(Series on Zikrullah – Part Four)

It is universally acknowledged, among Muslims and non-Muslims alike, that a person is indebted to those who show him kindness and grant him assistance. The demand of such kindness and assistance is that one show gratitude, firstly by acknowledging the favour, thanking the person, making du‘aa for the person and then by trying to repay the favour.

There are many people to whom we are indebted and owe gratitude for the favours we receive from them. Among these people are our parents, asaatizah and others. However, after Allah Ta‘ala, the being to whom we owe the greatest gratitude is none other than our beloved Rasul, Muhammad Mustafaa (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

The reason is obvious – from all people, his favour upon us is the greatest as he brought us the Deen of Islam and the gift of imaan, and he showed us the path to Jannah.

In order for this Deen to reach us, he shed tears in du‘aa and his blessed blood was shed on the battlefield. Until the day he departed from this world, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) remained worried for the salvation of his Ummah, and in the Hereafter as well, he will intercede to Allah Ta‘ala on behalf of his Ummatis.

In reality, the favour and kindness of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) upon us is so immense that we cannot repay him for all he has done for us. However, we should still show our gratitude to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) as much as possible – and one way of doing this is to recite abundant durood (salaat and salaam) upon him.

When we recite durood, we are making du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala to shower His choicest salutations, blessings and mercies upon Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

‘Allaamah Izzud Deen ibnu ‘Abdis Salaam (rahimahullah) has explained that our durood upon Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is not an intercession by us on his behalf, because we are not in any way fit to intercede on his behalf. However, Allah Ta‘ala has commanded us to repay him for his kindness and great favour upon us. Since Allah Ta‘ala knows that we cannot repay the favours of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), Allah Ta‘ala has instructed us to send durood upon Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) as a form of gratitude for his favours, as no person has shown us more favour than Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). (Al-Qowlul Badee’ pg. 83)

However, such is the infinite kindness of Allah Ta‘ala, and such is the blessing of durood, that though we are making du‘aa for Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), we are in actual fact benefiting and gaining the special mercies of Allah Ta‘ala, as for every durood we recite, Allah Ta‘ala bestows us with immense rewards, blessings and virtues. Hence, many ‘Ulama have compiled entire kitaabs enumerating the abundant virtues of durood.

Among the very great virtues of durood mentioned in the ahaadeeth is that in lieu of reciting a single durood, one will receive ten mercies from Allah Ta‘ala, ten good deeds will be recorded in one’s book of deeds, ten sins will be erased from one’s book of deeds, one’s rank will be raised by ten stages, one will receive the reward for freeing ten slaves, and one will earn one qeeraat of reward (equal to the Mountain of Uhud).

When these are just a few of the many virtues of reciting durood, and the reward of all good actions is multiplied exponentially in Ramadhaan, then each and every one of us should strive to follow every sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and recite as much durood as we can during this blessed month in order to gain maximum rewards.

The ‘Ulama have explained that from all the various forms of durood, the most virtuous durood is the Durood Ebrahim. (Al-Qowlul Badee pg. 141)

Nevertheless, another durood which is greatly rewarding and is also easy to memorize and recite is the following:

‌جَزٰى اللهُ عَنَّا مُـحَمَّدًا ( صَلّٰى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ) بـِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ

So great is the reward for reciting this durood that the one reciting it will tire seventy angels (in recording the reward) for a thousand mornings (i.e. for a thousand days, seventy angels will continue to record the reward of the durood recited)! (Al-Qowlul Badee’ pg. 116)

May Allah Ta‘ala make us among His special servants who recite durood in abundance, and may He bless us with the intercession and companionship of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the Hereafter, aameen.