Question:
Salam Alaykum. What does the Sharia say about reciting dur̄ud collectively with the intention of alerting others of his presence so that they stand up? I believe Imam Ibn Abidin considered it impermissible; is this the only opinion amongst our scholars?
Answer:
Alaykum Salam,
I am not aware of the prohibition you cite ambiguously — is it prohibition of standing? or of making Salawat to alert others of the presence of the shaykh? In the Shafi`i madhhab both would be permissible:
(i) Salawat is encouraged at all times without exception even when sacrificing an animal and even when sneezing in the Shafi`i madhhab.
(ii) People may stand up out of respect for someone in the Religion, and Imam al-Nawawi wrote a long fatwa to that effect in support of permissibility.
Combining the two by using Salawat towards a praiseworthy ulterior purpose besides dhikr would be like reciting takbir to put out a fire or calm a sea storm or strong winds. It is all still dhikr, but with an implied added intention of du`a. When Muslims mention salawat to calm someone else or as a euphemism for the command to “Be patient” it really means: “Make dhikr of Allah through Salawat on His Prophet, and this will remove anger and improve your spiritual state on the spot in sha Allah.” A fortiori, to do the same to imply “and thereby you will show respect for the religious teacher” is permissible, and Allah knows best.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
