Short answer: When Muslims mention the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, they add sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, "may Allah send His blessings and peace upon him". In English this is often said as "peace be upon him" (PBUH), and in writing it is shown with the single sign ﷺ. They do it because Allah commands believers to ask for blessings and peace on the Prophet ﷺ (33:56), and because he taught that whoever does it once receives ten blessings from Allah.
It is a prayer to Allah for the Prophet ﷺ, not a prayer to him. Muslims also say alayhis salam, "peace be upon him", after the names of the other prophets, such as Ibrahim, Musa and Isa (Jesus), and radiyallahu anhu, "may Allah be pleased with him", after the names of the Companions.
What the Quran says
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا ﴿٥٦﴾
Innal laaha wa malaaa'i katahoo yusalloona 'alan Nabiyy; yaaa aiyuhal lazeena aamanoo salloo 'alaihi wa sallimoo tasleemaa
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.
Quran 33:56 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Ahzab
What the Prophet ﷺ taught
مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَىَّ وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا
Whoever sends one blessing upon me, Allah sends ten blessings upon him.
Sahih Muslim 408 · narrated by Abu Hurayrah · sahih
الْبَخِيلُ الَّذِي مَنْ ذُكِرْتُ عِنْدَهُ فَلَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَىَّ
The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.
Jami at-Tirmidhi 3546 · narrated by Ali ibn Abi Talib · graded hasan sahih by at-Tirmidhi and sahih by al-Albani
When the Companions asked how to send blessings on him, he taught them the words Muslims still say in every prayer, known as Durood Ibrahim (Sahih al-Bukhari 3370, from Ka'b ibn Ujrah).
The wisdom scholars mention
- Love and gratitude. The Prophet ﷺ brought the message of Islam at great cost to himself. Praying for him is a small way of thanking him.
- Respect. The Quran tells believers not to address him the way they address each other (24:63). Adding the blessing keeps his name honoured.
- Joining the angels. Allah and His angels send blessings on him, and believers are invited to take part.
- A clear line. Asking Allah to bless him shows that he is a servant of Allah, honoured but not worshipped.
Wisdom, not the reason. These are benefits scholars have reflected on. Muslims follow this because Allah and His Messenger ﷺ commanded it, and would follow it even if none of these benefits were known.
The ruling, Hanafi first
Sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ is fard at least once in a lifetime. In the final sitting of the prayer, reciting Durood Ibrahim is sunnah. When his name is mentioned or heard, al-Tahawi held it is wajib every time; many later Hanafi scholars say it is wajib once in a gathering, and recommended each further time.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Hanbali
- Sending blessings on him in the final tashahhud is an essential part of the prayer, so a prayer without it is not valid.
- Maliki
- Once in a lifetime is obligatory, and in the prayer it is a sunnah, as in the Hanafi school.
Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
The phrase in Arabic with its transliteration and meaning, and what ﷺ, SAW and PBUH stand for.
Read the phrase pageMore "why do Muslims" questions
- Why do Muslims not eat pork?
- Why do Muslims wear the hijab?
- Why do Muslims wash their feet?
- Why do Muslims pray five times a day?
- Why do Muslims go to Makkah?
- Why do Muslims have beards?
- Why do Muslims eat halal?
- Why do Muslims shave a baby's head?
- Why do Muslims face Makkah when praying?
- Why do Muslims not drink alcohol?
- Why do Muslims get circumcised?
- Why do Muslims fast in Ramadan?
FAQ
What does ﷺ mean?
It is one Unicode sign for sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, "may Allah send blessings and peace upon him". It is used only after the name of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
What do PBUH, SAW and SAWS mean?
They are short forms of the same blessing: PBUH is "peace be upon him", and SAW or SAWS stand for the Arabic words. Many scholars prefer writing it in full, or ﷺ, rather than letters only.
Do Muslims say peace be upon him for Jesus?
Yes. Muslims believe Jesus (Isa) is a prophet of Allah, and say alayhis salam, peace be upon him, after his name, as they do for Moses, Abraham and every prophet.
Do I have to say it every time I hear his name?
Many scholars, including al-Tahawi among the Hanafis, say yes. Others say once in a sitting is required and more is recommended. Saying it every time is the safest and brings the reward of ten.
Do Muslims worship Muhammad ﷺ?
No. Muslims worship Allah alone. Saying ﷺ is asking Allah to bless His messenger.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Sources
- Quran 33:56 and 24:63, translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih Muslim 408, from Abu Hurayrah.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 3546, from Ali ibn Abi Talib.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3370, from Ka'b ibn Ujrah: the words of Durood Ibrahim.
- Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Salah (the salawat after the tashahhud), on the Hanafi views of al-Karkhi and al-Tahawi.
- Al-Nawawi, al-Majmu; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni; and al-Dardir, al-Sharh al-Kabir, for the other schools.
Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English translation by Sahih International. Hadith gradings are those of the hadith scholars named. AmalKit cites the scholars; it does not issue fatwas.