The scholars explain that the phrase means: “Admit his followers to the most severe torment,” that being their first punishment, just as the Exalted says, “He will lead his people on the Day of Resurrection and bring them to the Fire; what an evil watering-place they are brought to” (Q 11:98).

Concerning the words, “just as You sent blessings upon Abraham and upon the family of Abraham,” the particle “as” (kāf) here serves a causal function; it is a form of seeking nearness to Allah by invoking His previous acts so that He may perform similar acts thereafter. In other words, just as You bestowed Your ṣalāt upon Abraham and his family, bestow it upon Muhammad and his family ﷺ. It is therefore causal, not comparative, which removes the difficulty raised by some scholars—may Allah have mercy on them—who asked: How can the ṣalāt upon Muhammad ﷺ and his family be put on a par with the ṣalāt upon Abraham and his family when Muhammad is nobler than all the prophets, peace be upon them? The answer is that the kāf is for causation, not for likeness.

“Indeed, You are Ḥamīd, Majīd.” Ḥamīd means “Praiseworthy,” while Majīd means “Glorious”; majd denotes greatness, sovereignty, honor, power, and the like.

Likewise, one says: “O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You blessed Abraham and the family of Abraham; indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.” To invoke tabrīk (blessing) is to say: “O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad,” meaning: send down upon them barakah (abundant, far-reaching, lasting good), just as You blessed Abraham and his family—“Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.”

This is the ṣalāt upon the Prophet ﷺ and his family in its most excellent form. If, however, you confine yourself to saying, “O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad,” as many scholars have done