and the words “and greet him with peace” mean: salute him with the greeting of Islam. Hence, when one invokes blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ he must couple the blessing (ṣalāh) with the greeting of peace (salām) and not be content with only one of them. He should neither say, “May Allah send blessings upon him” by itself, nor say, “Peace be upon him” by itself, for Allah the Exalted has commanded both together.

Invoking blessings upon him ﷺ is prescribed at specific times in which the request is particularly stressed—some occasions render it obligatory, others make it a strongly recommended sunnah. Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH), in his book Jalāʾ al-Afhām, listed forty-one such occasions. He began with what he called “the first and most important occasion: during the final tashahhud of the prayer,” concerning which the Muslims unanimously agree on its legitimacy, even though they differ over whether it is obligatory there (1). He then mentioned further occasions: after finishing the qunūt, in sermons—such as the Friday sermon, the two ʿEid sermons, and the sermon for the rain-seeking prayer—after answering the call of the muʾadhdhin, when making supplication, upon entering and leaving the mosque, and whenever his blessed name ﷺ is mentioned. He also detailed the fruits that accrue from invoking blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, enumerating forty distinct benefits (2).