Does Allah pray? If yes then who does He pray to?

 March 20th, 2012  Ibn Anwar

1. Refuting the nonsense that Allah prays for Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

by Ibn Anwar, BHsc (Hons)

    A couple of days ago I was chatting with some Christians who brought up this issue. One of them was arguing that Allah worships or prays on or for Muhammad s.a.w. according to the Qur’an. This contention was popularised by the Christian polemicist Sam Shamoun and his ilk. It is no doubt a reaction to Muslims who argue against the alleged divinity of Jesus Christ by pointing out that he prayed to God. The argument essentially postulates that if a person prays to God then that disqualifies him from divinity. In many Christians’ mindset by arguing that Allah prays on Muhammad that refutes the Muslims’ postulation on Jesus and his prayerful disposition, that is, Allah prays and yet he’s still God hence if Jesus prays that means he is no less divine than Allah. In this article we will illustrate that the argument propounded by Shamoun and his ilk stems from a profound ignorance and misunderstanding of the Arabic language and linguistics in general.

The argument that Allah prays(by implication to someone) is derived from the following verse:

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلاَئِكَـتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِيِّ يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً

“Surely, Allah and His angels send blessings to the Prophet. O you who believe, do pray Allah to bless him, and send your Salām (prayer for his being in peace) to him in abundance.” (33:56)

The detractors of Islam, e.g., Shamoun, argue that the word used in the verse stems from the word ‘Salah’ which means to pray or worship. They would argue that the above which renders the word as ‘blessings’ is a mistranslation of the original Arabic. The word in question is yusalloonwhich is fi’il mudhari’ jama’ muzakkar saleem or third person plural imperfect verb. It comes from the root Sala or صلا. Ordinarily the word Salah or صلا from which we get the word salah (صلاة) can mean prayer or worship, however in the verse in question when the word is ascribed to God and angels it connotes the meaning of blessing and/or forgiveness. When the word is used by God it does not mean prayer or worship, but rather blessing. This phenomenon is known as polysemy in language, that is, a word may carry multiple dimensions or meanings in different situations. Ahmad Shehu Abdussalam explains it in the following:

“Polysemy is a semantic state of a word in which it indicates two or more meanings. A word is polysemous when it looks the same as others and has more than one meaning…These varied meanings are known as “senses” (al-wujuh in the sciences of the Qur’an), and can be interrelated, shared in certain attributes or slightly different, indicating multiplicity of meaning, while varied forms of the same word, if any, are the “uses” (al-naza’ir in the sciences of the Qur’an). The word al-akhirah, with only one form (i.e. a use) has five senses: resurrection, paradise, hell, grave and the latter (Qur’an 92:13, 2:102, 39:9, 14:27 and 38:7 respectively).” [1]

The noun Sala or Salah in Arabic has a number of meanings to it which includes prayer/supplication, worship, blessing or praise/magnification, but as we have already stated, when it is used of God it means blessings. All of these will be proven in due course as we look at a number of major dictionaries and lexicons of the Arabic language.

According to a Christian author by the name Abdullah al Araby who is appealed to in one of Shamoun’s articles on the issue, “The phrase “send blessings” was originally “pray upon“. The translator didn’t think it is appropriate to say that God and His Angels would pray upon (inferring praying to) the prophet Mohamed, so he had to change it to “send blessings.”” [2] One of the earliest translations of the Qur’an into English was accomplished by the Christian Orientalist George Sale in 1734. The following is Sale’s translation of the verse in question:

“Verily GOD and his angels bless the prophet. O true believers, do ye also bless him, and salute him with a respectful salutation.”[3]

Did George Sale think that it was inappropriate to translate Salah as pray? What vested interest did George Sale have as a Christian to exonerate the Qur’an? No, the alleged feeling of inappropriateness claimed by Abdullah al Araby is nothing but his own imagination. Consider also the following non-Muslim translations of the same verse:

“Verily, God and His Angels bless the Prophet! Bless ye Him, O Believers, and salute Him with salutations of Peace.” (John Medows Rodwell, 1861)

“God and His angels bless the Prophet. O believers, do you also bless him, and pray him peace.” (Arthur J. Arberry)

What hidden interests did the above non-Muslim and Christian translators have in opting for bless rather than pray for the word Salah? The answer is of course none whatsoever. They were translating as they saw fit in accordance with their comprehension of the Arabic language. The case has actually been won, but we’re going to provide more detailed information so as to put this to rest once and for all. The only translation of the Qur’an which has the word ‘pray’ instead of ‘bless’ is Edward Henry Palmer’s translation which is appealed to by Shamoun in his article ‘Islam and the prayers of Allah’. What Shamoun failed to reveal to his readers is that Palmer has a footnote to his translation of 33:56. The following are his remarks on the verse:

“The same word is used as is rendered ‘pray’ in all the other passages in the Qur’ân, though the commentators interpret it here as meaning ‘bless.’ So, too, in the formula which is always used after Mohammed’s name, zalla ’llâhu ‘alâihi wa sallam, ‘may God bless and preserve him!’ is literally, ‘may God pray for him and salute him!'” [4]

This means that although Palmer favours the meaning ‘pray’ for Salah in the verse, when it refers to God he does acknowledge that the word is correctly interpreted as ‘bless’ in the commentaries. Had he disagreed with having ‘salah’ as ‘blessed’,  he would have corrected that view instead of actually acknowledging it as viable. It should be noted, however, that his saying that ‘salla Allah ‘alaihi wasallam’ literally means ‘may God pray for him and salute him’ is in error when we seriously consider the translations of Sale, Rodwell and Arberry. Further more, the word ‘alaihi‘ actually literally means ‘upon him’ not ‘for him’. He is also in error for his claim that “the same word is rendered ‘pray’ in all the other passages of the Qur’an” as we see him rendering al-salawat(plural of salah) as synagogues in Surah al-Hajj, verse 40 :

“Permission is given to those who fight because they have been wronged,–and, verily, God to help them has the might,–who have been driven forth from their homes undeservedly, only for that they said, ‘Our Lord is God;’ and were it not for God’s repelling some men with others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein God’s name is mentioned much, would be destroyed. But God will surely help him who helps Him; verily, God is powerful, mighty.” [5]

The original Arabic reads:

ٱلَّذِينَ أُخْرِجُواْ مِن دِيَارِهِم بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ إِلاَّ أَن يَقُولُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ وَلَوْلاَ دَفْعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعْضَهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ لَّهُدِّمَتْ صَوَامِعُ وَبِيَعٌ وَصَلَوَاتٌ وَمَسَاجِدُ يُذْكَرُ فِيهَا ٱسمُ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيراً وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ

We also see Palmer translating salawat (from salah) in 2:157 as blessing rather than pray!

أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌۭ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ ۖ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ

“These, on them are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and they it is who are guided.” (E.H. Palmer)

The above two examples amply show that Palmer’s own words that he translates salahthroughout the Qur’an as only pray/er is a farce and an inconsistent claim. Palmer’s translation in this regard is to be discarded in light of his own admission for the permissibility of ‘bless’ in 33:56 rather than ‘pray’. The choice of translation made by Sale, Rodwell and Arberry as we have seen should also inform us as to our rejection of Palmer’s translation. Finally, the English Christian missionary Thomas Patrick Hughes in the entry on ‘al-Salat’ in his Dictionary of Islam corrects Palmer’s error: “Also blessing, e.g. Surah xxxiii. 56: “Verily God and His angels bless (not “pray for,” as rendered by Palmer) the Prophet.” (See Lane’s Dictionary, in Loco.).”[6] (emphasis added)

The following translations by Muslim translators, experts and academics should also be given due credence  and as further proof for our position:

“Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.” (Marmaduke Pickthall)

“God and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.” (Abdullah Yusuf Ali)

“Verily, God and His angels bless the Prophet: [hence,] O you who have attained to faith, bless him and give yourselves up [to his guidance] in utter self-surrender!” (Muhammad Asad)

“Verily God and His angels whelm in blessings the prophet. O ye who believe invoke blessings upon him and give him greetings of Peace.” (Martin Lings)

“Surely, Allah and His angels send blessings to the Prophet. O you who believe, do pray Allah to bless him, and send your Salām (prayer for his being in peace) to him in abundance.” (Mufti Taqi Uthmani)

“Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe! call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation.” (Muhammad Habib Shakir)

“Indeed Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet; O People who Believe! Send blessings and abundant salutations upon him.” (Ahmed Raza Khan, Mohammed Aqib Qadri)

“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.” (Ibrahim Walk)

“Indeed God and His angels bless the Prophet. O you who believe, invoke blessings on him and invoke peace upon him in a worthy manner.” (Royal aal al-bayt Institute)

“Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him and greet him with the Islamic way of greeting.”(Muhammad Taqiuddin al-hilali and Muhammad Muhsin Khan)

Thus far we have more than ten Islamic scholars and three non-Muslim translators and scholars of Arabic who spent months and years translating the entire Qur’an repudiate the falsehood that Allah “prays for” rather than “blesses” the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. when using the word Salah. In addition, we have also seen a Christian missionary Thomas Patrick Hughes who joins our ranks and repels Palmer’s erroneous translation for salah when used of God in Surah al-Ahzab, verse 56. That means there is not a single authority left that could be appealed to for the translation ‘prayed for’ rather than ‘bless’. Pickthall, Yusuf Ali, Muhammad Asad, Shakir, Ahmed Raza Khan, Mohammed Aqib Qadri, Ibrahim Walk, Royal aal al-bayt Institute, Muhammad al-Hilali, Muhammad Muhsin Khan, George Sale, J.M. Rodwell, A.J. Arberry and Thomas Patrick Hughes form an impenetrable bulwark for our position against the mistakes and errors of Christian propagandists in saying “Allah prays.”

Let us now turn our attention to several major dictionaries and lexicons of the Arabic language by both Muslims and non-Muslims to see what they have say about this.

The following is from Lisan al-Arab authored by Ibn Mazur al-Afriqi which is one of the major sources of reference for anyone persuing academic studies in Arabic:

والصلاة الدعاء والاستغفار…وصلاة الله على رسوله رحمته له وحسن ثنائه عليه وفى حديث ابن أبى آوفى آنه قال أعطانى أبى صدقة ماله فاتيت بها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال اللهم صل على آل أبى أوفى قال الازهرى هذه الصلاة عندى الرحمة ومنه قوله عز وجل ان الله وملا ئكته يصلون على النبى يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً فالصلاة من الملائكة دعاء واستغفار ومن الله رحمة وبه سميت الصلاة لما فيها من الدعاء ولاستغفار وفى الحديث التحيات لله والصلوات قال أبوىبكر الصلوات معن ها الترحم وقوله تعالى ان الله وملا ئكته يصلون على النبى اى يترحمون

“Al-Salah is supplication and seeking forgiveness…and the Salah of Allah upon his messenger is His blessing/mercy for him and magnification/praises  upon him. In the narration of Ibn Abi Awfa verily he said: “My father gave charity from his own wealth. Thereafter I went to the messenger of Allah with it whereby the Prophet s.a.w. said, “Oh Allah send Salah on the family of Abi Awfa.” Azhari said that this Salah in his sight means al-Rahmah(the blessing/mercy). And Allah s.w.t. says,”Verily, Allah and His angels send Salah(blessings) upon the Prophet. O you who believe, do pray Allah to bless him, and send your Salam to him in abundance.” Thus the Salah of the angels are supplication(du’a) and seeking forgiveness(for the messenger) and from Allah it is His blessing(rahmah). And it is called Salah within which is supplication and seeking for forgiveness. And in the narration on the greetings and salawat(plural of salah), Abu Bakr said, “Al-salawat means conferring blessing” and Allah said, “Verily, Allah and His angels send Salah(blessings) upon the Prophet” which means they bless him.” [7]

Isma’il bin Hammad al-Jawhari in his Sihah Taj al-Lughah wa Sihah al-‘Arabiyyah defines it as follows:

والصلاة من الله تعالى : الرحمة

“Al-Salah when it is from Allah means mercy/blessing.” [8]

Abi Mansur Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Azhari in his massive Tahzib al-Lughah  defines it as follows:

نوما فإن لجنب المرء مضطجعا وأما حديث ابن أبى أوفى أنه قال : أعطانى أبى صدقة ماله فأتيت بها رسول الله صل الله عليه وسلم فقال : (( اللهم صل على آل أبى أوفى )) فإن هذه الصلاة عندى الرحمة , ومنه قوله جل وعز : ( إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبى ) فالصلاة من الملائكة دعاء واستغفار , ومن الله سبحانه رحمة .

He mentions the same narration as Ibn Manzur al-Afriqi that Ibn Abi Awfa went to the Prophet s.a.w. with charity given by his father from his wealth “upon which the Prophet s.a.w. remarked, “Oh Allah, send Salah on the family of Abi Awfa.” Therefore this al-Salah with me means al-Rahmah(the blessing/mercy). And from His(Allah’s) word: “Verily, Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet”. Al Salah from the angels is supplication and seeking for forgiveness(for him), and from Allah s.w.t. it means blessing/mercy.””[9]

El-Said Badawi of the American University in Cairo and Martin Hinds of Cambridge University in their A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic: Arabic-English defines it as follows:

“salla ‘ala 1 [Isl] to invoke a blessing on. salli ‘an-nabi [Isl] (bless the Prophet!) (1) expclamation of wonder or delight, as in aadi l-‘aruusa salli ‘an-nabi aaxir gamaal there’s the bride! my! isn’t she beautiful.” [10]

Another major source of reference is the German scholar of Arabic Hahns Wehr who writes:

“…(of God) to bless s.o. : صلى الله عليه وسلم (sallam) God bless him and grant him salvation! (eulogy after the name of Prophet Muhammad).” [11]

Last, but most definitely not least is Edward William Lane’s definition in his excellent magnum opus Lane’s Arabic-English Lexicon:

[And,said of a man, He blessed him, meaning he invoked God’s blessing upon him; namely the Prophet; or he said, اللهم صل عليه ( expl. by what here follows ) accord. To the rendering of صلوا عليه , i.e. على النبى , by Bd and others in the Kur xxxiii. 56.] One says, صليت على النبى [ I blessed the Prophet ; &c.]. (S.) __ And, said of God, He blessed him, meaning He conferred blessing upon him : and He had mercy on him : and He magnified him, or conferred honour upon him :  hence the saying اللهم صل على ال أبى أوفى ,

meaning O God, bless the family of Aboo-Owfa : or have mercy on &c. : but in the saying [ in the Kur xxxiii.56 ], إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبى , the verb does not import two meanings ; for it has there only one meaning, which is “magnification” [ i.e. these words mean Verily God and his angels magnify the Prophet ; or rather I would render them, bless the Prophet, as this rendering implies magnification and also a meaning of the quasi-inf. n. given in the M and K, which is “eulogy,” or “commendation,” bestowed by God upon his apostle, while it imports God’s “conferring of blessing” and the angels’ “invoking thereof”] : (Msb,TA:) [ it is said that] اللهم صل على محمد  means O God, magnify Mohammad in the present world by exalting his renown and manifesting his invitation [ to El-Islam] and rendering permanent his law, and in the world to come byaccepting his intercessionfor his people and multiplying his reward: and it is disputed whether or not this form of prayer may be used for any but the Prophet [ Mohammad ] : El-Khattabee says that it may not, though he himself used it for others. (TA.) [ صل الله عليه وسلم is a phrase commonly used by the Muslims after the mention of their prophet. [12] (emphasis added)

Edward William Lane makes it unequivocally clear that in Surah al-Ahzab, verse 56 when Allah uses the word Salah it means magnification or blessing and definitely not “praying for” or anything of the kind. He affirms the translations of the team of translators and academics that has been mentioned earlier as clearly understood from his saying that “I would render them, bless the Prophet, as this rendering implies magnification…”. Thus far, three additional non-Muslim experts (who have no vested interest in Islam) of the Arabic language that include Martin Hinds, Hahns Wehr and Edward William Lane lend support to our already magnificently well-designed bulwark in refuting the allegation that Allah prays for Muhammad in Surah al-Ahzab, verse 56 or anywhere else for that matter.

Let us now turn our attention to one of the finest tafasir or works of exegesis available in English by Mufti Shafi’ Uthmani which will provide further clarity on the matter:

“The word: صلوة is used in the Arabic language to convey the sense of : Mercy (rahmah), prayer (du’a), and praise (madh and thana’). The Salah attributed to Allah Ta’ala in the cited verse means His sending of mercy, but Salah from angels denotes their prayer for him, and the sense of Salah (durood) from common believers is a combination of du’a (prayer) and thana’ (praise). Most commentators have given these very meanings and Imam al-Bukhari has reported from Abul ‘Aliyyah that the Salah of Allah Ta’ala means the honor accorded to  him and the praise showered on him before the angels.” [13]

The following is an explanation on 33:56 given by Sahibul Fadhilah Ustadh Sheikh Ahmad Mustafa Al-Maraghi in his tafsir work:

إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبى) الصلاة من الله الرحمة, ومن الملائكة الاستغفار, فالمعنى كلم قال ابن عباس : إن الله يرحم النبى, والملائكة يدعون له ويطلبون له المغفرة.
وقد أخبر الله سبحانه عباده بمنزلة عبده ونبيه فى الملإ الأعلى, بأنه يثنى عليه لدى ملائكته المقربين, وأن ملائكته يصلون عليه طالبين له المغفرة من ربه

“Al-Salah from Allah is al-Rahmah(blessing/mercy) and from the angels it is their seeking for forgiveness. The meaning of the verse as explained by Ibn Abbas is that Allah sends rahmah(blessing) on the Prophet and the angels pray for him and ask for his forgiveness. In addition, Allah informs his servants of the status of his servant and prophet among those in heaven. In regards to that Allah praises him before the angels and the angels give Salah on him by seeking forgiveness for him.” [14]

Finally, Imam Al-Qurtubi explains the verse in his luminous tafsir as follows:

هذه الآية شرف الله بها رسوله عليه السلام حياته وموته, وذكرمنزلته منه, وطهر بها سوء فعل من استصحب في جهته فكرة سوء, أو في أمر زوجاته ونحو ذالك. والصلاة من الله رحمته ورضوانه, ومن الملائكة الدعاء والاستغفار, ومن الأمة الدعاء والتعظيم لأمره

“In this verse Allah honours the Prophet s.a.w. with it during his life and in his death…and al-Salah from Allah is His rahmah(blessing/mercy) and his pleasure, and from the angels it is their supplication and seeking for forgiveness(for him) and from the people it is supplication and exaltation for his order.” [15]

In conclusion, the argument that Allah prays for Muhammad which, as an implication,  means that He is praying to someone is ad hoc and built on a patently false and misguided understanding of the word Salah in Arabic. Both Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have been shown to concur that when the word salah is used of God the meaning ‘to pray for’ is totally eliminated from the equation and the meaning ‘blessing,’ ‘honouring,’ ‘giving mercy’ or ‘magnifying’ are retained. To keep on the worn-out bandwagon of propagandists is folly and it is a futile attempt to undermine Islam and exonerate Christianity for its claim that Jesus, who is supposed to be God, prays to another. It is nothing but the presumptuous meanderings of the unlearned. The narration in al-Bukhari, Bayhaqi and others shows clearly that standard Islamic belief repels the idea of another in existence together with Allah:

روى البخارىُّ والبيهقىُّ وابنُ الجارود أن رسولَ الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:”كان الله ولم يَكُنْ شَىءٌ غَيْرُهُ

“It is narrated by Bukhari, al-Baihaqi and ibn Al-Jarud that the Prophet s.a.w. said: When Allah existed nothing else existed other than Him”

Surah al-Ikhlas in the Qur’an puts the final nail on the coffin as it explicitly describes Allah as the absolute power and ends with the unequivocal note that “there is absolutely nothing like Him.” It is astounding that after such clear cut easy-to-understand verses and narrations that someone can actually think he has a case against the singular majesty of Allah s.w.t. It is inconceivable according to Islam with authority from both Qur’an and Sunnah that Allah could be beseeching or petitioning someone else for whatever cause or reason. It is an impossibility according to Islamic theology founded upon its scriptures.

Addendum:

The following are further proofs that will add further value and credence to what has already been written above .

Reverend E. M. Wherry in his A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran has the verse in question as follows:

“Verily God and his angels bless the Prophet. O true believers, do ye also bless him, and salute him with a respectful salutation.”[16]

In a footnote to the verse he writes: “Salute him, &c.. “Hence the Muhammadans seldom mention his name without adding, ‘On whom be the blessings of God and peace!’ or the like words.” –Sale.” [17]

Orientalist and lecturer in Arabic at Edinburgh University, Richard Bell, who was no supporter of Islam by any stretch of the imagination as anyone with a modicum of knowledge of Qur’anic studies would know, renders the verse as follows:

“Verily Allah and His angels pronounce blessings upon the prophet; O ye who believed, pronounce blessings upon him, and give (him) the salutations of Peace.” [18]

He does add a footnote to the word “blessings” in his translation saying “Lit. “pray over.”, however he had enough sense to correctly apply his knowledge of the Arabic language despite his critical predisposition against Islam rendering the verb as ‘blessings’ in the verse proper when it is ascribed to Allah.

Dr. Colin Turner who is Reader in Islamic Thought at Durham University translates the verse as follows:

“God and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Whenever you mention the name of the Prophet, send blessings to him and greetings of peace.” [19]

The well-respected Anglican priest and academic Rev. Kenneth Cragg translates the verse as follows:

“God and His angels call blessing upon the prophet. O you who have believed, you also call blessing upon him and greet him with a greeting of peace.” [20]

Hanna E. Kassis’ A Concordance of the Qur’an has the verse as an entry under Salah rendering the verb as ‘blessing’ [21] which is as follows:

                                                      *S L W

SALLA ~(with prep. ‘ala) to bless

                             b) impf. act.

33.56 (56)            God and His angels bless the Prophet

N. J. Dawood who is of Jewish descent from Iraq and translator of the Qur’an translates the verse as follows:

“The Prophet is blessed by God and His angels.” [22]

Majid Fakhry in his translation of the Qur’an translates the verse as follows:

“Allah and His angels bless the Prophet. O believers, bless him and greet him graciously, too.” [23]

The following translation is from The Quran, An English Translation of the Meaning of the Qur’anwhich was checked and revised by Mahmud Y. Zayid with the assistance of a group of Muslim scholars  and approved by the Supreme Sunni and Shi’a Councils of Lebanon:

“The Prophet is blessed by Allah and His angels. Bless him, then, you that are true believers, and greet him with a worthy salutation.” [24]

 M. A. S. Abdel Haleem renders the verse in his translation as follows:

“God and His angels bless the Prophet – so, you who believe, bless him too and give him greetings of peace.” [25]

The erudite scholar  Prof. Dr. Abdulmalik Abdulkarim Amrullah or simply known as Hamka among South East Asian Muslims writes in his commentary on the verse:

“This verse proves that even Allah Himself has admiration for the Prophet. Allah sends his salawat to the Prophet! The angels in heaven also send salawat to the Prophet. Thus people who have faith should send salawat on him.

Imam Bukhari said: “Accroding to Abul Aliyah the meaning of the salawat of Allah Ta’ala to the Prophet is magnification/praise that He gives to him. And the salawat of the angels to the Prophet is their supplication.

Ibn ‘Abbas explained that what is meant by Allah sending salawat is that He sends His blessings.

Abu Isa Tidmidhi said that Sufyan and not only one or two scholars who said that the salawat of Allah to the Prophet is His mercy to him. The salawat of the angels is when they seek for forgiveness on behalf of the Prophet s.a.w.

According to the narration of al-A’masy, Atha’ bin Abu Rabah interpreted that the salawat of Allah to the Prophet is Subbuhun Quddusun, “Most Pure and Most Holy; My mercy overtakes My wrath.” Hence what is meant by this verse is that Allah magnifies His Prophet in front of his angels and the angels also say salawat to him which means their supplication.” [26]

Mawlana Abdul Majid Daryabadi translates the verse as follows:

“Verily Allah and His angels send their benedictions upon the Prophet. O you who believe! send your benedictions also upon him and salute him with a goodly salutation.” [27]

Commenting on the verse he writes: “God’s benediction upon His prophet is clear enough. The angel’s ‘benediction’ means that they pray to God for His blessings on the Prophet. The verb in the phrase imputes God’s “conferring of blessing” and the angels’ “invoking thereof.” ‘(LL)” [28]

Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani in his commentary on the verse writes:

“صلوة على النبى (Sending mercy on the Prophet) means admiration and esteem with mercy and kindness. Then with whom صلوة is connected, the admiration, esteem, mercy and kindness shall be taken befitting his state and degree. For example, we say the father is kind to the son, the son is kind to the father, and the brother is kind to the brother, or they love each oher, then it is quite obvious that the kind of love and kindness which the father has for his son is not similar to that which the son has for his father. Similarly the kindness of the brother for the brother is different from both. Similar is the case here in the oresent verse. Allah also sends mercy (صلوة ) on His Prophet i.e. with mercy and kindness admires him and honours him; and the Angels also send mercy on the Prophet, but the mercy, kindness and honour of God and the Angels shall be according to the state and degree of each. Onward the Believers are ordered to send mercy and peace on the Prophet. Its nature shall be different from both. The scholars have said : “The Salat (صلوة ) of God is the sending of mercy, the Salat of the Angels is the asking of forgiveness, and the salat of Believers is the praying for the Prophet.” [29]

The great mufassir(interpreter) of the Qur’an Imam al-Tabari has the following commentary on the verse:

يقول تعالى ذكره : إن الله وملائكته يبركون على النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلام.
٢٨٦٣٢- كما حدثنى على، قال : ثنا أبو صالح، قال : ثني معاوية، عن علي، عن ابن عباس، قوله (إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبي يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه) يقول: يباركون على النبي. وقد يحتمل أن يقال : إن معنى ذلك : أن الله يرحم النبي، وتدعوله ملائكته ويستغفرون، وذلك أن الصلاة في كلام العرب من غير الله إنما هو دعاء.

“The meaning of it is that Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

Ali informed me that he said: Abu Salih informed us that he said: Mu’awiyyah informed me from Ali, from Ibn ‘Abbas regarding the verse, “Verily, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe send blessings on the Prophet.” The meaning is that They bless the Prophet. (Al Mawardi, al-Nukat wal Uyun & Ibn Kathir)

The meaning of it is that Allah blesses the Prophet s.a.w. and the angels supplicate for him and seek forgiveness for the Prophet s.a.w. That is because al-salah in the Arabic language when used by other than Allah means supplication(du’a).” [30]

Al-Allamah al-Sheikh Abdullah al-Bustani defines al-Salah as follows:

الصلاة الدعا وهو اصل معانيها – الرحمة و – الاستغفار – حسن الثناء من الله عز وجل

“Al-Salah is supplication and its original meanings are – mercy  and – forgiveness and – magnification from Allah Most High…” [31]

Al-Husayn bin Muhammad al-Ma’ruf bi Raghib al-Asbahani defines wa salawat al-rasul as follows:

وصلاة الله للمسلمين هو فى التحقيق تزكيته إياهم . قال تعالى : (( أولئك عليهم صلوات من ربهم و رحمة )).
ومن الملائكة هى الدعاء والإستغفار , كما هى من الناس . قال تعالى : (( إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبى )).

Dr. Rohi Baalbaki in his Al-Mawrid [32] defines the word as follows:

To bless                    صلى الله على : بارك

    God’s blessing and peace be upon him                      صلى الله عليه وسلم

John Penrice in his سلكت البيان فى مناقب القرآن  or A Dictionary and Glossary of the Qur’an defines the word al-Salah as follows:

صلاة pronounced, and sometimes written صلاة D.S. Gr. T. 1, p. 36; Plur. صلوات A prayer;  صلوات من ربهم

2 v. 152, “ Mercies from their Lord ; “ at 22 v.41 it means “Synagogues.” –

صلى II. To pray, properly, by bending the knees and whole body in adoration, or generally, to offer prayer to God ( with لِ ) ; with على it means to pray for, also to bless, as in the formula صلى الله عليه وسلم “God bless and keep him.” [33] (emphasis added)

John Penrice understood that when salah and salawat was used of God it means ‘mercies’ and ‘blessing’ which is why he translated صلى الله عليه وسلم  as “God bless and keep him” and certainly not “God prays for him.” The part where he says “with على it means to pray for” is clearly in reference to human beings i.e. believers or angels sending salah upon (or pray for) the Prophet s.a.w.

The late Emeritus Professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Edinburgh University, Montgommery Watt who was hailed as one of the foremost western academics on Islam chooses to translate the word ‘salah’ as ‘bless’ and comments on it in the following:

“56 do you also bless him…: this is the basis of the pious phrase used after mentioning Muhammad, salla ‘llah ‘alayh-hi wa-sallam, ‘God bless him and give him peace’.” [34]

Mawdudi in his tafsir explains the verse in the following:

106. “Allah’s sending His blessings on His Prophet” means this: “Allah is very kind to His Prophet: He praises him, blesses his work, exalts his name, and showers His mercies on him.” “Blessings of the angels” means: “They love the Prophet most dearly and pray to Allah to bless him with the highest ranks, cause his religion and Shari’ah to flourish and exalt him to the laudable position.” [35]

The immediate context of the verse provides more clarity to the verse in question. A few verses before verse 56 we see that Allah instructs visitors to the Prophet’s s.a.w. house to observe some visitation etiquette such as not to arrive too early so as to wait for food to be served or to linger too long after finishing a meal prepared by the Prophet’s household and chatter for too long a period as that was a source of annoyance to him. Without getting into the intricate details of what transpired it is sufficient to note here that the Prophet s.a.w. was like a celebrity in his time. If there were no rules to restrict visitations to the Prophet’s own houses he would be swarmed 24/7 and as a human being he would not have been able to cope with it and neither could his wives. The Prophet s.a.w. himself did not do anything about it until the revelation was sent down as he was by nature a shy individual. It was not within his nature to demand people to leave him alone which coelesces with the Qur’an perfectly whereby he is described as a mercy to the worlds. We now understand that one of the meanings conveyed by the verse in question(v. 56) is that Allah is the ultimate source of blessings and mercy for him from which the he receives peace and serenity and the angels too in their holiness sned their blessings on him, hence believers who are nothing compared to Allah are  instructed to be a source of peace and serenity for the Prophet s.a.w. rather than a source of annoyance to him. The late Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazali captures this point nicely and succinctly:

“As the surah reviews the hardship and the intimidation of the Prophet had to put up with, it brought him great solace and much comfort by reassuring him that: “God and His angels bless the Prophet. Bless him, then, you that are true believers and greet him with a worthy salutation” (56).” [36]

*credit is due to brother Jesus(one of our avid guests) for reminding me of this point in one of his comments*

The Qur’an: an Encyclopedia, whose head editor is Professor of Philosophy and Zantker Professor of Judaic Studies  Oliver Leaman, has an interesting and pertinent way of looking at the verse under the entry of Salat and the sub-heading of Does God pray for believers?:

‘Take from their money [O messenger] a charity to purify them and sanctify them. And support them, for your support reassures them. God is all-hearing, omniscient’ (9:103). Here again it can hardly be meant that the Prophet should pray for these people: God and His angels yusallun ala al-nabi (support the prophet). O you who believe, you shall sallu alayhi (support him), and recognise and accept him (as God’s messenger)'(33:56) Once again it is clear that neither God nor the angels conduct a salat for the Prophet, nor the believers required to do so. [37]

Whatever one makes of the above one thing is absolutely clear according to this academic work: With regards to the question “Does God pray for believers?” the answer is positively no. It should be clarified, however, that the book does not actually negate the fact that salat is given to the Prophet s.a.w in the last sentence in the above quotation. Rather, it is denying that salat is given to the Prophet s.a.w. if the meaning intended is ‘pray’ rather than ‘support’ (which is an acceptable interpretation of blessing and supplication). It is critical that one understands this which is made evidently clear in the first part of the quotation as well as the previous sections under the same entry which goes to some length in explaining salat as worship given to God at specific times with specific movements etc. It is that kind of salat that is not given to the Prophet s.a.w. by Allah, the angels or believers.

Author Abdur Rashid Siddiqui correctly writes:

When the word Salah is attributed to Allah, it means that he turns towards His servants with love and affection and showers His benefactions and blessings on them (al-Baqarah 2:157). It is in the same sense that the word Salah is used in Surah al-Ahzab: “Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! Send your blessings on him and salute him with respect” (33:56). [38]

References:

[1] Ahmad Shehu Abdussalam (2008). Concordance of the Qur’an. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: International Islamic University of Malaysia Press. p. 23

[2] Shamoun, S. (n.d.) The Mystery of “PBUH” Revealed: Allah’s prayers for Muhammad examined: A Christian’s critique of a Muslim’s denial. Retrieved from http://www.answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/pbuh.htm

[3] Sale, G.(1734). The Koran: Commonly Called The AlKoran of Mohammed. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/7440/pg7440.html

[4] Palmer, E.H. (1880). The Qur’an. Retrieved from http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/sbe09/033.htm#fn_188

[5] Ibid. Retrieved from http://www.sacred-texts.com/isl/sbe09/022.htm

[6] Hughes, T. P. (2003). Dictionary of Islam: Being Cyclopedia of the Doctrines, Rites, Ceremonies, And Customs, Together with the Technical and Theological terms of the Muhammadan Religion. New Delhi, India: Rupa & Co. p. 561

[7] Ibn Manzur al-Afriqi (2003). Lisan al-Arab, Vol. 18. Saudi Arabia: Dar ‘Alim Al-Kutub. p. 198

[8] Abi Nasr Ismail bin Hammad al-Jawhari (1999). Al-Sihah Taj al-Lughati Wa Sihah al-‘Arabiyyah, Vol. 6. Beirut, Lebanon: dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah. p. 384

[9] Abi Mansur Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Azhari (n.d.). Tahzib al-Lughat, Vol. 17. Cairo, Egypt: Matabi’ Sabil al-Arab. p. 236

[10] El-Said Badawi & Hinds, M. (1986). A Dictionary of Egyptian Arabic: Arabic-English. Beirut, Lebanon: Librarie Du Liban. p. 509

[11] Wehr, H. (1960). Hahns Wehr Arabic-English Dictionary. (n.d.) p. 524

[12] Lane, E. W. (1872). Arabic-English Lexicon, Book 1: Derives from the Best and the Most Copious Eastern Sources. Covent Garden, London: Williams and Norgate. p. 1720

[13] Shafi’ Uthmani (n.d.). Ma’riful Qur’an, Vol. 7 (Muhammad Hasan Askari & Muhammad Shamim, Trans.). Karachi, Pakistan. Maktab Darul ‘Ulum. p. 228

[14] Ahmad Mustafa al-Maraghi (n.d.). Tafsir al-Maraghi, Vol. 8. Dar al-Fikr. pp. 33-34

[15] Abi Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Ansari al-Qurtubi (1993). Al-Jami’ al-Ahkam al-Qur’an. Beirut, Lebanon: Darul Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah. p.149

[16] Wherry, E. M. (1885). A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran: Comprising Sale’s Translation and Preliminary Discourse, with Additional Notes and Emendations, Vol. 3. London: Trubner & Co. p. 326

[17] Ibid.

[18] Bell, R. (1939). The Qur’an: Translated, with a Critical Re-arrangement of the Surahs, Vol. 2. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. p. 418

[19] Muhammad Baqir Behbudi (1997). The Qur’an : A New Interpretations (Coling Turner, trans.). Surrey, England: Curzon Press. p. 254

[20] Cragg, K. (1988). Readings in the Qur’an: Selected and Translated with an Introductory Essay. London: Collins Religious Publishing. p. 288

[21] Kassis, H. E. (1983). A Concordance of the Qur’an. London: University of California Press. p. 87

[22] N. J. Dawood (1990). The Koran: Translated with Notes. London: Penguin Books. p. 298

[23] Majid Fakhry (2002). An Interpretation of the Qur’an: English Translation of the Meanings. New York: New York University Press. p. 426

[24] Mahmud Y. Zayid (1980). The Quran: An English Translation of the Meaning of the Quran. Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Choura. p. 312

[25] M. A. S. Abdel Haleem (2004). The Qur’an: A New Translation. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 270

[26] Abdul Malik Abdulkarim Amrullah (1987). Tafsir al-Azhar, Vol. 22. Sinapore: Pustaka Nasional Pte Ltd. p. 5770

[27] Abdul Majid Daryabadi (n.d.). Tafsirul Qur’an: Translation and Commentary of the Holy Qur’an, Vol. 3. Lucknow, India: Academy of Islamic Research and Publications, Nadwatul Ulama. p. 457

[28] Ibid. p. 458

[29] Shabbir Ahmed Usmani (n.d.). The Noble Quran: Tafseer-e-Usmani (Mohammad Ashfaq Ahmad, trans.). Lahore, Pakistan: Aalameen Publications. pp. 1857-1858

[30] Abi Ja’far Muhammad bin Jarir al-Tabari (1999). Jami’ al-Bayan fi Ta’wil al-Qur’an, Vol. 10. Beirut, Lebanon: Darul Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah. p. 329

[31] Abdullah al-Bustani (1992). Bil Bustan Mu’jam Lughawi Mutawwal. Beirut, Lebanon: Maktabah Lubnan. p. 616

[32] Rohi Baalbaki (1996). Al-Mawrid, Qamus ‘Arabi – Inkiliziyya: A Modern Arabic-English Dictionary. Beirut, Lebanon: Darul ‘Ilm lil Malayin. p. 698

[33] Penrice, J. (1971). A Dictionary and Glossary of the Koran, with Copious Grammatical References and Explanations of the Text (Original published in 1873). London: Curzon Press. p. 85

[34] Watt, W. M. (2008). Companion to the Qur’an: Based on the Arberry Translation, Vol. 10. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 195

[35] Syed Abul A’la Maududi (1992). The Meaning of the Qur’an, Vol. VIII. Lahore, Pakistan: Islamic Publications (Pvt.) Limited. p. 141

[36] Muhammad al-Ghazali (2005). A Thematic Commentary on the Qur’an (Ashur A. Shamis, trans.). Herndon, Virginia: International Institute of Islamic Thought. p. 462

[37] Leaman, O. (Ed.). (2006). The Qur’an: an Encyclopedia. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. p. 565

[38] Abdru Rashid Siddiqui (2008). Qur’anic Keywords: A Reference Guide. Leicstershire, U.K. : The Islamic Foundation. pp. 203-204

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Its sad Christians rely solely on English translation and keep persisting they

have the correct meaning. Take for Example Surah 33:56, Christians claim it means God prays? Now without going all grammatical like many of our dear brothers have let us use the Qur’an to show them how weak this claim is. Their claim is God prays. According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church pp. 1315 states: "Prayer, properly speaking, is a petition which we make to God for the things we pertain for our salvation"

 

If prayer is speaking to God, then the alleged claim made by Christians carries no weight as we shall see In Shaa Allah. Here are a few verses from the Qur’an that annihilate this ridiculous, ludicrous, absurd claim.

 

O mankind! You are needful of God; and He is the Self Sufficient, the Praised. (Surah 35:15)

 

 You cannot overpower Allah, neither on the earth nor in the heaven. None can protect you from Allah nor come to your aid against Him. (Surah 29:22)

 

He has no fear of consequences. (Surah 91:15)

 

“God is beyond need of you” (Surah 39:7)

 

 "Say, “Who can prevent God, if He willed, from annihilating the Christ son of Mary, and his mother, and everyone on earth?” (Surah 5:17)

 

 

If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: If He forsakes you, who is there, after that, that can help you? in Allah, then, Let believers put their trust. (Surah 3:160)

 

 

Allah Swt is Self-Sufficient, He fear no consequences, no one can prevent him from annihilating everyone on earth, Only Allah Swt can help you no one else. How then could you even have the thought He; Allah Almighty would pray when he is Self-Sufficient and not in need of any of anyone. The Qur’an has refuted the lies.

It was narrated from Nu'man bin Bashir that :

 

the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: "Indeed the supplication is the worship." Then he recited: "And your Lord said: Invoke Me, I will respond to you."

 

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ ذَرِّ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، عَنْ يُسَيْعٍ الْكِنْدِيِّ، عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏"‏ إِنَّ الدُّعَاءَ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ ثُمَّ قَرَأَ ‏{وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ}‏ ‏.‏

Grade:		Sahih (Darussalam)
	Reference		: Sunan Ibn Majah 3828
	In-book reference		: Book 34, Hadith 2
	English translation		: Vol. 5, Book 34, Hadith 3828

“I will make you into a great nation,  and I will bless you; (Genesis 12:2) The Hebrew word used for bless is בְּרַךְ bᵊraḵ. One of the meaning of בְּרַךְ is Kneeling down in prayer. Can we say when Muslims are blessing Abraham the god of OT is kneeling down praying to them.