Their saying “O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad as much as the perfection of Allaah”

Question

Praise be to Allah.

Firstly:

Among the adhkaar that are prescribed after prayer are:
tasbeeh (“Subhaan-Allaah”), tahmeed (“al-hamdu Lillaah”), takbeer (“Allaahu
akbar”) and tahleel (“laa ilaaha ill-Allaah”), because of the report
narrated by Muslim (596) from Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah , that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Dhikrs after the
prayer, the one who says them or does them will not be disappointed:
thirty-three tasbeehahs, thirty-three tahmeedahs and thirty-four takbeerahs
after every prayer.”

Muslim also narrated (597) from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Whoever glorifies Allaah thirty-three times after every prayer, and praises
Allaah thirty-three times, and magnifies Allaah thirty-three times, making
ninety-nine, and completes it by saying, ‘There is no god but Allaah alone,
with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, to Him be praise, and He
is Able to do all things,’ his sins will be forgiven even if they are like
the foam of the sea.”

In al-Saheehayn it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah that
the poor among the Muhaajireen came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: The people of great wealth
have taken the highest ranks and eternal bliss. He said: “Why is that?” They
said: They pray as we pray and they fast as we fast, but they give in
charity and we do not, and they free slaves and we do not. The Messenger of
Allaah (S) said: “Shall I not teach you something by means of which you may
catch up with those who have gone ahead of you and go ahead of those who
come after you, and there will be no one who is better than you except those
who do as you do?” They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allaah. He said: “Glorify
Allaah, magnify Him and praise Him at the end of every prayer, thirty-three
times.” Abu Saalih said: The poor Muhaajreen went back to the Messenger of
Allaah (S) and said: Our wealthy brothers have heard what we did and they
did likewise. The Messenger of Allaah (S) said: “That is a bounty from
Allaah; He gives it to whomever He wills.”

Al-Bukhaari (843) and Muslim (595).

This great dhikr should be recited by each person
individually. Reciting it in unison, led by the muezzin or imam or anyone
else is a bid’ah (innovation), because it is a manner that is not narrated
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the
scholars have drawn attention to that.

Al-Shaafa’i (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: I think that
the imam and the person praying behind him should remember Allaah after they
finish the prayer and they should recite the dhikr quietly, unless he is the
imam who should be learned from, in which case he may recite it out loud
until he thinks that they have learned from him, then he should recite it
quietly. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And offer your Salaah (prayer) neither aloud nor in a low
voice”

[al-Isra’ 17:110]

This refers – and Allaah knows best – to du’aa’
(supplication), which should be recited “neither aloud” in a loud voice nor
“in a low voice” such that you cannot hear yourself.

The evidence for that is what Ibn al-Zubayr narrated about
the tahleel of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and what Ibn ‘Abbaas narrated about his takbeer, as we have quoted above.
Al-Shaafa’i said:

I think that he may raise his voice a little in order for the
people to learn from him, because most of the reports that we have written
here and elsewhere do not mention reciting tahleel or takbeer after the
salaam. End quote from al-Umm (1/127).

Al-Shaatibi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Bid’ah
(innovation) refers to something that is newly invented in matters of
religion that appears similar to that which is prescribed, by which people
intend to go to extremes in worshipping Allaah, may He be glorified. That
includes adhering to certain forms of worship, such as reciting dhikr in a
group, in unison, or taking the day of the Prophet’s birth as a festival,
and so on.

That also includes adhering to certain acts of worship at
certain times, for which there is no evidence in sharee’ah, such as always
fasting on the fifteenth of Sha’baan (al-nusf min Sha’baan) and spending
that night in prayer. End quote from al-I’tisaam (1/37-39).

Shaykh Jamaal al-Deen al-Qaasimi (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said: In some mosques, when the imam says the salaam at the end of the
obligatory prayer of ‘Asr, the muezzin shouts ameen and recites a du’aa’
loudly after that, and in some mosques when the imam says the salaam, the
followers start to recite blessings on the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) with “al-salaah al-kamaaliyyah” [the format
referred to in the question] out loud. This is contrary to sharee’ah,
because the Sunnah is, immediately after the prayer, to recite silently the
du’aa’s that have been narrated, each worshipper reciting by himself.
Similarly, the etiquette of du’aa’ is to keep the voice low. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret”

[al-A’raaf 7:55]

These people are turning away from humility and secrecy by
means of their shouting and yelling. End quote from Islaah al-Masaajid
min al-Bida’ wa’l-‘Awaa’id, p. 154.

Shaykh ‘Ali Mahfooz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: A
kind of reprehensible bid’ah is ending the prayer in the well known manner,
raising the voice with the du’aa’ in the mosque, reciting it in unison and
doing it regularly, to the extent that a lot of people think that this is
part of praying properly, and that it is Sunnah and is essential, although
it is mustahabb to recite du’aa’ individually and quietly.

This format is innovated, and it is not known from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from
the Sahaabah. The people have taken it as a part of the obligatory prayer,
to be done after praying in congregation.

How can it be permissible to raise one’s voice in reciting
it, when Allaah, may He be exalted, says in His wise Book (interpretation of
the meaning):

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secret. He likes
not the aggressors”

[al-A’raaf 7:55]?

Reciting quietly is closer to sincerely and further-removed
from showing off. End quote from al-Ibdaa’ fi Madaar al-Ibtidaa’, p.
283.

In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (7/98) it says:

Question: The people differed with regard to reciting du’aa’
in unison after the regular Sunnah prayers. One group says that there is no
report concerning that from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) or from the Sahaabah, and if it was good they would have done
it before us, because they were the keenest of people to follow the truth.
Another group says that reciting du’aa’ in unison after the regular Sunnah
prayers is mustahabb and even Sunnah because it is dhikr and worship and no
dhikr or worship can be anything less than mustahabb and Sunnah. They
criticize those who do not wait for the du’aa’ and get up straight after
praying.

Answer: Du’aa’ is an act of worship, and acts of worship are
based on tawqeef (adhering only to that which is mentioned in Qur’aan and
Sunnah). So it is not permissible to say that an act of worship is
prescribed – with regard to its principle, number, form or place except with
proper shar’i evidence. We do not know of any Sunnah concerning that which
was narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), whether in word or deed, or his approval, which would point to the
claim made by the second group. All goodness is in following the guidance of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and his
guidance with regard to this matter is proven with evidence of what he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do after prayer, and
what his successors (the caliphs) and companions and the Taabi’een and those
who followed them in goodness also used to do. Whoever introduces anything
that goes against the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) will have it rejected. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever does any deed that is not in
accordance with this matter of ours will have it rejected.” The imam who
says du’aa’ after the prayer and the congregation says ameen to his du’aa’,
all of them raising their hands, should be asked for evidence to support his
action, otherwise it is to be rejected, The same applies to one who does
that after naafil prayers; he should be asked for evidence as Allaah says
concerning such things (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad), Produce your proof if you are truthful”

[al-Baqarah 2:111]

We do not know of any evidence from the Qur’aan or Sunnah
which suggests that what the second group claims is prescribed in Islam,
namely reciting du’aa’ together and reciting dhikr in the manner mentioned
in the question. End quote.

Conclusion: Reciting dhikr in unison, whether it is tasbeeh
or blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) – in any form – is not Sunnah, rather it is a bid’ah and innovation.

Secondly:

Al-salaah al-kamaaliyyah, which is “O Allaah, send blessing
and peace and bless our master Muhammad and his family, as much as the
perfection of Allaah and as befits His perfection” is not narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from any of his
companions (may Allaah be pleased with them), and it is not the best form of
sending blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) as some people think. Rather the best form of sending blessings is
that which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
taught to his companions, which is al-salaah al-Ibraaheemiyyah.

al-Bukhaari (6357) and Muslim (406) narrated that ‘Abd
al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Layla said: Ka’b ibn ‘Ujrah met me and said: Shall I not
give you a gift? The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) came out to us and we said, We know what it means to send
salaam upon you, but what does it mean to send blessings upon you? He said:
“Say: Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala aali Muhammadin kama
salayta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed; Allaahumma baarik ‘ala
Muhammadin wa ‘ala aali Muhammadin kama baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka
hameedun majeed (O Allaah, send Your salaah (grace, honour and
mercy) upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your
salaah upon the family of Ibraaheem, You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most
Glorious. O Allaah, send Your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of
Muhammad, as You sent Your blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem, You are
indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious).”

Al-Bukhaari (3369) and Muslim (407) narrated from Abu Humayd
al-Saa’idi (may Allaah be pleased with him) that they said: O Messenger of
Allaah, how should we send blessings upon you? He said: “Say: Allaahumma
salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala azwaajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama salayta ‘ala
Ibraaheem, wa baarik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala azwaajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama
baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed (O Allaah, send
Your salaah (grace, honour and mercy) upon Muhammad and upon his
wives and offspring, as You sent Your salaah upon Ibraaheem, and send
Your blessings upon Muhammad and upon his wives and offspring, as You sent
Your blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem. You are indeed Praiseworthy,
Most Glorious).”

Al-Suyooti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Haraz
al-Manee’: I read in al-Tabaqaat by al-Taaj al-Subki a quotation
from his father that said: The best manner of sending blessings upon the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is the way that is
mentioned in the Tashahhud.

He said: Whoever says this has definitely sent blessings upon
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but whoever
says any other version, there is some doubt as to whether he has recited the
blessings as required, because they said: “How should we send blessings upon
you?” and he said: “Say…” so he stated that blessings upon him should be
sent by saying that.

Al-Suyooti said: When I grew old, when I sent blessings upon
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) I would say: O
Allaah, send blessings and peace upon Muhammad and upon the family of
Muhammad as You sent blessings and peace upon Ibraaheem and upon the family
of Ibraaheem. You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. It was said to me
in a dream: Are you more knowledgeable of the meaning of words and more
eloquent than the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
If there was not some extra meaning in the version spoken by the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) he would not have preferred
that? So I asked Allaah for forgiveness for that, and I went back to the
preferred version at times when it is obligatory and mustahabb.

And he said: If a person has sworn to send blessings upon him
in the best manner, then the best thing is to do that. End quote from
al-Sunan wa’l-Mutada’aat by Muhammad ‘Abd al-Salaam al-Shuqayri, p. 232.
The words of al-Taaj al-Subki appear in Tabaqaat al-Shaafa’iyyah al-Kubra
(1/185).

Thirdly:

Al-salaah al-kamaaliyyah contains something that goes against
sharee’ah, when it says “as much as the perfection of Allaah”. The apparent
meaning of the phrase (in Arabic, ‘adada kamal Allaah) is that the
perfection of Allaah, may He be exalted, is limited by number. Hence some of
the scholars stated that this prayer is not allowed, as we shall see below.
The same applies to their saying “the number of the names of Allaah”,
because the names of Allaah are not limited to a specific number, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “I ask You by
every name by which You have called Yourself or You have taught to anyone of
Your creation or You have revealed in Your Book or You have kept secret in
the knowledge of the Unseen which is with You.” Narrated by Ahmad (3704).

Ibn ‘Aabideen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his
Haashiyah (6/396): You should avoid using such phrases as “O Allaah,
send blessings upon Muhammad as much as Your knowledge and forbearance, to
the extent of Your mercy, as many as Your Words, and much as the perfection
of Allaah,” and so on, because this may suggest than a divine attribute has
many forms or that there is a limit to His knowledge, especially phrases
such as “as much as Your knowledge, as much as You can hear,as much as Your
words”, because there is no limit to His knowledge or mercy, or to His
words. The word ‘adad (translated as “as much as” or “as many as”) etc
suggests something other than that. I read the commentary by al-‘Allaamah
al-Fasi on the book Dalaa’il al-Khayraat, where he discussed this issue. He
said: The scholars differed as to whether it is permissible to use phrases
that may be misinterpreted for those who will not misinterpret them, or to
use phrases that may be easily interpreted in the proper manner. A number of
scholars selected certain ways of sending blessings on the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said that they are the best
ways of sending blessing, such as Shaykh ‘Afeef al-Deen al-Yaafa’i,
al-Sharaf al-Baarazi and al-Baha’ ibn al-Qattaan, and it was narrated from
him by his student al-Maqdisi. End quote. I say: the words of our imams
imply that that is not allowed, except in the words narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), according to the
view favoured by the faqeeh. And Allaah knows best. End quote.

As stated above, the manner of sending blessing that you
mentioned is not Sunnah, even if it is reciting al-salaah
al-Ibraaheemiyyah.

May Allaah help us and you to do that which He loves and
which pleases Him.

And Allaah knows best.