In
the Name of Allaah, may the Salaah and Salaam
of Allaah be upon His Final Messenger, to proceed:
Muslims
are obliged to send Allaah's Salaah [2] and
Salaam [3] upon Muhammad (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa
sallam) when his name is mentioned. Allaah has commanded
us [4]:
(
Verily Allaah and His Angels send salaah on the Prophet.
O you who believe! Invoke salaah upon him, as well
as a complete salaam! )
And
the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
said:
"For
each time someone invokes salaah upon me, Allaah writes
for him ten good rewards because of it." [5]
And
the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) had described
the one who does not send salaah upon him when he is
mentioned as "the stingiest
of people." [6] And he exclaimed "Aameen!"
to Jibreel's supplication, "May Allaah repel the one
who hears mention of you and does not invoke any salaah upon
you!" [7]
So
here is the issue that needs to be clarified: Many people
use the abbreviation "SAWS" or "PBUH"
to fulfill this obligation in their writing. Is this something
that fulfills the obligation of sending the salaah
and salaam on the Messenger? Let us look now to some
of the statements of the scholars regarding this practice.
The
Committee of Major Scholars in Saudi Arabia headed by 'Abdul-'Azeez
ibn 'Abdillaah ibn Baaz issued the following verdict when
asked about the validity of abbreviating the salaah
on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam): "The
Sunnah is to write the entire phrase "sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam," since it is a kind of supplication, and supplication
is worship, (in one's writing) just as it is in one's speech.
So to abbreviate it using the letter SAAD or the word SAAD-LAAM-'AYN-MEEM
is not a supplication nor it is worship, whether it occurs
in speech or writing. For this reason, this abbreviation was
not used by the the first three generations, those that the
Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) testified to their
goodness." [8]
"SAAD"
and "SAAD-LAAM-'AYN-MEEM" are often used in some
'Arabic books. The English equivalents of these abbreviations
would be: SAW, SAWS, SAAWS, PBUH, and the likes.
Al-Fayrooza-abaadee
said, "It is not appropriate to use symbols or abbreviations
to refer to salaah and salaam, as some of the lazy ones do,
as well as some ignorant people and even some students of
knowledge - they write 'SAAD-LAAM-'AYN-MEEM' instead of writing
'sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam.'" [9]
Ahmad
Shaakir said, "It is the absurd tradition of some
of the later generations that they abbreviate the writing
of 'sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam.'" [10]
Wasee
Allaah 'Abbaas said, "It
is not permissible to abbreviate the salaams in general in
one's writing, just as it is not permissible to abbreviate
the salaah and salaam on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam). It is also not permissible to abbreviate either
of these in one's speech."
[11]
And
Allaah knows best. May the most perfect and complete salaah
and salaam be upon our beloved Messenger, and upon
his noble family and companions.
This article was taken
from BAKKAHnet (www.bakkah.net)
FOOTNOTES
[1]
written by Abul-'Abbaas
[2]
Sending salaah on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayhe
wa sallam) means that one invokes Allaah to praise him
and mention his high status to the angels. See Jalaa' Al-Afhaam
(p.253) of Ibn Al-Qayyim, Fat-hul-Baaree (11/179-197)
of Ibn Hajr, or Ibn Katheer's tafseer to verse 33:56.
[3]
salaam: security
[4]
the meaning of Soorah Al-Ahzaab (33):56
[5]
an authentic hadeeth collected by Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh
(#906, 3/187) on the authority of Aboo Hurayrah (may Allaah
be pleased with him). Al-Albaanee declared it to be saheeh
in Silsilatul-Ahaadeeth As-Saheehah (#3359, 7/1080).
[6]
from a hasan hadeeth collected by Ibn Abee 'Aasim in
As-Salaah 'Alan-Nabee (p.30-31) on the authority of
Aboo Tharr (may Allaah be pleased with him). Hamdee As-Salafee
called it hasan in his checking of the book.
[7]
from an authentic hadeeth collected by At-Tabaraanee in Al-Mu'jam
Al-Kabeer on the authority of Jaabir ibn Samurah (may
Allaah be pleased with him). Al-Albaanee authenticated it
in his checking of Al-Munthiree's At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb
(#1677, 2/298).
[8]
Fatwaawaa Al-Lajnatid-Daa'imah #18770 (12/208-209)
[9]
From his book As-Salaatu wal-Bushr, as quoted in Mu'jam
Al-Manaahee Al-Laf-thiyyah (p.351)
[10]
the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad (#5088, 9/105)
[11]
from
a handwritten answer
provided by the shaykh, file no. AAWA004, dated 1423/6/24
TEST
YOUR UNDERSTANDING
What
is the reward for invoking salaah upon the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)?
What
have the scholars said about abbreviating the phrase "sallallaahu
'alayhe wa sallam" in writing?
RELATED
ARTICLES
Fatwaa
from the Scholars on Using "SAW" or the Likes
(EL)
Shaykh
Wasee Allaah 'Abbaas on Abbreviating the Salaams in
Writing
REFERENCES
As'ilah
Amreekiyyah Ajaaba 'Anhaa Shuyookh Makkah, file no.
AAWA004 (not published yet).
As-Salaah
'Alan-Nabee (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
of Ibn Abee Ad-Dunyaa, checking by Hamdee As-Salafee, Daar
Al-Ma'moon lit-Turaath in Damascus, first printing, 1415.
Fadhlus-Salaati
'alan-Nabee (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam)
of Ismaa'eel ibn Ishaaq Al-Qhaadee Al-Maalikee, with checking
and comments by Al-Albaanee, Al-Maktabatul-Islaamiyyah
in Beirut, third printing, 1397.
Fataawaa
Al-Lajnatid-Daa'imah lil-Buhooth wal-Iftaa', Daar
Al-Balansiyyah in Ar-Riyaadh, second printing, 1421.
Fat-hul-Baaree
of Ibn Hajr, with checking by Bin Baaz, Daar Al-Hadeeth
in Cairo, first printing, 1419.
Jalaa'
Al-Afhaam fee Fadhlis-Salaati was-Salaami 'alaa Muhammadin
Khayril-Anaam
of Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jowziyyah, with checking and comments
by Mash-hoor Hasan Salmaan, Daar Ibn Al-Jowzee in Dammaam,
second printing, 1420.
Mu'jam
Al-Manaahee Al-Lafthiyyah, Daar Al-'Aasimah
in Ar-Riyaadh, second printing, 1417.
Musnadul-Imaam
Ahmad, Mu'assastur-Risaalah in Beirut, first
printing, 1415.
Saheeh
At-Targheeb wat-Tarheeb
(2/288-303: The Chapter of Sending Salaah on the Prophet)
of Al-Albaanee, Maktabatul-Ma'aarif in Ar-Riyaadh,
first printing, 1421.
Saheeh
Ibn Hibbaan bi Tarteeb Ibn Balbaan, Mu'assasatur-Risaalah,
third printing, 1418.
Silsilatul-Ahaadeethis-Saheehah
of Al-Albaanee, Maktabatul-Ma'aarif in Ar-Riyaadh,
first (complete) printing, 1422.
Tafseer
Al-Qur'aan Al-'Atheem (the verse 33:56) of Ibn Katheer,
Daar Taybah in Ar-Riyaadh, first printing of the second
edition, 1422.
(EL)
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