a gathering of water, which only occurs where there is abundance, settlement, and permanence. Accordingly, blessing is the abundance, lastingness, and continuity of goodness. It includes blessing in one’s deeds and blessing in their effects.

As for blessing in one’s deeds: it is for Allah to grant a person success in deeds for which one deprived of blessing is not granted success.

As for blessing in their effects: it is for one’s deeds to have great and beneficial effects from which people benefit. There is no doubt that the blessing of the Prophet ﷺ has no equal. This is because his community is the largest of all communities, and because their striving in goodness exceeds that of others. Thus, blessing was granted to him ﷺ in those who follow him, and blessing was granted to him in the deeds of those who follow him.

His statement, “and upon the family of Muhammad, just as You sent blessings upon the family of Abraham”: it has preceded that when the term “family” is mentioned on its own, it includes all followers. Thus, what is meant by his family is his followers. The evidence that “family” can mean followers has already been mentioned: Allah Most High says, “And on the Day the Hour is established, admit the people of Pharaoh into the severest punishment” [Ghafir 40:46]—that is, his followers.

However, when “family” is coupled with “companions” and “followers,” it refers to the believers among his relatives from the tribe of Banu Hashim and those descended from them, because the family extends to the fourth grandfather.

There is nothing surprising in a word having one meaning when used independently and another when used together with another term. For example, the terms “needy person” and “poor person” have the same meaning when used separately, but each has its own meaning when they are used together. The same applies to righteousness and God-consciousness: each has its own meaning when coupled together, while their meanings coincide when mentioned separately.