Question:
What is the meaning of ali in the following sentence : allahuma shali ala Muhammad wa ala ALI Muhammad wa salam? Why they do not use term bani, like bani Adam or bani Israil.
What is the the actual meaning of shali in the above sentence? Is it the same as shalawat, or shalat in shalat fardhu or shalat sunnah?
Answer:
Aal means household including wives and in-laws and therefore cannot be replaced by Banu, which means sons.
Also, “Aal Muhammad” is sometimes synonymous with Ahl al-Bayt which signifies Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib in the Shafi`i madhhab.
Furthermore, when we say in Salat “wa ‘ala Ali Muhammad” Imam al-Shafi`i said it means every believer.
Salawat from Allah means perfection, mercy, nearness and honor; and from the angels and human beings it means praise and magnification.
However, when we say Salatul Fard etc. the meaning of Salat here is the ritual prayer, and its literal meaning is du`a.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
