Salat al-Nabi al-Ummi
Salat al-Nabi al-Ummi (Arabic: صلاة النبي الأمي; “The Prayer of the Primordial Prophet”) is a concise prayer upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ cited by Imam al-Ghazali in Ihya Ulum al-Din. It is especially recommended for recitation on Fridays and has been praised by later scholars and spiritual masters for its many reported virtues, including forgiveness and the hope of seeing the Prophet ﷺ through its regular recitation.
Read lessArabic, Transliteration and Translation
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ ❁
Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammadin ʿabdika wa-nabiyyika n-nabiyyi l-ummiyy.
O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad, Your slave and Your Prophet, the primordial Prophet.
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Version 2 (with additional wording)
In this version of this prayer, the wording includes the additional phrase “and upon his family and his companions, and grant them peace.”
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ ❁
Allāhumma ṣalli ʿalā Muḥammadin ʿabdika wa-nabiyyika n-nabiyyi l-ummiyyi wa-ʿalā ālihi wa-ṣaḥbihi wa-sallim.
O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad, Your slave and Your Prophet, the primordial Prophet, and upon his Family and his Companions, and grant them peace.
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About Salat al-Nabi al-Ummi
This prayer is mentioned in several classical works on the virtues of sending blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, including Ihya Ulum al-Din by Imam al-Ghazali, Bustan al-Fuqara by Imam al-Yafi’i, and the Ghunya of Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. It was also transmitted by later scholars and spiritual masters who encouraged its regular recitation.
Imam al-Ghazali relates in Ihya Ulum al-Din that the Prophet ﷺ said:
Whoever sends prayers upon me 80 times on Friday will have the sins of 80 years forgiven.
When the Companions asked how they should send these prayers upon him, the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have instructed them to say:
O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad, Your servant and prophet, the Primordial Prophet.
Shaykh al-Adawi transmits from Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi:
Whoever remains constant in reciting this Salawat 50 times during each day and night will not leave this world before being brought together with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ while awake.
Shaykh al-Adawi also relates from Imam al-Yafi’i in Bustan al-Fuqara:
Whoever recites this prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ 1,000 times on a Friday will, that same evening, see his Lord, see the Prophet ﷺ, or be shown his place in Paradise. If none of these occurs, he should continue the practice for 2, 3, or 5 consecutive Fridays.
Another version of the Salawat adds:
And upon his family and companions, and grant them peace.
The Ghunya of Shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani records a report from Abu Hurayrah I in which the Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said:
Whoever performs 2 units of prayer on Friday evening, reciting Surah al-Fatihah and Ayat al-Kursi once in each unit, followed by Surah al-Ikhlas 15 times, and then recites, “O Allah, send prayers upon Muhammad, the primordial Prophet,” 1,000 times after completing the prayer, will see me in a dream before the following Friday. Whoever sees me has been given the glad tidings of Paradise, and his earlier and later sins will be forgiven.
Reported Virtues
The regular recitation of Salat al-Nabi al-Ummi is associated with the following benefits:
- Forgiveness of sins through abundant recitation.
- Being brought together with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ while awake.
- Seeing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a dream.
- Being shown one’s place in Paradise.
- Glad tidings of Paradise through seeing the Prophet ﷺ in a dream.
Recommended Recitation
The following recitations have been recommended for particular purposes:
- For the forgiveness of sins: Recite 80 times on Friday.
- To be brought together with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ while awake: Recite 50 times during each day and night.
- To see the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a dream or be shown one’s place in Paradise: Recite 1,000 times on Friday. If none of these occurs, continue the practice for 2, 3, or 5 consecutive Fridays.
- To see the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in a dream before the following Friday: On Friday evening, perform 2 units of prayer, reciting Surah al-Fatihah and Ayat al-Kursi once in each unit, followed by Surah al-Ikhlas 15 times, then recite this Salawat 1,000 times.
