Allah's salah upon His Prophet is His praise of him before the angels, while the angels' salah is their supplication for him, as explained by Abu al-Aliyah, may Allah have mercy on him, in the interpretation mentioned by al-Bukhari. Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that a person's salah upon the Prophet is supplication for him, asking Allah to praise him and elevate his standing.

اللهم صل على محمد

When you say, "O Allah, send salah upon Muhammad," you are supplicating to Allah, not calling upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to fulfill your need. Sending peace upon him is a supplication for his safety and well-being.

Salah in this context is not the ritual prayer with bowing and prostration; that is worship for Allah alone. What is meant here is prescribed remembrance and supplication.

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"Whoever sends salah upon me once, Allah sends salah upon him ten times."

Reported by Muslim (408).

Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"Whoever sends salah upon me once, Allah sends salah upon him ten times, ten sins are removed from him, and he is raised ten degrees."

Reported by al-Nasai (1297); it is an authentic hadith.

Its virtues therefore also include the removal of sins and elevation in rank. Hoping for this reward does not replace repentance from sins or fulfilling people's rights.

Abdullah ibn Masud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"The people closest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who send the most salah upon me."

Reported by al-Tirmidhi (484), who described it as a sound, gharib hadith.

Doing so frequently is a sign of honor and love. However, sincere love also produces obedience to his commands and avoidance of his prohibitions; sending salah upon him is not a substitute for following him.

Among the most authentic and complete formulas is the Ibrahimiyyah supplication. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, how to send salah upon him, and he taught them to say:

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

"O Allah, send salah upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent salah upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious."

Reported by al-Bukhari (6357) and Muslim (406); the wording is al-Bukhari's.

Another established formula he taught is:

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَأَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

"O Allah, send salah upon Muhammad, his wives, and his descendants, as You sent salah upon the family of Ibrahim. Bless Muhammad, his wives, and his descendants, as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious."

Reported by al-Bukhari (6360), in the hadith of Abu Humayd al-Saidi, may Allah be pleased with him.

Other authentic formulas mention both Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim together. These are variations in established wording, and you may use any of them. During the ritual prayer, a Muslim adheres to the transmitted formulas.

صلى الله عليه وسلم، اللهم صل وسلم على نبينا محمد

When mentioning him outside the ritual prayer, it is valid to say, "May Allah send peace and blessings upon him," or, "O Allah, send salah and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad." Honoring him includes writing the words of salah and peace upon him in full instead of using abbreviated symbols such as "sad" or "sal'am."

Sending salah and peace upon him is prescribed at all times. Among the occasions on which it is particularly emphasized are the following:

When His Name Is Mentioned, Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him

The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"May the man before whom I am mentioned, yet who does not send salah upon me, be humbled."

This is part of a hadith reported by al-Tirmidhi (3545), who described it as a sound, gharib hadith.

The hadith contains a warning against failing to send salah upon him when he is mentioned. A number of scholars, including Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, cited it as evidence that doing so is obligatory on that occasion. Jurists discuss further details concerning repetition within a gathering; send it frequently without becoming obsessive about counting.

A Muslim sends salah upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, after the final tashahhud and before the salam, and should not be careless about it. A number of scholars, including Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, held it to be obligatory here, although jurists differ on the detailed ruling.

After responding to the caller to prayer with the established phrases, a Muslim sends salah upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then asks Allah to grant him al-Wasilah. This sequence appears in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both, reported by Muslim (384).

You can find the phrases for responding to the caller to prayer and the supplication for al-Wasilah in What to Say When Hearing the Adhan and After It.

Encouragement to send it frequently on Friday appears in the hadith of Aws ibn Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, which includes the Prophet's words, peace and blessings be upon him:

"So send salah upon me frequently on that day, for your salah is presented to me."

This is part of a hadith reported by Abu Dawud (1047), graded authentic by al-Albani.

The Companions asked how salah would be presented to him after his death, and he said:

"Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets."

This encourages sending salah upon him frequently on Friday without restricting it to an unestablished number.

A Muslim should not neglect the remembrance of Allah and sending salah upon His Prophet during gatherings. The hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, warns against a gathering devoid of both, describing it as a cause of regret and remorse for those who attended. It was reported by al-Tirmidhi (3380), who graded it sound and authentic. The hadith does not specify a number or a particular collective format for the gathering.

The etiquette of supplication includes beginning with praise and glorification of Allah, then sending salah upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and then asking Allah for one's need.

In the hadith of Fadalah ibn Ubayd, may Allah be pleased with him, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"When one of you prays, let him begin by praising his Lord, Glorious and Mighty, and extolling Him, then send salah upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and then supplicate for whatever he wishes."

Reported by Abu Dawud (1481), graded authentic by al-Albani.

The hadith concerned a man who supplicated during his ritual prayer. Scholars also mention this etiquette for supplication outside the ritual prayer. It should not be understood to mean that a person begins every ritual prayer with a supplication of their own choosing before the prescribed remembrances.

Ubayy ibn Kab, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, how much of his supplication he should devote to sending salah upon him. After asking about a quarter, a half, and two-thirds, he said:

"I will devote all my supplication to sending salah upon you."

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, replied:

"Then your worries will be taken care of, and your sin will be forgiven."

Reported by al-Tirmidhi (2457), who graded it sound. Hadith scholars differed over its authenticity: a number graded it sound or strengthened it, while others considered it weak.

According to the view that it is established, salah here means supplication, not the obligatory or voluntary ritual prayers with bowing and prostration. One explanation is that Ubayy, may Allah be pleased with him, had a particular time of supplication for himself and asked about devoting that time to sending salah upon the Prophet. Sheikh Ibn Baz, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned this interpretation.

The hadith therefore does not mean that you should stop asking Allah for your needs or abandon the established supplications during prayer or in the morning and evening. Send salah upon the Prophet frequently, and supplicate for yourself, your family, and Muslims. Repentance from major sins and fulfilling people's rights remain obligatory, and the hadith does not establish that a number you choose guarantees a particular worldly outcome.