Bissmillah wassalla llahu ^ala Rasulillah.
Brothers and sisters in Islam, Assalamu ^alaykum, I will clarify what innovation is based on the sayings of the scholars, and topic is specificly about the permissbility of making Salat and Salam on the Prophet after athan.
Allah said in Al Qur’an which means: [Allah and his angles make salat and salam onto the Prophet, o you who believed Make salat and Salam onto him]
Brothers in Islam, know that making Salat on the Prophet (To say May Allah’s peace and blessings be onto the Prophet) after the Athan is a good innovation and not unlawful rather rewardable. What Mu’athins do from making salat and salam after the athan is from the good innovations and it is conducted from the religion as the Prophet Sallallhu ^Alayhi wassallam said in the Hadith related by Muslim: “If you hear Al Mu’athin say as he says than make salat on me” and this is enough to prove that it’s permissible for the Mu’athins to make salat and salam on the Prophet after the athan.
Salat on the Prophet and salam has been initiated by the Mu’athins after every athan at the time of Sultan Haji bin al-Ashraf Sha^ban, Imam As-Suyutiyy said in his book “Al Wasa’il Ila Musamarat Al ‘Awa’il” page 9: “Salat and salam on the Prophet after the athan was initiated in the white minaret at the time of As-Sultan Haji bin Al Ashraf Sha^ban bin Husain bin an-Nasir bin al-Mansoor Qalawoon by the command of Al Muhtassib Najm Ad-Deen at-Tanbady and that was on Sha^ban of 791 H, and before that, at the time of Sultan Salahud-Deen bin Ayoub they used to make Salam on the Prophet every night before the athan of Fajr in Egypt and Sham (Lebanon, Syria, Jordan..) and that continued until the year 776 H and on it by the command of Al Muhtassib Salahud-Deen al Barlasy added: Salat and Salam onto you o Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings onto you Messenger of Allah) than it was done after every athan year 791 H.
This matter is permissible by Ijma^ (Unanimous agreement) according to the four Mathahib. This also proves that there are good innovations and bad innovations which is the base of our topic.
And here are the sayings from the four schools in the permissibility of the Salat and Salam on the Prophet by the Mu’thins.
- Hanafy (School) Mathhab:
Sheik Muhammad ^Ala’ Ad-Deen Al Hiskfiy in his book “Ad-Dur Al Mukhtar” he said: “Hint: Making Salam after the athan in the month Rabi^ Al Akhir year 781 during the ^Isha’ prayer on Monday night, and on Jumu^ah, and after 10 years the ‘Salam’ was done in all prayers except Al Maghrib and in it twice, and it’s a good innovation” look in Hashiat Ibn ^Abideen 1/390. So he said that there is good innovations and in particular athan is one of them.
The Maliky Mathhab:
Sheikh Shams Ad-Deen Muhammad ^Urfah ad-Dasuqiy Al Maliky said in his Hashiah on As-Sahrh Al Kabeer 1/193: “And for the Salat on the Porphet after the Atahn, it’s an innovation of guidance it was first done at the time of Salahud-Deen Yousuf bin Ayoub”. And here I would like to clarify that the saying of Ad-Dasuqiyy was during the time of the victorious fighter Salahud-Deen Al Ayoubiy who freed Al Aqsa, The salat on an-Nabiy happened prior to athan Al Fajr, but when it became as it is now, done at every athan of the prayers, it was done during the time of Sultan Hajy son of Al Ashraf Sha^ban as we took it from As-Suyoutiy.
The Shafi^y Mathhab:
Al Hafith as-Sakhawiy ash-Shafi^iyy, and he is the student of Al Hafith Ibn Hajar Al ^asqalaniyy, he said in his book: Al Qawl Al Badi^ fis-Salat ^ala Al Habib Ash-Shafee^ (His book: the brilliant say on making Salat on the beloved interceder – Prophet Muhammad) page 92: “The Mu’thins have innovated the salat and salam on the messenger of Allah after the athan for the five prayers except the fajr prayer and Jumu^ah, for they forward that in it on the athan exept al Maghrib they did not do it originally due to it’s limited duration”… Until he said: “and scholars had differences on if it’s recommended or not, bad innovation or lawful, but its permissibility was proven by the saying of Allah which means: [and do the good deed] and it’s clear that making Salat and Salam on the Prophet for being a good deed knowing that the news has confirmed and encouraged on doing that as making the Du^a’ after the athan and the last third of the night and near Fajr time and the fact is that it’s a good innovation and its doer is rewarded with the his good intention” End of the saying of Shafi^iyy.
Hanbaly Mathhab:
In the book “Muntaha Al Iradat” for Al hanabilah 1/113-114: “and it has been a good innovation for the Mu’athin and the one who hears athan to make salat on the Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wassallam when done and to say: Allahumma Rabba Hathihee-Da^watitammah wassalatil al Qa’imah ….” End of saying.
So these sayings that are from the books of four schools prove that such a doing, making salat and salam on the Prophet is from the good innovations. For, the scholars of the four Mathahib permitted this matter after they saw it happen and they were not silent in clarifying it’s judgment according to Islam.
So the four schools all agree on the permissibility on making salat and salam on an-Nabiyy after the athan and they also proved that not every innovation is a bad one, rather there is good innovations as they mentioned and bad innovations.
One might say: according to the aforementioned hadith making salat and salam is only for those who hear the mu’athin not for al Mu’athin himself!
We say what imam an-Nawawiyy said in his book Rawdat At-Talibeen 1/2.3 under the title: “description of the mu’athin and his manners”: “It’s recommended for characteristics of the mu’athin to have a good voice …” till he said “and to make salat and salam on the Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wassallam by al mu’athin and whomever hears al athan after the athan” end of saying of Nawawiyy.
Also Imam Shams ad-Deen Ar-Ramly, whose known as the small shafi^iyy, in his book :Nihayat Al Muhtaj Ila sharh Al Minhaj” 1/422 he said: “and it’s sunnah for al-Mu’thin and listener to athan as well as stated by hadith related by ibn As-Sunniy and has been mentioned by Al-Musannaf (Meaning Imam An-Nawawiyy) in his Athkar to make salat and salam on the Prophet peace and blesings upon him” end of his saying.
And the hadith indicated by Imam ar-Ramliy is the hadith that we are talking about, so ar-Ramliy used this hadith to prove that it’s permissible to make salat on the Prophet by the mu’thin which denotes that it’s a good innovation that was not done on the time of the Prophet. Al Mawlid and other innovations are similarly proved by the scholars for being good innovations, but let it be clear that bad innovations are the most.
So for those who say that every innovation is evil and says that Making salat and salam on the Prophet is unlawful needs to provide the proves for that. Brother/Sister do not look nor care for those who oppose all of these scholars and make it unlawful to make salat and salam after the atahn, for, this matter is good and Muslims have accepted it for more than 600 years. We do not say that it’s obligatory but it’s a good matter it’s unlawful to deem it impermissible.
O Allah raise the rank of the Prophet and grant us his intercession.