صلوات
salawat
Salawat in Arabic is صلوات (salawat), the prayers that invoke God's blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad.
صلوات refers to the act of reciting formulas that call down God's blessings on the Prophet Muhammad, a practice found across Islamic traditions.
What does it mean word for word?
صلوات is the broken plural of the word for prayer or blessing.
Which one should you use?
A well known formula is Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, O Allah, send your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad. Another is Salla Allah 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammadin, may Allah bestow His blessings upon Muhammad and his family.
Did you know?
- In many Arabic-speaking Muslim communities, people will recite a short form of salawat out loud whenever they hear the name 'Muhammad' mentioned in conversation.
- While 'salawat' is a religious invocation, its root is also found in the word for 'connection' or 'link', suggesting that the blessing acts as a spiritual bridge.
- The term salawat is a 'broken plural', a common but counterintuitive Arabic grammatical feature where the internal structure of the word is changed to indicate plurality rather than adding a suffix.
Example conversation
Layla and Yusuf are talking about their morning prayers.
- ليلى Laylaهل قلت صلوات اليوم يا يوسف؟Hal qulta salawat al-yawm ya Yusuf?Did you say the blessings today, Yusuf?
- يوسف Youssefنعم، فعلت ذلك بعد الصلاة.Na'am, fa'altu dhalika ba'da al-salat.Yes, I did that after the prayer.
- ليلى Laylaأحب سماع صلوات هادئة في الصباح.Uhibbu sama' salawat hadi'a fi al-sabah.I love hearing quiet blessings in the morning.
- يوسف Youssefأنا أيضاً، فهي تريح القلب.Ana aydan, fahiya turiha al-qalb.Me too, for they soothe the heart.
