The Virtues And Blessings of Reciting Durood Upon Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

All praise is due to Allah Ta’ala. May the choicest durood (salutations) and salaam (peace) descend upon the noblest of Ambiyaa and Rasuls, our master and leader Hadhrat Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and upon his blessed household and all his illustrious companions.

It is the belief of every believer that those who enjoy the highest rank after Allah Ta’ala are the Ambiyaa (may Allah Ta’ala’s choicest blessings rain upon them), and from among the galaxy of Ambiyaa, the highest in rank and status is Hadhrat Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Not only was Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) sent to this ummah as the final messenger of Allah Ta’ala and the seal of prophethood, but he was also the leader of all the Ambiyaa and Rasuls of the past. The nubuwwat of every Rasul and Nabi of the past was subject to accepting Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as his leader and pledging to support his cause if Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) appeared in his era.

The love that Allah Ta’ala expressed for Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), which can be easily gauged from the style of address in the Holy Qur’an , is unique and exclusive to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). The honor conferred to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) by Allah Ta’ala on the occasion of Me’raj was an honour not enjoyed by any other Messenger of the past. Furthermore, when Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) will be ushered into the court of Allah Ta’ala on the day of Qiyaamah to the esteemed pedestal of maqaam mahmood to intercede for the entire humanity, his distinct position will be envied by all the Ambiyaa and Rasuls and their nations.

Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)’s blessings and virtues are so immense and incredible that it is impossible for anyone to enumerate. Suffice to say that he will be the leader of the entire creation of Allah Ta’ala on the day of Qiyamah .

Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (Radhiallahu Anhu) reports that a group of Sahaabah were once sitting (in Musjid Nabawi) when Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) emerged (from his home) and came towards them. As he drew closer, he heard them discussing amongst themselves. One of them said, “Indeed Allah Ta’ala chose Hadhrat Ebrahim (Alaihi Salaam) as his khaleel (special friend).” Another said, “Hadhrat Moosa (Alaihi Salaam) had the honor of conversing directly with Allah Ta’ala. A third said, “Hadhrat Isa (Alaihi Salaam) is the kalima and rooh of Allah Ta’ala (i.e. he was born with the command of Allah Ta’ala and the rooh was directly inserted into the womb without the medium of a father.) A fourth said, “Allah Ta’ala had divinely selected and chosen Hadhrat Aadam (Alaihi Salaam) (to be the father of mankind).

Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) then entered their gathering and addressed them saying, “I have overheard your discussion and (I have noticed) your surprise with regard to the esteemed status and lofty positions of the past Ambiyaa. Certainly, Hadhrat Ebrahim (Alaihi Salaam) is the khaleel of Allah Ta’ala, and there is no doubt in that. Hadhrat Moosa (Alaihi Salaam) had the honor of conversing directly with Allah Ta’ala- this is an established fact. Hadhrat Isa (Alaihi Salaam) is the kalima and rooh of Allah Ta’ala, and this is certainly true. And Hadhrat Aadam (Alaihi Salaam) has been divinely selected by Allah Ta’ala, and undoubtedly he was such. Behold, I am the habeeb (beloved) of Allah Ta’ala and I proclaim it without pride. I will be the bearer of the banner of praise on the day of Qiyaamah, behind which will be Hadhrat Aadam and all those who came after him. I proclaim this without any pride. I will be the first to intercede and the first whose intercession will be accepted on the day of Qiyaamah, and I proclaim this without pride. I will be the first to shake the chain of the door of Jannah. Thereafter Allah Ta’ala will command that the door be opened for me and I be made to enter, while with me will be the poor believers, and I proclaim this without pride. I am the noblest of all the former and latter to Allah Ta’ala, and I say this without pride.

Undoubtedly, Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is the greatest and pinnacle of Allah Ta’ala’s creation. It is the greatest honour for every ummati of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to be linked to Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the Imaam of all the Ambiyaa of Allah Ta’ala. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is the source of hidaayat (guidance) for humanity at large, for it was none other than Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) who was chosen to show us the path of guidance, through which we can earn eternal bliss and salvation. The ability of worshipping and recognizing Allah Ta’ala correctly, and simultaneously fulfilling the rights of fellow humans, also depend entirely upon emulating the teachings of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam).

Apart from this, when we study the mubaarak life of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), we realize the intense love that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) possessed, not only for his family and Sahaabah, but for every ummati till the day of Qiyaamah. The perpetual concern and overwhelming anxiety that Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had for every ummati is inconceivable and unimaginable. In short, his deep love, unwaning concern and unabating worry for every ummati propelled him to patiently bear the manifold atrocities and immense difficulties that had befallen him in the path of propagating Deen which even the most caring and loving mother would not undergo for her one and only child. The three years of boycott in the valley of Abu Taalib, his mubaarak shoes being filled with blood at Ta’if, the blood oozing from his mubaarak face at Uhud etc., is only a glimpse of what he sacrificed for the Ummah, to such an extent that Allah Ta’ala pitied him and addressed him in the Holy Quran:
Perhaps, [O Muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
Certainly a Messenger from amongst yourselves has come to you. It grieves him that you should face difficulty and hardship: ardently anxious is he over your hidaayat, to the Believers is he most compassionate and merciful.

Thus, when Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) is essentially the source of all good in this world, and the ticket to enter Paradise, one can well imagine that being his followers what rights he has over us and how much we are indebted to him.

Amongst the rights that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) possesses over us, is that we obey him in all that he has commanded, we lead a life in conformity to his mubaarak lifestyle, and we continuously recite durood and salaam upon him as we are instructed by Allah Ta’ala in the Holy Qur’an:
Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). O you who believe! Send durood and salaam upon him.

However, on account of our busy schedules and being so preoccupied with commitments and the mundane activities, we have drifted far away from Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and lost track of our main objectives and priorities in life. In view of the present situation, the need was felt to once again rekindle the love of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) within our hearts, thereby being able to understand the way to follow his mubaarak sunnah and reach Allah Ta’ala.

We make Duaa to Allah Ta’ala that he accept this humble effort and makes it a means of us being blessed with the intercession of Nabi (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) on the day of Qiyaamah, and being in his mubaarak company.