The Sahabah

Q 1: Is it permissible upon mentioning the name of one of the Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet) to say, “Peace and blessings be upon him” instead of “May Allah be pleased with him”?

A: It is permissible to say, “Peace be upon him” upon mentioning a Sahaby (Companion of the Prophet) or some other person, for Imam Al-Bukhari reported in his Sahih (Book of Authentic Hadith), under the chapter on “Sending peace and blessings on other than the Prophet (peace be upon him)” and Allah’s saying: ...and invoke Allâh for them. Verily, your invocations are a source of security for them on the authority of the following chain of narration starting by Sulayman ibn Harb who narrated it from Shu‘bah, from `Amr ibn Murrah, from Ibn Abu Awfa, who said, Whenever a man brought his Sadaqah (i.e., Zakah; obligatory charity) to the Prophet (peace be upon him), he used to say, ‘O Allah! Send Your Peace and Blessings on him.’ Once my father brought his Sadaqah to him, and he said, ‘O Allah! Send Your Peace and Blessings on the family of Abu Awfa.’ (Part No. 4; Page No. 397) However, it should not be taken as a catchphrase for some people, nor should it be used for the Sahabah or anyone else on a regular basis. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said this for some people when they paid their Zakah or for other reasons, such as their knowledge or virtue, but he did not do it as a habit. It is better to say, “May Allah be pleased with him” when a Sahaby’s name is mentioned (may Allah be pleased with them all).May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.