A calligraphic composition by Hâfiz Osman which used the honorific Islamic suffix phrase «صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ سَلَّم», meaning 'May God send His mercy and blessings upon him', after referring to the Prophet Muhammad.
Islamic honorifics are Arabic phrases, abbreviations, and titles that mostly appear as prefixes before or suffixes after the names of people who have had a special mission from God in the Islamic world or have done important work towards these missions.[1] In Islamic writings, these honorific prefixes and suffixes come before and after the names of all the prophets and messengers (of whom there are 124,000 in Islam, the last of whom is the Prophet Muhammad),[2] the Imams (the Twelve Imams in Shia Islam), the infallibles in Shia Islam and the prominent individuals who followed them.[3][4][5][6] In the Islamic world, giving these respectful prefixes and suffixes is a tradition.[5]
Among the most important honorific prefixes used are Hadhrat (حَضرَت, lit.'a special person in the sight of God, a person who has a special mission from God, holiness, sainthood, excellency, majesty').[7][8][9] and Imam (اِمام, lit.'a person who has a special position with God, a person who receives religious guidance from God to convey to people, an Islamic leadership position, leader, fugleman, headman, pontiff, primate')[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]
Among the most important honorific suffixes used are «صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْه» (lit.'May God's blessings and peace be upon him') and «صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِه» (lit.'May God's blessings and peace be upon him and his household'), which these two suffix phrases used specifically for the Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islamic world, its abbreviation is also given in parentheses as «ص» in Arabic and "PBUH" in English after the name of the ProphetMuhammad.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] And the two suffix phrases «عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَام» (lit.'Peace be upon him', for male persons) and «عَلَيْهَا ٱلسَّلَام» (lit.'Peace be upon her', for female persons) are used when the name of each of the fourteen infallibles saints is mentioned or written in Islamic world and the most especially in the Shia Islam world,[30] its abbreviation is also given in parentheses as «ع» in Arabic and "AS" in English after the name of the fourteen infallibles.[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] And also the two suffix phrases «رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ» (lit.'God be pleased with him', for male persons) and «رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا» (lit.'God be pleased with her', for female persons) are used when the name of each of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad is mentioned or written in Islamic world and the most especially in the Sunni Islam world,[41] its abbreviation is also given in parentheses as «ر» in Arabic and "RA" in English after the name of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad.[42][43][44][45][46][47][48]
These glorifying expressions are also used for God Himself and His angels. Generally, for His angels, the phrase «عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَام» (lit.'Peace be upon him') is commonly used, and for God, usually His perfection attributes are used, such as the suffix «جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ» (lit.'The most exalted').[49][50][51]
Calligraphic Arabic text of the common kind of "Salawat": Arabic: «اللهم صل علی محمد و آل محمد», meaning "Blessings and peace be upon Muhammad and his family", in the handwriting of Shamsuddin Asaf Jahi
Formatting
Islamic honorifics are not abbreviated in Arabic-script languages (e.g. Arabic, Persian, Urdu)[58] given the rarity of acronyms and abbreviations in those languages, however, these honorifics are often abbreviated in other languages such as English, Spanish, and French. Common examples of these abbreviations include PBUH ('Peace be Upon Him')[59] and SWT (subhanahu wa-ta'ala, 'Glorified and Exalted').[60][61] Though these honorifics may be abbreviated in writing, they are never abbreviated in speech. Abbreviations often vary in letter case and use of periods.[62][63]
Arabic text of another shape of "Salawat": Arabic: «صَلَی اللهُ عَلَیه و سَلَّم», meaning "May God send His mercy and blessings upon him".
Honorifics, in Arabic or non-Arabic languages, can be written in multiple formats:[64][65]
Arabic text with Islamic honorifics
Example: "لقد شارك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كلام الله سبحانه وتعالى كما أنزله عليه الملك جبريل عليه السلام مع صاحبه الوفي أبو بكر الصديق رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ"
English text with Islamic honorifics in romanized Arabic
Example: "The Messenger of God (ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) shared the word of Allah (subḥānahu wa-taʿālā) as revealed to him by the angel Jibril (ʿalayhi as-salām) with his loyal companion, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (raḍiya 'llāhu 'anhu)."
English text with unabbreviated Islamic honorifics
Example: "The Messenger of God (peace be upon him) shared the word of Allah (glorified and exalted) as revealed to him by the angel Jibril (peace be upon him) with his loyal companion, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (Allah be pleased with him)."
English text with abbreviated Islamic honorifics
Example: "The Messenger of God (PBUH) shared the word of Allah (SWT) as revealed to him by the angel Jibril (AS) with his loyal companion, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (RA)."
Following the mention of God (Allah), including by pronoun (e.g. 'Him' or 'His'), or by one of the names bestowed upon him, one of the below honorifics are said or written:[66][67][68]
Muhammad's name, reference to him through a pronoun (e.g. 'his' or 'him'), or the use of one of his titles (e.g. 'the messenger of Allah') is followed by one of the below honorifics. The honorific "Blessings of Allah be upon him as well as peace" is the most widely used. The use of the word "blessings" (ṣallā,صَلَّى) can be used for all Islamic prophets (and Shia Imams) equally, however it is almost exclusively used with Muhammad.[69][70][71]
Sallā -llāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam ("blessings of God and peace be upon him") written in Arabic"Blessings of God be upon him and his progeny" in Arabic
Suffixal Honorifics for Muhammad
Arabic
Single character in Unicode
Romanization
Abbreviation
Translation
صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ
ﷺ
U+FDFA
ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhī wa-sallama
(SAW), (SA), (PBUH)
May blessings of Allah be upon him as well as peace.
English short: Peace Be Upon Him
صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَآلِهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ
Default universal character
﵌
U+FD4C
ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhī wa-ʾālihī wa-sallama
(SAWW), (SAWS), (SA), (PBUHP)
May blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny and grant him peace.
English short: Peace Be Upon Him & his Progeny
صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَآلِهِ
﵆
U+FD46
ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhī wa-ʾālihī
(SAWA), (SA), (SAWW)
May blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny[a]
Some honorifics apply to the archangels (Jibril, Mikhail[broken anchor], etc.) as well as any other Islamic prophets preceding Muhammad (e.g. Isa, Musa, Ibrahim etc.). A group of modern scholars from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Yemen, and Mauritania has issued fatwa that the angels should be invoked with blessing of alaihissalam, which also applied to human prophets and messengers.[73] This fatwa was based on the ruling from Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya.[73][74][75]
Suffixal Honorifics for Prophets, Messengers, Angels and Shia Imams
Arabic
Single character in Unicode
Romanization
Abbreviation
Translation
عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ
﵇
ʿalayhi -s-salāmu
(AS)
Peace be upon him
عَلَيْهَا ٱلسَّلَامُ
﵍
ʿalayhā -s-salāmu
Peace be upon her
عَلَيْهِمَا ٱلسَّلَامُ
﵉
ʿalayhimā -s-salāmu
Peace be upon them (dual)
عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلسَّلَامُ
﵈
ʿalayhimu -s-salāmu
Peace be upon them (plural)
عَلَيْهِنَّ ٱلسَّلَامُ
ʿalayhinna -s-salāmu
Peace be upon them (feminine plural)
عَلَيْهِ ٱلصَّلَاةُ وَٱلسَّلَامُ
﵊
ʿalayhi -ṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu
(ASWS)
Blessings and peace be upon him
عَلَيْهَا ٱلصَّلَاةُ وَٱلسَّلَامُ
ʿalayhā -ṣ-ṣalātu -s-salāmu
Blessings and peace be upon her
عَلَيْهِمَا ٱلصَّلَاةُ وَٱلسَّلَامُ
ʿalayhimā -ṣ-ṣalātu -s-salāmu
Blessings and peace be upon them (dual)
عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلصَّلَاةُ وَٱلسَّلَامُ
ʿalayhimu -ṣ-ṣalātu -s-salāmu
Blessings and peace be upon them (plural)
عَلَيْهِنَّ ٱلسَّلَامُ
ʿalayhinna -ṣ-ṣalātu -s-salāmu
Blessings and peace be upon them (feminine plural)
سَلَامُ ٱللَّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ
salāmu -llāhi ʿalayhī
(SA)
Allah's peace upon him
سَلَامُ ٱللَّٰهِ عَلَيْهَا
salāmu -llāhi ʿalayhā
Allah's peace upon her
سَلَامُ ٱللَّٰهِ عَلَيْهِمَا
salāmu -llāhi ʿalayhimā
Allah's peace upon them (dual)
سَلَامُ ٱللَّٰهِ عَلَيْهِمُ
salāmu -llāhi ʿalayhim
Allah's peace upon them (plural)
سَلَامُ ٱللَّٰهِ عَلَيْهِنَّ
salāmu -llāhi ʿalayhinna
Allah's peace upon them (feminine plural)
In Shia Islam, Muhammad's progeny, referred to as Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, lit.'people of the house'), are addressed with the same honorifics as messengers.[76][77]
Revered men and women
"May Allah's mercy be upon him" in Arabic
Some honorifics apply to highly-revered Islamic scholars and people thought to be of high spiritual rank. When that person has died, honorifics ask for Allah's mercy upon or pleasure with him or her. When that person is still living, honorifics customarily ask for Allah's preservation or relief.[78][79]
Certain expressions are appended after the names of individuals portrayed in reliable sources as persistent opponents of the Prophet Muḥammad and, after him, of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Prophet’s family). Qur’anic verses such as Q 33:57 (“Indeed, those who harm Allah and His Messenger—Allah has cursed them in this world and the Hereafter…”) and Q 111 on Abu Lahab provide the textual basis, along with hadith like “Whoever angers Fāṭima angers me” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim). In Shia Islam this is formalized under tabarrāʾ (disassociation from the enemies of God and the Prophet’s household), while Sunni exegetes and historians also record hostile figures, even if they do not prescribe ritual cursing.[80][81][82][83]
Figures named in the sources
Abu Lahab — uncle of the Prophet, condemned explicitly in Qur’an 111.[84]
Abu Jahl (ʿAmr b. Hishām) — persecutor of early Muslims, remembered for violence against the Prophet’s kin and companions (Sunni sīra).[85]
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb — central at Saqīfa in the post-Prophetic succession; Sunni tradition reveres him as the second caliph. **Sunni chronicles** also preserve reports of his **threat to burn the house** where ʿAlī and Fāṭima were, and of a forceful demand for bayʿa: al-Ṭabarī and al-Balādhurī narrate that ʿUmar came to the house with a group and that Fāṭima confronted him.[86][87] (A later work attributed to the Sunni author Ibn Qutayba, al-Imāma wa-l-Siyāsa, adds more detail; its authorship is disputed and is therefore cited with attribution.)[88] These episodes are linked in Shia memory to Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ’s suffering and early death.
Final illness and succession dispute — Sunni collections record that during his last illness, the Prophet requested writing materials but ʿUmar said: “The Book of Allah is sufficient for us” (Calamity of Thursday).[89] Shia sources narrate that this prevented the Prophet from putting into writing the ḥadīth al-thaqalayn (“the Book of Allah and my progeny”), which they view as establishing ʿAlī’s succession. Shia reports also accuse ʿĀʾisha and Ḥafṣa of poisoning; Sunni tradition attributes his death to illness possibly aggravated by the Khaybar poison.[90][91][92]
ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr — led the coalition against ʿAlī at the Battle of the Camel; both Sunni and Shia sources record her battlefield role (evaluated differently). Sunni chronicles also note her **objection to al-Ḥasan’s burial** beside the Prophet;[93] Shia literature further reports that she rejoiced at news of ʿAlī’s death.[94] For an overview, see Brill’s entry “Jamal.”[95]
Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān — opposed ʿAlī at the Battle of Siffin and consolidated Umayyad power; Shia sources additionally link him to **orchestrating ʿAlī’s assassination** via agents in Shām.[98][99]
ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ — ally of Muʿāwiya; pivotal in the arbitration after Ṣiffīn.[100]
Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya — ruler during the Battle of Karbala, under whose authority al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī, his family, and companions were killed. Sunni chronicles (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr) and Shia sources agree on the massacre; Shia memory also emphasizes the **captivity and parading** of Ḥusayn’s women and children—including his daughter Sakinah—through Kufa and Damascus.[101][102]
ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Ziyād — Umayyad governor of Kūfa who directed the suppression of Ḥusayn and the captivity of his family (Sunni chronicles).[103]
ʿUmar ibn Saʿd — commander of Kufan forces at Karbalāʾ, under whom Ḥusayn and his companions were slain (Sunni and Shia sources).[104][105]
Shimr ibn Dhi'l-Jawshan — commander at Karbalāʾ, traditionally identified as the killer of Ḥusayn; Sunni chronicles narrate his battlefield role, while Shia texts add details of post-battle abuse of the captives.[106][107]
Ibn Muljam (ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muljam) — assassin of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (universally reported); **Shia sources** portray him as a *murder-for-hire* acting under influence from the Umayyad court of Shām.[108][109][110]
al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf — Umayyad governor remembered for severe repression of Alid partisans, including executions of descendants of the Prophet (Sunni biographical literature).[111]
Atrocities summary
Major enemies and their actions against the Ahl al-Bayt
Severe repression of Alid partisans; executions of descendants
Suffixal Curse for Enemies
Opponent-directed expressions
Arabic
Romanization
Abbrev.
Translation
Example
لَعْنَةُ ٱللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ
laʿnat-u llāhi ʿalayh
(LA)
“May Allah’s curse be upon him.”
Used in exegetical works concerning opponents (e.g., on Q 33:57).[112]
عَلَيْهِ ٱللَّعْنَة
ʿalayhi l-laʿna
(AL)
“Upon him be the curse.”
Common in heresiographical/biographical notices.[113]
أَخْزَاهُ ٱللّٰه
akhzāhu llāh
—
“May Allah disgrace him.”
Appears in Sunni chronicles regarding Yazīd and his officials.[114]
Later commemoration
In Shia communities, the downfall of these figures is ritually remembered in the annual commemoration of Eid al-Zahrāʾ (9 Rabīʿ al-Awwal). The day not only marks relief from the oppression of the Ahl al-Bayt but also the conclusion of the traditional “two months and eight days” of mourning that begins in Muḥarram. This mourning recalls the killing of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī and his family, and the subsequent captivity of his women and children—including his daughter Sakinah—who were paraded through the markets of Kufa and Damascus. In Shia devotional memory, Eid al-Zahrāʾ is described as the first occasion after Karbalāʾ when the surviving family of Ḥusayn smiled again, upon hearing of the downfall of those held responsible for his death.[115][116]
Scriptural and hadith basis
Qur'ān
Verse 33:56 in Arabic
The honorifics for Muhammad are enjoined by Surat al-Ahzab:[117]
إِنَّ ٱللّٰهَ وَمَلَـٰٓىِٕكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا "Surely Allah (God) and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe! Send blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation." [Quran33:56(Translated byShakir)]
Al-Tirmidhi recorded that Abu Hurairah said, "The Messenger of Allah said, 'May he be humiliated, the man in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send Salaam upon me; may he be humiliated, the man who sees the month of Ramadan come and go, and he is not forgiven; may he be humiliated, the man whose parents live to old age and they do not cause him to be granted admittance to Paradise.'" Al-Tirmidhi said that this hadith was ḥasan gharib, "good but only reported once".[118]
Ahmad ibn Hanbal reported in his Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal that the Companion of Muhammad, Abu Talha ibn Thabit, said:[120][121]
One morning the Messenger of Allah was in a cheerful mood and looked happy. They said, "O Messenger of Allah, this morning you are in a cheerful mood and look happy." He said, "Of course, just now someone [an angel] came to me from my Lord [Allah] and said, 'Whoever among your Ummah sends Salaam upon you, Allah will record for him ten good deeds and will erase for him ten evil deeds, and will raise his status by ten degrees, and will return his greeting with something similar to it.'"
Al-Bayhaqi reports that Abu Hurairah said that Muhammad said, "Send the Salaam on Allah's messengers and prophets for Allah sent them as He sent me."[122]
This point is further founded in the saying by Muhammad, "The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned, then he does not send the Salam upon me." This was recorded in Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal.[123]
Anas bin Malik said, "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: 'Whoever sends salah upon me once, Allah (SWT) will send salah upon him tenfold, and will erase ten sins from him, and will raise him ten degrees in status.'"
As it is prescribed to send prayers upon the Prophet (peace and prayers of Allah be upon him) in prayer when saying the tashahhud, and it is prescribed when giving khutbahs, saying Du'a and praying for forgiveness, and after the Adhan, and when entering and exiting the mosque, and when mentioning him in other circumstances, so it is more important to do so when writing his name in a book, letter, article and so on. So it is prescribed to write the prayers in full so as to fulfil the command that Allah has given to Muslims, and so that the reader will remember to say the prayers when he reads it. So one should not write the prayers on the Prophet (peace and prayers of Allah be upon him) in short form such as writing (S) or (SAWS) etc, or other forms that some writers use, because that is going against the command of Allah in His Book, where He says (interpretation of the meaning):
And that (writing it in abbreviated form) does not serve that purpose and is devoid of the virtue of writing "salla Allaahu 'alayhi wa salaam (May Allah send prayers and peace upon him)" in full. Moreover the reader may not take notice of it and may not understand what is meant by it. It should also be noted that the symbol used for it is regarded as disapproved by the scholars, who warned against it.[citation needed][yearneeded]
↑ النووي, محيى الدين. العنه رضي الله عنهما[About May Allah be pleased with them] (in Arabic). Vol.6. p.172. Archived from the original on 5 February 2020. ج ٦ - الصفحة ١٧٢، الکتابخانه شیا بالخط، مؤرشف من الأصل في ۲۰۲۰-۴-۲۷. اطلع عليه بتاريخ ۲۰۲۰-۱۱-۱۷.
↑ صمدانیان, محسن; صبوری, امید. "عبارتهای محترمانه اسلامی در بکار بردن نام خدا، نام ملائک و نام پیامبر خاتم (ص)" [Respectful Islamic phrases when using the name of God, the names of angels, and the name of the last Prophet (PBUH)]. مجله قرآنی کوثر (in Persian): 76, 77. شماره ۲۳، زمستان ۱۳۸۵ش و بهار ۱۳۸۶ش.
↑ دهخدا, علی‌اکبر و دیگران (1390). لغت‌نامه[Dictionary]. لغت نامه: فرهنگ متوسط دهخدا (in Persian). تهران: دانشگاه تهران. ۱۳۹۰ش، ذیل واژه علیه‌السلام
↑ "معنی عبارت «اللهم صل علی محمد و آل محمد»"[The meaning of the phrase "O Allah, send blessings on Muhammad and the family of Muhammad"] (in Persian). Retrieved 21 December 2024.
↑ "معنای صلوات بر محمد و آل محمد (ص)"[The meaning of blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad (PBUH)] (in Persian). Retrieved 21 December 2024.
↑ Rosenwein, Barbara H., ed. (2018). Reading the Middle Ages: Sources from Europe, Byzantium, and the Islamic World (3rded.). University of Toronto Press. ISBN978-1-4426-3673-6.
1 2 Abdullaah Al-Faqeeh (2003). "Saying 'Peace be upon him' to Angel Gabriel". Islamweb.net. Fatwa center of Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Yemen, and Mauritania Islamic educational institutes. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
↑ Dickinson, Eerik (2001). The development of early Sunnite hadīth criticism: the Taqdima of Ibn Abī Ḥātim al-Rāzī (240/854-327/938). BRILL. ISBN978-90-04-11805-8.
↑ Ibrahim, Mohammed Zayki (2015). "Ibn Ḥazm's theory of prophecy of women: Literalism, logic, and perfection". Intellectual Discourse. 23 (1). IIUM Press: 76–77. CiteSeerX10.1.1.831.1259. eISSN2289-5639. ISSN0128-4878.
↑ Wheeler, B. M. "Daniel". Historical Dictionary of Prophets in Islam and Judaism. Daniel is not mentioned by name in the Quran but there are accounts of his prophethood in later Muslim literature...
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