and Glorious. And bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You blessed the family of Abraham. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.”

As for someone other than the Prophet invoking blessings upon another person independently—for example, saying, “May Allah send blessings upon Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthmān, or Alī”—there are two views.

The first is that this is permissible. Ahmad explicitly stated this on several occasions, citing as evidence that Alī said to Umar, “May Allah send blessings upon you.” This is the position of most of his followers, including Judge Abū Yaʿlā, Ibn Aqīl, and Shaykh Abd al-Qādir, who mentioned no disagreement concerning it.

The second is that this is not permissible, as stated by a group of Mālik’s and al-Shāfiʿī’s followers and also reported from the two imams themselves. This is the position mentioned by our grandfather, Abū al-Barakāt, in his large work; he mentioned no other view. He cited as evidence what a number of narrators reported from Ibn Abbās, who said: “I do not know of anyone upon whom it is appropriate for anyone to invoke blessings other than the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.”

Those who disallow it say: “As for his invoking blessings upon others, blessings are his due, so he may grant them to others. As for invoking blessings upon others together with him, something may be permissible in a subsidiary capacity that is not permissible in its own right.”

Those who permit it cite the two rightly guided caliphs, Umar and Alī, and the fact that neither the Quran nor the Sunnah contains any prohibition of it. However, invoking blessings upon anyone else is not obligatory as it is in the case of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. His particular distinction therefore lies in its being commanded and obligatory, not in its being permissible and recommended.

They said: “It is also established that