Salutations and Praise upon the Holy Prophet÷

By Murshid F. A. Ali ElSenossi

In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.

Oh Merciful and Loving Allah, I have prepared for all calamities and difficulties I encounter in this life and the next with La Ilaha il Allah (There is no god other than Allah). And for all troubles and sorrows, Masha' Allah (Whatever Allah wills); and for all blessings I receive Alhamdulillah (All praise is due to Allah). For every ease and restraint As-shukru lillah (All thanks is to Allah), and for every amazement and beauty Subhan Allah (All Glory is to Allah). For every negative action or wrongdoing I commit, Astaghfirullah (I ask forgiveness of Allah). And for every distress, Hasbi Allah (Allah is sufficient for me). And for every affliction and calamity Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raaji'oun (From Allah we come and to Allah we return). And to all the things that Allah has decreed and destined for me, Tawakaltu 'ala Allah (I place my trust on Allah). And to every obedience and disobedience La Hawla wa la quwwatta illa billah al 'Aly al 'Atheem (There is no power no strength except by Allah, the Most High, the Mighty). And we ask our Beloved Allah to send limitless salutations upon the Holy Prophet÷ as He has commanded us and in the way that it pleases Allah:

"Allah and His angels pray upon (shower blessings on) the Prophet. O you who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation." (Holy Qur'an 33:56)

We send salutations by him, from him, to him and when we speak of salutations, my dear brothers and sisters, it is important to understand things correctly right from the beginning. We must know that neither Allah nor our Holy Prophet÷ are in need of our salutations and praise, or for that matter, our prayers and good actions. If our spiritual physician gives us a prescription and we neglect to fulfil and to utilise the treatment that is recommended; the doctor will not be affected, but it is our own selves that will suffer if we do not follow instruction. Allah is Al Ghani, the Truly Rich, who has no need of anything from the creation, but the creation needs all of His help and He has given us the means to enrich ourselves spiritually and materially through Praise and Salutations upon The Holy Prophet÷.

Thousands of Hadiths relate the benefits and the removals of difficulties that can be achieved by reciting salutations upon the Holy Prophet÷. We will focus here on one particular one. It has been narrated that upon one occasion the Holy Prophet's face was so especially luminous and bright with joy that someone enquired of him the reason for this. He replied that the Archangel Gabriel had just informed him that for anyone who pronounces salutations upon him (Allahumma salli 'ala Sayyiduna Muhammad is one of many formulas of salutations), Allah will create not one, not 1,000 but 70,000 angels specifically for the purpose of making salutations upon that person.

This is indeed a great success and tremendous blessing from Allah; for anyone upon whom the Angels make salutations will never become a person of bad character, but will be a person of bliss. There is such great blessing in this that the Holy Prophet÷ recommended to one of his companions, Ubayyah bin Ka'ab that he make the whole body of his extra spiritual work consist of salutations.
Ubayyah said: "Messenger of Allah, I perform an abundance of salutations upon you. How many should I do? He÷ said: 'As much as you like' and I said 'A quarter?' He÷ said 'As much as you like and if you increase this, it would be good for you'. I said 'Half?' He÷ answered 'As much as you like and if you increase, indeed it would be good for you.' I said 'I will do two-thirds' and he÷ said 'As much as you like and if you increase, it will be good for you'. I said 'Then I will make all of my voluntary remembrance salutations upon you'. The Holy Prophet÷ said 'Then, this will suffice to fulfil all of your needs and will be the cause of forgiveness of your bad actions'. (Narrated by Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Sahih) This Hadith is only a drop in the ocean from what is available. There are millions of books devoted solely to the salutations upon the Holy Prophet÷ and its benefits.
The recitation of salutations is important firstly because it is recommended by Allah in the Holy Qur'an where He says "Allah sends salutations upon the Holy Prophet÷".

What does this mean, when we say that Allah sends salutations? Does it mean that Allah actually prays upon the Prophet? The word 'to pray upon' (yusalli) has three distinct and different meanings. The first is when it is said that Allah prays upon His Creations. In this context, the prayer of Allah is the descent of His Mercy upon us.

"He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to the Believers." (Holy Qur'an 33:43)

The salutation of the Angels upon humanity takes the form of help and their asking Allah to forgive our mistakes and shortcomings as we are making them. It also consists of delaying the effect of that wrongdoing so that we have a chance to correct it or ask forgiveness for it. The third type of salutation is the one that we make ourselves. The Saints of Allah also perform such spiritual work on behalf of mankind and the creations in general.

When we perform salutations, it is for our own benefit. It was with this in mind that the Holy Prophet÷ enquired of his companions "Do you know who the misers are?" When we hear the word miser, we automatically think in monetary terms, but to the Holy Prophet÷ "the miser is the one who does not make salutations upon me when my name is mentioned". Salutations upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad÷ are recommended by Allah Himself and this is why it is the key to the doors of Paradise and Bliss. An indication to this key is contained within the Shahadah or declaration of faith. Ashadu an La ilaha il Allah wa ashadu anna Muhammadan Rasul Allah. "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." He÷ is the outer door to enter the inner door of the Creator and Sustainer and the Most Merciful Allah. You cannot come to the inner door without accepting the outer door first (no climbing the walls or jumping through the windows is allowed). Everything has a manner and a way of approach.

"Truly pious is he who is conscious of Allah. So enter houses through their doors, and remain conscious of Allah, so that you might attain to a happy state." (Holy Qur'an 2:189)

Within this teaching we have a very beautiful prayer called the 'Salat ul Dhatil Muhammadiyya' or the Prayer of the Muhammadan Essence. It was brought to us by one of our great teachers, a saintly man by the name of Ibrahim ad Dasuqi (may Allah be pleased with him):

The Prayer of the Muhammadan Essence

In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful

Oh, my Lord! Send salutations upon the Muhammadan Essence which is both Subtle and Unique. Sun of the sky of secrets;

The made-visible of the Luminescences. The Majestic Centre around which all revolves.

The Beautiful Axis of the firmament. Oh Allah! By his secret with You. And by his journey to You.

Quieten my fears, decrease my faults, remove my afflictions and miserliness.

Exist for me and take me to You from me.

Grant me annihilation from my self.

Do not make me led astray by my base self, nor make me veiled by my senses, reveal to me all of the Hidden secrets,

Oh, the Perfectly Alive, the Ever Self Existing!

The meaning of this salutation is very beautiful. Our Shaykh ad Dasuqi begins with 'In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate'. Oh, my Lord and Master Allah, please bless the Muhammadan Essence. The Muhammadan Essence is none other than the Essence of Allah. It says in the Holy Qur'an concerning the creation of man "I blew into him of My spirit". This 'spirit' is the Essence of Allah, His spirit is contained within us. We have also explained this point further in Issue 9 of the Treasure Magazine. When the Holy Prophet÷ was asked what the first thing Allah created was, he replied "the light of your prophet".

This great saint says "Oh, my Lord, bless the Muhammad Essence which is both subtlety and unity, sun of the sky of secrets. The 'made visible' of the luminescences. The majestic centre around which all revolves". The Holy Prophet Muhammad÷ is the first and the last and final seal of Prophethood and Messagehood. We must pay close attention to this point. He completes the circle of all the traditions which have been sent before him. As the last, he opened what was sealed before him and completes all the cycles of revelation as well so that humanity doesn't need to look any further or wait any longer. The complete message is in our hands, here and now, the everlasting miracle, the Holy Qur'an.

The most important part of this particular prayer is where he says "Oh Allah, grant me annihilation of myself to Myself". Here he is asking Allah to transform him. It may sound like a contradiction of terms, from myself to Myself; but we all have two selves-the ego and the spirit. The ego or lower self must be annihilated (meaning transformed, not killed off) into the higher self, or spirit. This transformation to the higher self is achieved through the method of prayer, fasting, remembrance of Allah, cultivating good qualities of character with the balance of the foundational teachings of Islam. This particularly includes the personal practice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad÷, that which he implemented upon his own self.

"Grant me annihilation of myself to Myself. Do not make me led astray by my base self". He is asking Allah not to allow his animal self to become his guide. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an "Whoever finds, he will find his own self" and those who are misled, become lost inside their own selves.

"Those who receive guidance, do so for the good of their own souls; those who stray, do so to their own loss." (Holy Qur'an 10:108)

I'm sure we are all familiar with the feeling of wanting to 'go somewhere', a restlessness within us that keeps us on the move, like we are sitting on a colony of ants. It has also been named as 'having itchy feet'. All of these are symptoms of the same thing, the search for the true self.

There is a story of someone who complained about the miserable conditions they found regardless of where they went. They were told "the problem is this, wherever you go, you take yourself with you". Unfortunately it is not possible for us to leave the ego self at home under lock and key while we go about our daily activities or go for a holiday. The lower self is there for our comfort and protection and it does not like it when things are difficult. This is why the discipline of the nafs, or lower self is so important. The Holy Prophet Muhammad÷, said that to leave something that you desire, no matter how small, for the sake and love of Allah will be a great help in our transformation and increase us in spiritual awareness. Allah speaks of people whose actions are such that even their enemies are treated with the same respect as their closest friends. The people who belong to this category are among the highest that Allah has created in this realm. The ones who have this quality are those who have been given the highest divine luck.

The final portion of the prayer continues with the supplication "nor make me veiled by my senses". The senses are known as the spies of the mind, bringing us information, however, they can give us wrong information and twist the way we see things. The purification of the senses is an important part of the transformation of the self. When this is completed, the heart gets true and clear knowledge from the streams of the senses, rather than the polluted information from before. One of the reasons that our spiritual practice is more effective in the early hours of the morning is that the senses have been shut down for a period of time and their activities are weakened. This is also the most difficult time to get up and the reason why the morning prayer is the one which pleases Allah so much. He is so proud of such actions that He says to the Angels- look at My slave, he gets up from his comfortable, warm bed, for what? For love of Me, not for anybody else. In the early hours of the morning, when we know it's prayer time, as hard as it is, we do get up - purely for the sake of Allah. You will find that during even a short sleep after the prayer, your dreams will be crystal clear because the senses are still not completely operative. This is the time for the activity of the spirit, when the spirit rises to a higher realm.

The Shaykh asks Allah "reveal to me all my hidden secrets, the Perfectly Alive, the Ever Self Existent." Ya Hayyu, Ya Qayyum. He's asking Allah to reveal to him his own secrets. Every one of us has what are known as lataif (subtle centres) within the heart. These subtle centres are not just related to the heart, for Allah says that He knows what is contained within the sudur (chests).

"Whether you hide that which is in your breasts or reveal it, Allah knows it. He knows all that is in the heavens and that which is in the earth." (Holy Qur'an 3:29)

He didn't say 'the heart' alone, because the heart is a part of the other subtle centres contained within the chest. When we experience an emotional 'hit' of some kind, we feel it within the solar plexus and perhaps may call it 'butterflies'. The entire area from the navel upwards is a very sensitive and powerful area - this is why we place our hands over it when we pray, gathering the energy inward. Within this teaching, we don't start from the base of the spine with the lower energy, but the initial opening is of the heart. The place of the heart is on the left, the spirit on the right. Also contained within is the place of 'the secret' and 'the secret of your secret'. All of these are doors and Allah knows all, the secret and the secret of the secret. We cannot hide anything from the Merciful Allah. Because He said "He knows the secret and the innermost secret."

These subtle centres are connected to the states or stations of the self-the first being The Animal or Lower self. This self requires the discipline of the Law. The second stage is The Complaining self, which requires Tariqa or The Way for further development into The Inspired self, which indicates a state of inspiration and connects you to the Angelic Realm. The fourth stage of development is the Self at Peace, which connects to the Secret and the Reality of Muhammad. The fifth state of consciousness is The Pleased self. This is a state of acceptance of the commands of Allah and accepting your destiny; when you change your ways to try to become completely acceptable to Allah. You recognise that the place you are now is exactly where Allah wants you to be. The sixth stage is The Well-pleasing self. Well-pleasing here means the opposite of your acceptance of what Allah decrees, but Allah Himself gives you what will please you.

At first, you try to please Allah, then things change and He wants to please you. When you reach this stage, there is nothing left that you want. One of the great Sufi saints was asked by Allah to "Choose" and he replied "I choose not to choose; I don't desire anything but You". These states of consciousness are all contained within us and this is why the collective remembrance of Allah carries such great blessing and transformative power. When we sit in collective dhikr of Allah, the effect of this will, Insha'Allah, remain with us and transform an aspect of ourselves that has been hidden for a very long time.

The Shaykh ad Dasuqi asks by the two Names of Allah, Ya Hayy and Ya Qayyum, to open for him his secrets. The Hayy, the fully Alive. We have life, yes, but how alive are we? To be fully alive, fully conscious of Allah is the desired goal. Allah says:

"Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a light whereby he can walk amongst men, be like him who is in the depths of darkness, from which he can never come out?" (Holy Qur'an 6:122)

What is this life? It is spiritual life. "Then We gave him light and he walks among the people". Now he walks among the people as an enlightened, real human being. In the very beginning of this prayer, the Saint has begun with Allahumma-this means, according to the teaching, that you have asked the Beloved Allah by all of His Names.

To be in the station of general humanity is not anything special, but is similar to the state of any other animal. This is called the insan an natiq, the human that speaks. This is an artificial state. All of the potential is there, but it lies dormant and undeveloped, like being on automatic pilot, without doing any work. The Holy Prophet÷used to pray "Oh my beloved Allah, I take refuge in you from knowledge that does not bring me success". The success he is speaking of is spiritual success. Then he continued "and the eye that does not cry". In these times we are told to 'be a man, don't cry' as if you are not a man if you do cry. Then what happens? You become heartless. If you are sensitive, you are labelled as weak and too emotional, if you are shy and do not look people in the face, then you are labelled as dishonest. We are in the age where things are topsy turvy and good and desirable qualities become undesirable-as the Holy Prophet÷said that the good will become bad and the bad will become good and an honest man will be hard to find.

We have to be very careful to follow the commands of Allah and use the opportunities which are presented to us to further our knowledge and awareness of Allah. 'Alayka bi dhikrillah in kunta ghafilun'. Perform the remembrance of Allah if you are forgetful. He will grant you sustenance from directions you cannot perceive. Law kanat rizqu yaati bi quwwati ma akalal ghasfuru shayan ma'an misiri.

If sustenance could come by some power or cleverness or trickery, the smaller birds would never receive anything from the larger ones. For all of creation Allah has guaranteed sustenance from the day we arrive, provided that we fulfil two conditions, that we know Him and that we worship Him alone. Then spiritual blessing will enter our lives and transform our thoughts and actions. If we go a step further and love Him and want to be near Him, we've done no less than hit the jackpot.

All of the ingredients are within us, all we need to do is light the fire in the heart and start the cooking process. This will produce the best spiritual food that could take us right to the ascension of our own selves. If we believe that this blessing is exclusive to the Holy Prophet Muhammad÷, then we will remain earthbound for the rest of our lives. Whatever Allah gave to His beloved Prophet÷, He also gave to us. He gave him the Qur'an and He gave us the Qur'an, the only miracle left in the universe. He opened his mouth to teach-whatever he said is written and practiced. It is all here within our reach. All we have to do is follow his example.

It has been said that there are three ways to perform salutations upon the Holy Prophet÷. The first is by way of the tongue, similar to calling someone. There is no imagination or visualisation attached to it. The next level of salutations is to visualise this glorious human being in front of you by imagining yourself in his Mosque. The third level of salutation is to actually see his essence, the light of the Muhammadan Reality, for if you see his essence, you will see the realities of many things. It is like seeing the realities of the Truth through his own eyes-to see the Reality by the eyes of the Holy Prophet Muhammad÷is a very great blessing. His knowledge is the most complete and his way of seeing things is the most complete.

Wa Assalamu alaikum. And peace be upon you.
Wa ma tawfiq illah billah. And success is only by Allah.

Murshid F. A. Ali ElSenossi

For further study:
The Treasure Issue #1
The Purification of the Senses - CD by Murshid F. A. Ali ElSenossi
Dalai'l Khairat - The Guide to Goodness by Abu Abd Allah Muhammad al Jazuli, Translated by Hassan Rosowsky. (Kazi Publications Soft Cover)

Page last updated April 11, 2010