He—may Allah preserve him—replied: Indeed, following the exact wording transmitted from the Prophet is preferable. One may not say, “Perhaps he omitted the title out of humility,” just as he did not himself say “salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam” whenever he mentioned his own name, whereas his community is encouraged to do so every time he is mentioned. For if adding the word sayyid (master) were superior, it would have been reported from the Companions and then from the Followers, yet we have not encountered a single trace in which any Companion or Follower used it, despite the great number of reports on this invocation. Imam al-Shafi‘i—may Allah exalt his rank—who was among the people most devoted to honoring the Prophet, opens the preface of the book that is the cornerstone of his school with the words, “O Allah, bless Muhammad …,” concluding with: “as often as those who remember him remember, and as often as the heedless fail to remember him.” He seems to have derived this from the sound hadith containing the phrase “Subhana Allah ‘adada khalqihi” (Glory be to Allah as numerous as His creatures). It is authentically related that the Prophet said to the Mother of the Believers—having seen her engaging in prolonged glorification—“I have uttered after you a few words; if they were weighed against what you have said, they would outweigh them,” and then he mentioned that formula. The Prophet delighted in concise yet comprehensive supplications. Qadi ‘Iyad devoted a chapter in al-Shifa’ to the formulas of blessing upon the Prophet, recording several narrations traced back to groups of Companions and Followers; in none of them—whether from Companions or others—does the expression “our master” appear. Among these is the report from ‘Ali, who used to teach the people how to send blessings upon the Prophet, saying: “O Allah, Dahi al-madhuwat (Flattener of the spread-out lands), Bari al-masmukat (Creator of the vaulted heavens), place the foremost of Your blessings and the ever-increasing of Your salutations upon Muhammad, Your servant and Messenger, the opener of what was closed…”