Short answer
No. Muslims pray only to Allah, the One God, and directing prayer or worship to anyone else is shirk (associating partners with Allah). Muslims love and honour the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and ask Allah to bless him, but he is a human messenger, not someone prayed to. The four schools agree.
Salah, prostration and du'a as worship belong to Allah alone, and directing them to anyone else is shirk. Sending salawat on the Prophet ﷺ is a du'a to Allah asking Him to bless His Messenger, and it is part of every prayer's final sitting.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
Every rakah of every prayer begins with al-Fatiha, where a Muslim says to Allah: "It is You we worship and You we ask for help." The salah is addressed to Allah alone from the opening Allahu akbar to the closing salam. The four schools and all of Sunni Islam agree on this.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is Allah's final messenger and a human being. Muslims love him, follow his example and honour his name, but they do not worship him or ask him for what only Allah can give. He himself taught a young companion: "When you ask, ask Allah; when you seek help, seek help from Allah." Calling Muslims "Muhammadans" misses this point.
Two things are sometimes mistaken for praying to him:
- Salawat: "Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad" means "O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad". It is a du'a to Allah for the Prophet ﷺ, which the Quran commands. See Durood Ibrahim.
- The tashahhud: "Peace be upon you, O Prophet" is a greeting he taught his companions to say in prayer, not a request made to him. See Attahiyat.
Some Muslims ask Allah "for the sake of" the Prophet's rank, which is called tawassul. Many Hanafi scholars, including the Deobandi scholars, allow this, while some other scholars do not. Either way the request is made to Allah, not to the Prophet. For the wider belief, read tawheed, shirk and kufr.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Faatiha 1:5
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ﴿٥﴾
It is You we worship and You we ask for help.
Worship and requests for help are for Allah alone.
Quran, Surah Al-Jinn 72:18
وَأَنَّ ٱلْمَسَٰجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا۟ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ أَحَدًۭا ﴿١٨﴾
And [He revealed] that the masjids are for Allah, so do not invoke with Allah anyone.
No one is to be called upon in worship alongside Allah.
Quran, Surah Al-Ahzaab 33:56
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا ﴿٥٦﴾
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.
Believers ask Allah to bless the Prophet, rather than praying to him.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 2516
Grading to be checked... إذا سألت فاسأل الله وإذا استعنت فاستعن بالله ...
"When you ask, ask Allah, and when you seek help, seek help from Allah."
The Prophet ﷺ himself directed all requests to Allah.
Sahih Muslim 384
Sahih... ثم صلوا علي فإنه من صلى علي صلاة صلى الله عليه بها عشرا ...
"Then send blessings on me, for whoever sends one blessing on me, Allah sends ten blessings on him."
Salawat is a du'a for the Prophet, rewarded by Allah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Aqida al-Tahawiyya, Section on the Prophet as Allah's chosen servant and messenger. Muhammad ﷺ is Allah's servant and messenger; worship belongs to Allah alone.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of prayer, discussion of salawat. Salawat on the Prophet is a du'a to Allah and is sunnah in the final sitting.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.