Salawat is invoking Allah's blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad. Durood is another commonly used name for this practice. Learn a transmitted wording with its meaning and keep different narrated versions distinct.
Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin kama sallayta ‘ala ali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin kama barakta ‘ala ali Ibrahima innaka Hamidun Majid.
O Allah, bestow blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You bestowed blessings upon the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed the family of Ibrahim. You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
Context and use
Some salawat formulas are taught for prayer, while sending blessings also appears in guidance for other occasions. The text and its use should be considered together.
Sunni school differences
Sunni schools discuss the place and legal status of salawat within the final sitting of salah. A single wording example does not establish every school's requirement. Learn the prayer procedure through your own qualified teacher.
What salawat expresses
Salawat is directed to Allah, asking Him to bestow blessings upon the Prophet. It is not a request addressed to the Prophet to independently grant a worldly result.
A well-known transmitted example is in Sahih al-Bukhari 6357. It mentions Muhammad and his family and compares the requested blessings with blessings upon the family of Ibrahim.
Keep the narrated version intact
In this particular reference, the comparison names the family of Ibrahim. Other familiar versions have longer wording. A difference may reflect a separate narration rather than an error.
Learn one checked version first. If you use another, retain its own source. Combining two versions may produce meaningful words, but the combination should not be labelled the exact wording of one hadith.
Where salawat appears
Sunan Abi Dawud 1481, displayed Sahih (Al-Albani), teaches blessings upon the Prophet in the etiquette of supplication. Abi Dawud 1047, also displayed Sahih (Al-Albani), encourages salawat on Friday.
These are distinct settings. Do not attach a special prosperity guarantee or numerical routine to them without checking the separate evidence.
Learning it with understanding
Read the meaning before trying to memorise a long form. Divide the prayer into its request for blessings and its request for blessing or increase in good. Practise slowly with help on the Arabic consonants.
Translations of devotional language may use different English terms. Compare the underlying Arabic rather than assuming that one English wording is itself the prescribed prayer.
Common questions
Are salawat and durood different practices? The words commonly refer to invoking blessings upon the Prophet; check the actual formula being used.
Must every version be identical? Transmitted variants exist. Their references should remain clear.
Can a long formula guarantee a specific result? Do not treat an unsourced advertised benefit as an established promise.