Salutations when the Prophet's Name is Taken
Question
Is it compulsory to say "peace be upon him" after saying a prophet's name, for example Muhammad's?
Response
Quran says:
In this verse, Quran has asked believers to send blessings and salutations upon the Prophet (pbuh). However, Quran has not directly specified whether it is required to be said everytime the name of the Prophet (pbuh) is taken or not. Since this information is missing, the scholars have held different opinions regarding the frequency and compulsion of sending salutations. There are a few narrations ascribed to the Prophet (pbuh) in which he seems to have stressed the importance of sending salutations upon him whenever his name is taken.
I agree with the opinion that the style of the verse and especially the phrase "God and His angels send salutations on the prophet" suggest that one should increase their this act as much as they can.
I personally believe that when sending salutations, one should try to bring the real purpose, the spirit and the meaning of the phrase used to send salutations in one's mind. In other words, when one says the phrase "peace be upon him" or the Arabic equivalent, which technically translates to "God send blessings and peace upon him and his supporters/followers", one should keep in mind that we ask God to send the blessings on the Prophet (pbuh) for his bringing the Message to this world, providing us with a way to succeed in the Hereafter, and mostly for the fact that only God can reward his efforts and we cannot do that in any way. We also send blessings upon the Prophet's (pbuh) supporters who supported him during his lifetime through the most difficult of times, and his followers who continue to the current day and include us too.
