Permissibility of Salawaat and Salaam (Darood Sharif) Standing

As salaamu ‘alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatuhu

The following is an excerpt from a larger excellent work entitled “The Shari’ah’s permissibility of Salawaaat and Salaam and related issues” By Ismail Ebrahim. A special thanks to my dear friend Sohail Abdul Habib . The information contained herein has not been edited. The complete article can be found here;

http://www.nooremadinah.net/Documents/YaMohammad/Salat-o-Salam/Salat-o-Salam.asp

 

Permissibility of Salawaat and Salaam (Darood Sharif) Standing

3)
QIYAAM : RECITING SALAWAT AND SALAAM WHILST RESPECTFULLY STANDING

Standing up (Qiyaam) whilst offering Salawat (Blessings) and Salaam (Salutations) to Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), in terms of religion is desirable and commendable (mustahab) according to the belief of the Ahl us-Sunnah. It is an act of happiness, respect and love, the origin of which is established from Shari’ah. This is the consensus of opinion of the entire Ulema of Ahl us-Sunnah. Furthermore, it is known that anyone who visits the Prophet (sallallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in Madina is obliged to stand in front of him with utmost respect at the time he gives him greetings and salutations. No scholar of Ahle Sunnah for over 1400 years has ever objected to it with a view to it being a bad Bid’a (innovation).
Qiyaam is of three kinds :

1 -Qiyaam-e-Musarrat, or standing up for a person as an expression of happiness,
2 -Qiyaam-e-Muhabbat, or standing up for a person as an expression of love, and
3 -Qiyaam-e-’Azmat or standing up in honor of a person.

The origin of Qiyaam-e-Musarrat is derived from the action of the companion of the Holy Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), as proved from the following Hadith :

Hadhrat Uthman (radi allahu ‘anhu) said, “The Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) passed away before we could ask him the solution to this problem.” Hadhrat Abu Bakr (radi allahu ‘anhu) said, “I have already asked him concerning this affair …” Then Hadhrat Uthman (radi allahu ‘anhu) said (upon hearing this glad tidings from Hadhrat Abu Bakr (radi allahu ‘anhu)), “I stood up for him.” (Sahih Bukhari)

Similarly, the origin of Qiyaam-e-Muhabbat is from the following Hadith:

Hadhrat Aisha Siddiqa (radi allahu ‘anha) has narrated :

“I have never encountered anyone that had emulated the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in manner, likeness and speech [and with another chain of narrators : I have never seen anyone even come near her with the above qualities] more than Fatima (radi allahu ‘anha), may Allah honor her face. When she came in to visit him (the Prophet) he got up to (welcome) her, took her by the hand, kissed her and made her sit where he was sitting; and when he went in to visit her, she got up to (welcome) him, took him by the hand, kissed him, and made him sit where she was sitting”. (Sunan Abu Dawood; Ash’atul Lama’aat) 
Similarly the origin of Qiyaam-e-’Azmat is derived from the following narration :

Narrated Abu Sa ‘id al-Khudri (radi allahu ‘anhu) : The people of (Banu) Quraiza agreed to accept the verdict of Sa’d bin Mu’adh. So the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) sent for Sa’ad, and the latter came (riding) a donkey and when he approached the Mosque, the Prophet(sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said to the Ansar, “Get up for your chief or for the best among you !” (Sahih Bukhaari, Vol. 5, Chapter 29, Hadith 447)

Indeed Hadhrat Sa’d (radi allahu ‘anhu) is worthy of such honor. Narrated Jabir (radi allahu ‘anhu) : I heard the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) saying, “The Throne (of Allah) shook at the death of Sa’ad bin Mu’adh.”

Allama Ibn Hajar Makki (rahmat allahi ‘alaih) states in Moulidatil Kabeer, “It is proven from Sunnah to stand for others besides the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), thus in honor of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) it is permissible in the first instance. The proof hereof is the command to stand the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) gave in respect of Sa’ad ibn Muadh.”

Imam Nawawi (rahmat allahi ‘alaih) holds the same view (in his commentary of this Hadith) and he even quotes the opinion of Qadi ‘Iyad (rahmat allahi ‘alaih). (See Sharh Sahih Muslim and al-Tarkhis for Imam Nawawi’s view on Qiyaam)

Also commenting on this Hadith Hadhrat Shaikh ‘Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dehlawi (rahmat allahi ‘alaih) writes, “A great number of eminent Ulema have taken this Hadith as proof in support of Qiyaam in Meelad.” (Ash atul Lama’aat) [For an opinion on the authenticity of Hadhrat Shaikh 'Abd al-Haqq Muhaddith (rahmat allahi 'alaih) we refer to Moulvi Ashraf 'Ali Thanwi who says, "Shah 'Abd al-Haqq Sahib used to have the blessed vision of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu 'alaihi wasallam) daily" and " ... Shaikh ('Abd al-Haqq) has a vast knowledge of Hadith"]

The Qiyaam during Mawlid an-Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) may represent the three kinds of Qiyaam as discussed above, because it is a manifestation of happiness, love and honor towards the occasion which is celebrated to thank Allah for his arrival. However, the ‘ulama have also collectively designated these Qiyaam as Qiyaam-e-Tazimi, i.e. standing up in honor, love and happiness of a person, and in this case, to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). 

In a Hadith reported by Hadhrath Abu Huraira (radi allahu ‘anhu), he says, “The Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was seated with us in the mosque and speaking to us. When he rose to depart, we all rose with him and remained standing until he entered any of the houses of his Blessed Wives.” (Mishkaat- Kitabul-Adaab, Babul Qiyaam, Page 403)

Usama ibn Sharik (radi allahu ‘anhu) narrates : “I came to see the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) while his Companions were with him, and they seemed as still as if birds had alighted on top of their heads. I gave him my Salaam and I sat down. [Then Bedouins came and asked questions which the Prophet answered.] … The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then stood up and the PEOPLE STOOD UP. They began to kiss his hand, whereupon I took his hand and placed it on my face. I found it more fragrant than musk and cooler than sweet water.”(Narrated by Abu Dawud [#3855], Ti[2038 - hasan sahih], Ibn Majah [3436], al-Hakim [4:399], and Ahmad [4:278]. Al- Hafiz Imam Bayhaqi cites it in Branch 15 of his Su’ab ul-iman entitled : The Fifteenth Branch of Faith, Namely A Chapter On Rendering honor To The Prophet, Declaring His High Rank, And Revering Him Vol. 2 p.200 [#1528])

Narrated ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar (radi allahu ‘anhu): Ibn ‘Umar (radi allahu ‘anhu) was sent with a detachment by the Apostle of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). The people wheeled round in flight. He said : I was one of those who wheeled round in flight. When we stopped we said : What should we do? We have run away from the battlefield and deserve Allah’s wrath. Then we said: Let us enter Madinah, stay there, and go there while no one sees us. So we entered the city and thought : If we present ourselves before Allah’s Apostle, and if there is a change of repentance for us, we shall stay; if there is something else, we shall go away. So we sat down (waiting)for the Apostle of Allah before the dawn prayer. When he came out, WE STOOD UP TO HIM and said : We are the ones who have fled. He turned to us and said : No, you are the ones who return to fight after wheeling away. We then approached and kissed his hand, and he said : I am the main body of the Muslims. (Abu Dawud, Book 14 [Jihad], Number 2641) This Hadith is also found in al-Abhari; in the book of al-hafiz Ibn Muqri on standing up and kissing the hand out of respect; in the Adab al- Mufrad of Imam Bukhaari (Chapter on kissing the Hand and Chapter on Kissing the Foot), in Ibn Maja (Adab), in Bayhaqi’s Dala’il an-Nubuwwa, and in the Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal)

Jabir (radi allahu ‘anhu) said: “`Umar ibn al-Khattab GOT UP and kissed the hand of Allah’s Messenger.” Ibn al-Muqri’ narrates it in al-Rukhsa (p. 71 #11) and although its chain contains `Ubayd Allah ibn Sa`id who is weak, Ibn Hajar included it among Ibn al-Muqri’s good narrations (min jayyidiha) on the subject (Fath al-Bari 11:66). Tabari narrates it mursal [missing the Companion-link] through al-Suddi in his Tafsir in commenting on verse 5:101: “Do not ask of things which once shown to you would hurt you” with the wording: “`Umar ibn al-Khattab GOT UP and kissed the foot of Allah’s Messenger and said: O Messenger of Allah, we are pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our religion, and with Muhammad as our Prophet, and with the Qur’an as our Book. Forgive, and Allah will forgive you (fa`fu `afallahu `anka). And he did not cease until the Prophet softened.” 

It is mentioned in Hisn-al-Haseen, on the basis of several Ahaadith, “When any man enters a masjid he should say, ‘With Allah’s name. And Salutations be on His Rasool (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)’”

Allama Sakhawi (rahmat allahi ‘alaih) has narrated from the Hadith of Hadhrat Ali (radi allahu ‘anhu), “Whenever you enter the masjid, recite Durood for Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)” - and has also quoted a Hadith narrated by Hadhrat Fathima (radi allahu ‘anha), the daughter of Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) who said, “Whenever Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) entered the masjid he recited first Durood and Salaam for Hadhrat Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) (i.e. upon Himself) … “ 
Those that are antagonistic to Qiyaam and also claim to follow the Sunnah are therefore according to this Hadith advised to recite Durood and Salaam when entering the Masjid. Adherence to this Sunnah would mean that the antagonists would be hypocritically sending Salawat and Salaam to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) whilst standing. Non-adherence of this Sunnah makes their claim of being the ardent followers of Rasoolullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) without substance !

Those that masquerade as the “true upholders” of the Sunnah, by claiming to follow the footsteps of the Sahaaba-e-Kiraam and continuously misquoting the Ahaadith of the Blessed Companions of Rasoolullah (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam) should take cognizance of the following Hadith:

Once Hadhrath Ka’ab (radi allahu ‘anhu) said to Hadhrath Abu Huraira (radi allahu ‘anhu), “I am telling you two things which you should not forget. One, whenever you enter a musjid recite Salawat for the Holy Prophet (sallalahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and then this Du’aa, ‘O Allah forgive me my sins and open for me the doors of Thy Mercy !’”