproduced it in Lesson II.

Very much similar to Durood-I-Ibrahimi, but a little shorter, is another Durood, which was also taught by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). It reads:

اللهم صل على محمد ن النبي الأمي و أزواجه أمهات المؤمنين و ذريته و أهل بيته كما صليت على إبراهيم إنك حميد مجيد

"O Allah! Magnify Prophet Mohammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the Unlettered, his wives, the mothers of the faithful, his posterity (followers), and his family as Thou hast magnified the family of Ibrahim. Verily, Thou art the Praiseworthy, the Majestic.

Whenever we take the name of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) or talk about him or hear about him from anyone we should at once send blessings on him. On such occasions it is enough to say only or .

Daily Routine

Some determined persons with a natural flair and fondness for Durood-I- Sharif make it a regular habit to recite it thousands of times daily. But if weak-willed men like ourselves can manage to recite it a hundred times morning and evening with proper devotion and reverence they will profit so much by it and there will be such exquisite favours of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) on him that it is not possible even to imagine them in this world.

The following Durood Sharif is suggested to those who may be wanting to know a brief one:

اللهم صل على محمد ن النبي الأمي و آله

O Allah! Magnify Mohammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the Unlettered Prophet (Peace be upon him), and his family.