What's new
By:
Filters
Christian Forums

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Should Christians use PBUH?

G

Gary

Guest
PBUH - Peace Be Upon Him

In English texts written by Muslims, the acronym PBUH stands for Peace Be Upon Him. After making a reference to Muhammad, Muslims say "Peace be upon him" in order to bless and honor Muhammad; see also the abbreviation SAW for the corresponding Arabic expression. [It is not very common, but occasionally one also see the acronym PPBUH (prayer and peace be upon him) which corresponds to the below discussed expression alaihi al-salat wa al-salam.]

Muslims are commanded to add this blessing after mentioning Muhammad's name or his title in speaking or writing. This is based on the quranic injunction in al-Ahzab 33:56:

Lo! Allah and His angels shower blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! Ask blessings on him and salute him with a worthy salutation.
Click to expand...
The above is Pickthall's rendering of S. 33:56, and most Muslim translations are similar. However, this translation is not entirely accurate and hides some problems associated with this verse. For a detailed discussion, see the article The "Mystery" of PBUH revealed.

Exclusive to Muhammad

A noteworthy observation is that in English Muslims often speak the phrase "peace be upon him" or put (PBUH) into a written text after mentioning any one of prophets, thus creating the appearance of giving equal honor to all of them. The original Arabic expression Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam is, however, used exclusively for Muhammad. All other prophets receive honoring phrases of a lesser kind.

After making reference to any of the other prophets Muslims say alaihi al-salam which means "upon him (be) the peace"; written form in English texts: e.g. Ibrahim (AS).

After mentioning the name of Muhammad, Muslims either say the above mentioned phrase Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam or alternatively alaihi al-salat wa al-salam which means "upon him (be) the prayer and the peace". In either case, Muslims ask for something more special and additional for Muhammad, i.e. "al-salat" (the prayer), and by doing so express that Muhammad is of higher rank than all other prophets.

Though we are not aware of an explicit prohibition in Islamic law to do so, most Muslims would look somewhat bewildered and perhaps even protest if anyone were to use Salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam or alaihi al-salat wa al-salam after mentioning Noah, Abraham, David, or any of the other prophets.

Exclusive to the prophets

Even this lesser phrase, alaihi al-salam, is not a general expression of honoring anyone that may be worthy of honor in the eyes of the speaker. Muslims would never use this phrase for a living or a deceased president of a country, even if he had been a pious Muslim. This phrase is used exclusively for the recognized prophets of Islam (at least by the vast majority of Sunni Muslims).

Therefore, speaking this phrase or writing the acronym PBUH after the name of anyone implies that this person is recognized as a genuine prophet of God, i.e. it becomes an implicit confession of faith in this person and his message.

Should Christians use the expression "peace be upon him" (PHUH)? - No!

Sometimes Muslims complain that Christians do not speak with enough respect of the prophets because they do not say "peace be upon him" after mentioning the name of a prophet. There are mainly two persons in regard to whom this is an issue, Jesus and Muhammad.

Since Christians believe that Jesus is God Incarnate, i.e. the Lord God who came to this earth by becoming man, it would be an insult to add "peace be upon him" after the name of Jesus who is the GIVER  not the recipient  of all peace. It would be just as inappropriate for a Christian to to ask for peace upon Jesus, as it would be for a Muslim to say or write "... Allah (pbuh)". Doing so, would be giving Jesus explicitly less honor than he deserves, i.e. it would be dishonoring him publically.

Should Christians say "peace be upon him" (PBUH) after mentioning Muhammad? - No!

Since Muhammad's message clearly contradicts and attacks the message of God's true prophets as recorded in the Bible, Muhammad cannot be accepted as a prophet of the Biblical God. Christians should neither give unnecessary offense when speaking about Muhammad, nor should they give the impression that they recognize his claim to prophethood. Using any of the Islamic phrases that are exclusive to Muhammad as the highest and final prophet of Allah or to the prophets accepted in Islam would be an implicit acknowledgement of Muhammad's prophethood and should therefore be avoided for the sake of clarity. See also our more detailed response to a Muslim who requested that we do so: Should Christians use the formula "PBUH"?

Other recipients of honorific phrases

After mentioning Ali, Abu Bakr, or any one of the other companions of Muhammad, Sunni Muslims usually say radi Allah anho (Allah be pleased with him).

A difference in Shia Islam

In addition to the prophets mentioned in the Qur'an, Shia Muslims commonly say alaihi al-salam (peace be upon him) also after mentioning the name of Ali, Fatima, al-Hasan, al-Husain and other members of Muhammad's household, particularly after the mentioning any of the twelve Imams of Shia Islam.

Source: -here-

:)
 
the meaning of blessings and salaams upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)



“Blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)†– according to the majority of scholars, what is meant is mercy from Allaah, prayers for forgiveness offered by the angels, and du’aa’ offered by humans. Others – including Abu’l-Aaliyah among the earlier scholars and Ibn al-Qayyim among the later scholars, and Ibn ‘Uthaymeen among the contemporary scholars – are of the view that the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is praise for him among the “higher group†(al-mala’ al-‘a’la, i.e., the angels, cf. al-Saffaat 37:8), and the prayers of the angels and the Muslims for blessings upon him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) are for him to be praised by Allaah among the “higher group†(the angels). Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) wrote a book on this topic entitled Jala’ al-Afhaam fi Fadl al-Salaati wa’l-Salaam ‘ala Khayr il-Anaam, in which he discussed at length the meaning of blessings upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the rulings thereon, and its benefits.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The phrase “Bless Muhammad (salli ‘ala Muhammad)†– it was said that blessing from Allaah means mercy, blessings from the angels means prayer for forgiveness, and blessing from humans means du’aa’.

If it is said: “The angels sent blessings upon him,†it means that they prayed for forgiveness for him.

If it is said, “The khateeb sent blessings upon him,†it means that he prayed for blessing for him.

If it is said, “Allaah sent blessings upon him,†it means that He bestowed mercy upon him.

This is well known among the scholars, but the correct view is something different, because blessing (salaah) is more specific than mercy. Hence the Muslims are unanimously agreed that it is permissible to pray for mercy for every believer, but they differed as to whether we may pray for blessings (using this specific word of salaah or salli ‘ala…) for anyone other than the Prophets. If the word salaah here is taken to mean mercy, then there is no difference between them, and just as we pray for mercy for a person we may send blessings upon them.

Moreover, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided onesâ€Â

[al-Baqarah 2:157].

The word rahmah (mercy) is mentioned in conjunction with the word salawaat (blessings), which indicates that they are two different things, so the meaning of the verse is clear. The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) used the word salaah (blessings) in some places and the word rahmah (mercy) in others, so salaah is the not the same as mercy. The best that cane be said concerning this is what Abu’l-‘Aaliyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The salaah (blessing) of Allaah upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is His praising him among the “higher group†(the angels).

So what is meant by Allaahumma salli ‘alayhi (O Allaah send blessings upon him) is: O Allaah, praise him among the higher group, i.e., among the angels who are close to Allaah.

If someone were to say that this is unlikely from a linguistic point of view, because salaah in Arabic means supplication, not praise, the answer to that is that the word salaah is also connected to the word silah (gift), and there can be no doubt that praise for the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) among the higher group (angels) is one of the greatest gifts, for praise may sometimes be more important to a person than all else. So a good mention is a great gift.

Based on this, the correct view is that sending blessings (salaah) upon him means praise for him along the higher group (the angels). End quote.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/163, 164

With regard to the meaning of sending salaams upon him (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), this means praying for the soundness (salaamah) of his body during his lifetime, and the soundness of his religious commitment (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the soundness of his body in the grave, and his safety and well being on the Day of Resurrection.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The phrase al-salaamu ‘alayka. It was said that the meaning of al-Salaam is one of the names of Allaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah is al-Salaam (the One Free from all defects)†and Allaah says in His Book (interpretation of the meaning): “the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects†[al-Hashr 59:23]. So according to this view, the meaning is: May Allaah protect, keep safe and take care of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is as if we are saying: Allaah is watching over you, protecting you, helping you, etc.

And it was said that salaam is a noun that comes from the root sallama (to greet), and means a greeting, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “O you who believe! send your Salaah on (ask Allaah to bless) him (Muhammad), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. As‑Salaamu ‘Alaykum)†[al-Ahzaab 33:56]. The meaning of greeting the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) is to pray for him and ask that he be kept safe from all harm.

It may be said: This du’aa’ is something obvious during his lifetime, (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but after his death, how can we pray that he be kept safe and sound when he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) has died?

The answer is that prayer for safety and well-being are not limited to the time when someone is alive. There are the terrors of the Day of Resurrection yet to come. Hence the prayer of the Messengers when the people cross al-siraat (a bridge over Hell) will be: “Allaahumma, sallim, sallim (O Allaah, grant safety, grant safety).†A man does not cease to face danger and harm just because he has died.

So we pray for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he will be kept safe from the terrors of the standing (on the Day of Resurrection).

We also say that there may be a more general meaning, i.e., that safety and protection for him also includes protection for his sharee’ah and Sunnah, that they may be kept safe from the hands of those who would tamper with them, as the scholars said concerning the verse (interpretation of the meaning): “refer it to Allaah and His Messenger†[al-Nisa’ 4:59] – they said: Refer to him during his lifetime, and to his Sunnah after his death.

Is the phrase “al-salaamu ‘alayka†a statement or a du’aa’? i.e., are you saying that the Messenger is protected, or are you praying that Allaah will protect him?

The answer is that it is a du’aa’, asking that Allaah will protect him. So it is a statement that serves as a du’aa’.

Is addressing the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) like one person addressing another?

The answer is no. If that were the case, then the prayer would be invalidated thereby, because no ordinary human speech is acceptable during this prayer. If that were the case, the Sahaabah would have said it out loud so that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) would hear them, and he would have returned the greeting, as happened when they met him. But, as Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyah] said in his book Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem: Buse you think so much about the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when you send salaams upon him, it is as if he is in front of you and you are addressing him.

Hence the Sahaabah used to say “Al-salaamu ‘alayka†although he could not hear them, and they would say “Al-salaamu ‘alayka†when they were in one land and he was in another, and we say “al-salaamu ‘alayka†although we are in lands other than his, and in a time other than his. End quote.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 3/149, 150
 
Who does Allah pray to?

The Quran says that Allah prays:

  • Upon them shall be prayers (salawatun) from their Lord and mercy, and they are the rightly directed. S. 2:157

    He it is who sends PRAYERS on you (Arabic- yusallii alaykum), as do His angels ... S. 33:43

    Allah and His angels PRAY for the Prophet (Arabic- yasalluuna alan-Nabiyy): O ye that believe PRAY for him (salluu `alayhi), and salute him with all respect. S. 33:56
Allah prays for believers and Muhammad, as Muhammad prays for believers:

  • Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them and mayst make them grow, and pray for them (wa salli alayhim). Lo! thy prayer (salataka) is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower. S. 9:103 Pickthall
Since these verses all clearly say that Allah literally prays, and since prayer requires an object, we must therefore ask to whom does Allah pray?

Muslims claim that Allah is a singular entity, there being no plurality of persons within his Being, which means that Allah cannot be praying to himself. Or is he? Maybe Allah does in fact pray to himself.

:o :o

Source (scroll down)
 
Gary,

That is an interesting post.

We know that our God prays and to whom He prays.

Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Hebrews 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.


Another proof that Muslims and true Christians do not worship the same God nor have the same Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:20 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils.

And I will never use the phrase "PBUH" either thanks for the info.

God bless,

Robert
 
What you fail to understand Gary and bibleberean is that the meaning of salah

He it is Who sends Salah on you, and His angels too,) This is encouragement to remember Allah, i.e., He will remember you, so remember Him. This is like the Ayah:
(Similarly, We have sent among you a Messenger of your own, reciting to you Our Ayat and purifying you, and teaching you the Book and the Hikmah, and teaching you that which you used not to know. Therefore remember Me. I will remember you, and be grateful to Me and never be ungrateful to Me) (2:151-152) The Prophet said:
(Allah says: "Whoever remembers Me to himself, I will remember him to Myself, and whoever remembers Me in a gathering, I will remember him in a better gathering.'')


The Meaning of Salah
Allah's Salah means that He praises His servant before the angels, as Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Al-`Aliyah. This was recorded by Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi from Ar-Rabi` bin Anas from Anas. Others said: "Allah's Salah means mercy.'' It may be said that there is no contradiction between these two views. And Allah knows best. Salah from the angels means their supplication and seeking forgiveness for people, as Allah says:

(Those who bear the Throne and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): "Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! Our Lord! And make them enter the `Adn Garden which you have promised them -- and to the righteous among their fathers, their wives, and their offspring! Verily, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. And save them from the sins.'') (40:7-9)
 
We pray TO someone.... who does Allah pray TO?

  • Allah and His angels PRAY for the Prophet (Arabic- yasalluuna alan-Nabiyy): O ye that believe PRAY for him (salluu `alayhi), and salute him with all respect. S. 33:56
So Allah PRAYS for the Prophet. Who does Allah pray TO?

:-? :-?
 
I already told you, Allah’s Salah is not like our Salah; Allah's Salah means that He praises His servant before the angels, as Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Al-`Aliyah. This was recorded by Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi from Ar-Rabi` bin Anas from Anas. Others said: "Allah's Salah means mercy

By the way if Jesus God or sun of God, who does he pray to? to his father or to himself. LOL.
 
Muhsen said:
By the way if Jesus God or son of God, who does he pray to? to his father or to himself.
Click to expand...

Good question.

The Holy Bible teaches that there are three distinct, yet inseparable Persons who exist as the one true God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three Persons of God, because they are personally distinct, have loving communion and dialog amongst themselves. Therefore, the Lord Jesus wasn't praying to himself, but was actually praying to the Person of the Father.

Furthermore, the Holy Bible also teaches that Jesus became, and forever will remain, a true human being. It is, therefore, not surprising that Christ did what every God-fearing person is supposed to do, namely pray and worship God. Jesus is man as God intends all men to be, namely a perfect servant who perfectly submits and worships the true God.

:)
 
Muhsen said:
Allah’s Salah is not like our Salah; Allah's Salah means that He praises His servant before the angels, as Al-Bukhari recorded from Abu Al-`Aliyah. This was recorded by Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi from Ar-Rabi` bin Anas from Anas. Others said: "Allah's Salah means mercy.
Click to expand...

Some Muslims (like Muhsen) try to redefine words by saying that prayer here doesn't literally mean prayer, but actually means blessings, that Allah is sending down his blessings. The problem with this explanation is that there is an Arabic word for blessing, baraka, which does not appear in the above citations. Rather, the passages use the words salawatun, yusallii, yasalluuna and salluu, all of which are derivatives of the word salah.

Muhammad's own first cousin, and renowned Muslim scholar, Ibn 'Abbas admitted that Allah prays:

"The people of Israel said to Moses (peace be upon him): ‘Does your Lord pray?’ His Lord (az wa gal) called him [saying]: O Moses, they asked thee if your Lord prays. Say [to them] ‘Yes, I do pray, and my angels [pray] upon my prophets and my messengers’, and Allah (az wa gal) then sent down on his messenger (prayer and peace be upon him): ‘Allah and His angels pray ...’" (quoted by Ibn Kathir on Surat Al-Ahzaab 33:56; translated from the Arabic online edition)
Click to expand...

Another Muslim scholar made the following comments about surah 33:56 and Allah praying:

Allah makes the merit of His Prophet clear by first praying blessing on Himself, and then by the prayer of the angels, and then by commanding His slaves to pray blessing and peace on him as well. Abu Bakr ibn Furak related that one of the 'ulama interpreted the words of the Prophet, "The coolness of my eye is in the prayer," as meaning Allah's prayer, that of the angels and that of his community in response to Allah's command until the Day of Rising. The prayer of angels and men is supplication for him and that of Allah is mercy.

It is said that "they pray" means they invoke blessing (baraka). However, when the Prophet taught people the prayer on himself, he made a distinction between the word salat (prayer) and baraka (blessing). We will return to the meaning of the prayer on him later. (Muhammad Messenger of Allah (Ash-Shifa of Qadi 'Iyad), Qadi 'Iyad Musa al-Yahsubi, translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K. 1991; third reprint, paperback], p. 25;)
Click to expand...

This next one is particularly interesting:

Ibn Mas'ud used to say, "When you bless the Prophet, then make the prayer on him excellent. You do not know; perhaps it will be shown to him. Say, ‘O Allah, bestow YOUR PRAYERS, Your MERCY and Your BLESSING on the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the God-fearing, the Leader of the Good and the Messenger of Mercy.’" (Ibid., p. 258;)
Click to expand...

In Ibn Mas'ud’s hadith right above, one clearly sees a distinction being made between Allah's prayers, his mercy and blessings, showing that the word for pray does not have the same meaning as blessing.

:-?
 
Again wrong Gary, what you failed to understand is that when Muslims mention any prophet they add the phrase alaihe assalato wassalam (Salah and peace and blessing be upon you)

This we call it salah ala alrasool (Salah upon the prophet) that does not mean literally I pray. But I mention him and respect him and ask God to give him praise and blessing, this in Arabic we call it Salah.
 
M post was very clear Gary, read it again or may you don't want to understand.
 
In all honesty, I haven't read this entire thread. So you're welcome to disregard my reply.

I can't see anything wrong though with, out of respect for those whom others revere, saying PBUH ocassionally. If we unnecessarily agitate eachother, it just seems likely to damper our communications and reaching out to their faith. Or, the reverse.

I deffinately don't think wishing peace upon someone, whether living or dead. Signifies any special meaning, or takes away from the divinity of Christ.

Just my thoughts... I'll try and read the rest of this thread tommorrow.
 
As far as the original question, NO, Christians should not wish peace upon muhammed. I do not wish for him peace. I am sorry that he wound up in hell but I do not choose to wish for him peace as he is still leading millions to the pit with him. I no more wish peace upon muhammed then I do for joseph smith or ellen white.

As for Jesus, I only wish for Him that I could have a more thankful heart that was capable of more praise and worship. What I wish for Him is that all could see His splendor and Godhood. I wish He did not have to weep over the ones He created for such glory that choose to wallow in the mud and follow the precepts of demons and in doing cause Him to have to pour out justice instead of the mercy He has in such abundance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top