Praise be to Allah.
Our blessings (salawat) upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) are conveyed to him at all times, as is proven in the sound hadiths. It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has angels who travel around on earth, conveying to me the salaams of my ummah.” An-Nasa’i (1282); classed as sahih by al-Albani in Sahih an-Nasa’i (1215).
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “There is no one who sends greetings of salaam to me but Allah will restore my soul to me so that I can return his greeting of salaam.” Narrated by Abu Dawud (2041). Its isnad was classed as jayyid (good) by al-‘Iraqi in Takhrij al-Ihya’ (2/764). It was classed as hasan by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud (1779).
Secondly:
The conveying of our blessings (salawat) upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on Friday is something special that is distinct from other days. If it is encouraged to do a good deed at a specific time or in a specific place or situation, that indicates that it has a distinct virtue in that case. We may or may not understand that distinct virtue, because basically it is an act of worship, so it is not essential to understand it.
In the hadith it is narrated that Aws ibn Aws said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The best of your days is Friday. On it Adam was created, on it he died, on it the trumpet will be sounded, and on it all people will swoon. So send a great deal of blessings (salawat) upon me on that day, for your blessings will be conveyed to me.” They said: O Messenger of Allah, how will our blessings be conveyed to you when you have turned to dust? He said: “Indeed Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, has forbidden the earth to consume the bodies of the prophets.” Abu Dawud (1047); classed as sahih by al-Albani.
Some of the scholars found some distinctive qualities in the conveying of the blessings (salawat) on that specific day, which are mentioned in the context of explaining the reason why it is encouraged to send a great deal of blessing upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on that day. They are as follows:
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Sending blessings (salawat) upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is one of the best acts of worship, and it is better on Friday than on other days, because it is singled out for a reward that is seventy times greater than on other days. The fa’ in the words “fa inna salatakum ma‘rudatun ‘alayya (for your blessings will be presented to me)” explains the reason mentioned. In other words, they will be presented to me as gifts are presented to their recipients. Thus they are virtuous deeds that will bring you closer to me, as a gift brings the giver closer to the recipient. As this is the case, then we should do a great deal of that at virtuous times, for righteous deeds increase in virtue when done at virtuous times, therefore the blessings will be conveyed to the Prophet on a day that is better than other days. See: Sharh Sunan Ibn Majah by al-Harari (7/49).
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Friday is a day that is witnessed by the angels, and this witnessing by the angels on Friday makes the blessings more virtuous than on other days, and the angels’ conveying of the blessings is more important than on other days. According to the version narrated by Ibn Majah from Abu’d-Darda’: “Send a great deal of blessings on me on Friday, for it is witnessed; the angels witness it.” See: Sharh Sunan Abi Dawud by Ibn Ruslan (7/351).
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Sending blessings (salawat) upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is a supplication (du‘a’), and on Friday there is an hour when supplications are answered. So part of proper etiquette with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and part of acknowledging his rights is praying for blessing upon him at such times, so that the blessing will be conveyed to the Prophet when there is the hope that this supplication will be answered.
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Friday is singled out as being a day of extra virtue for some acts of worship, such as walking to the prayer, offering supplication and reading Surat al-Kahf. Similarly, sending blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on Friday has a special virtue, and the conveying of blessings to the Prophet is better on that day than on other days.
And Allah knows best.
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