AS-SALAAT U'L KUBRA

http://www.iqra.net/Salawaat/gauth/gauth4.html

As-Salaat u'l Kubra or the "big salaat", is a spiritual mosaic of 33 salawaat, 25 verses of the Holy Qur'an Kareem and dua (invocation) interspersed among the salawaat. Among other kutub, it is also found in;

1. Fuyudhaat u'r Rabbaniyyah, compiled by al-Hajj Ismail ibn As-Sayyid Muhammad Sa'eed al-Qadiri.
   
2. Awraad u'l Qaadiriyyah Rahmaniyyah, compiled by Hadhrat al-'Allamah as-Sayyid Muhammad Tayyib Shah.
   
3. Awraad u'l Qaadiriyyah, compiled by Muhammad Salim Bawwab.
   
4. Afdhal u's Salawaat of Imam Yusuf ibn Ismail an-Nab'haani.

The very first of its 20 pages gives us a flavour of this spiritual masterpiece.

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem
Laqad ja'akum Rasulun min anfusikum 'azeezun 'alayhi maa 'anittum
Hareesun 'alaikum bi'l mumineena rauf u'r raheem

A'budu'llaha Rabbee wa laa ushriku bihi shay'aa
Allahumma Innee ad'uka bi asmaaika'l husnaa kullihaaLaa Ilaaha Illaa Anta Subhaanaka

An Tusalliya 'alaa Muhammad-in wa 'alaa aali Muhammad-in
Kamaa sallayta 'alaa Ibrahima wa 'alaa aali Ibrahima
Innaka Hameedun Majeed

Allahumma Salli 'alaa Muhammadi-nin-Nabiyyi'l ummiyyi
Wa 'alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasleema
Wa Sallallahu 'alaa Muhammad-in wa 'alaa aali Muhammad-in
Salaatan huwa ahluhaa

Allahumma Yaa Rabba Muhammad-in wa aali Muhammad-in
Salli 'alaa Muhammad-in wa 'alaa aali Muhammad-in
Wajzi Muhammad-an Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam
Maa huwa ahluhu

Allahumma Rabba's samaawaati's sab'i wa Rabbia'l 'Arshi'l 'Adheem
Rabbanaa wa Rabba kulli shay-in
Wa munzila'tTawraati wa'l Injeeli wa'z Zaburi wa'l Furqaani'l 'Adheem
Allahumma Anta'l Awwalu falaysa qablaka shay-un
Wa Anta'l Aakhiru falaysa ba'daka shay-un
Wa Anta-dh-Dhaahiru falaysa fawqaka shay-un
Wa Anta'l Baatinu falaysa dunaka shay-un
Falaka'l HamduLaa Ilaaha Illaa Anta Sub'haanaka Innee Kuntu Min-adh-Dhaalimeena Maashaa Allahu kaana wa maa lam yasha' lam yakun
Laa Quwwata Illa Billah

Allahumma Salli 'alaa Muhammad-in 'Abdika wa Nabiyyika wa Rasulika
Salaatan Mubarakatan Tayyibatan kamaa amarta an nusallee 'alaih
Wa Sallim tasleemaa

With the name of Allah, The Most Beneficent, The Most Merciful.
Certainly, there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves,
grievous to him is your suffering, full of concern for you,
to the believers (he is) compassionate, merciful (9:128).

I worship Allah who is my Lord and do not associate anything with Him.
O Allah! I ask of You for the sake of Your Most Beautiful Names

None is to be worshipped except You, Glory be to You (21:87).

Shower Your blessings on Sayyidina Muhammad
and on the family of Sayyidina Muhammad
as You showered Your blessings on Sayyidina Ibrahim
and on the family of Sayyidina Ibrahim.
Surely, You are The Praiseworthy, Glorious.

O Allah! Bestow Your blessings and complete peace on Sayyidina Muhammad,
The Prophet not taught by any human (but directly by You, O Allah)
and on his family and companions.
And may Allah's blessings rest on Sayyidina Muhammad
and on the family of Sayyidina Muhammad,
such blessings which they deserve.

O Allah! O Lord of Sayyidina Muhammad and the family of Sayyidina Muhammad
Bestow blessings on Sayyidina Muhammad and on the family of Sayyidina Muhammad
And reward Sayyidina Muhammad, Allah's blessings and peace be on him,
as he deserves it.

O Allah! The Lord of the seven skies and the Lord of the Great Arsh
Our Lord and the Lord of everything,
and the One Who sent the Tawraat, the Injeel, the Zabur and the Great Qur'an.
O Allah! You are The First without beginning and You are The Last without end
and You are The Manifest with nothing above You
and You are The Hidden with nothing below You
All praise belongs to You.

None is to be worshipped but You.
Glory be to You; surely, I have been unjust. (21:87)

Whatever Allah wished, happened.
Whatever Allah did not wish, did not happen.
There is no power except with Allah.

O Allah! Bestow blessings on Sayyidina Muhammad,
Your servant, the Prophet sent by You, Your Messenger,
favourable, agreeable blessings,
as You have ordered us to invoke blessings on him
and grant him complete peace.

We notice that As-Salaatu'l Kubra begins with verse 128 from Surah at-Tawba, then invokes Allah with his Most Beautiful Names, follows this up with As-Salaatu Ibrahimiyyah and two other salaat, after which there is dua, verse 87 from Surah al-Anbiyaa, praise of Allah, and more salawaat, and so it continues. As-Salaatu'l Kubra ends with this verse of the Holy Qur'an Kareem.

Da'waahum Feehaa Sub'haanaka'llahumma
Wa Tahiyyatuhum Feehaa Salaam
Wa Aakhiru Da'waahum
Ani'l Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbi'l 'Aalameen

Their prayer therein will be "Sanctity to You, O Allah",
and their greeting therein will be "peace",
and the end of their prayer will be,
"all praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds". (10:10)

In total, there are 25 verses of the Holy Qur'an Kareem in As-Salaatu'l Kubra. Some of these verses in which Allah Ta'ala Himself praises the Holy Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam are:

Yaa Seen
Wa'l Qur'an i'l Hakeem
Innaka Lamina'l Mursaleen
'Alaa Siraatin Mustaqeem

Yaa Seen
By the Qur'an full of wisdom
Most surely, you are one of the Messengers.
On a straight way. (36:1-4)

Laqad Mann'Allahu 'ala'l mu'mineena
Iz ba'atha feehim rasulan min anfusihim
Yatlu 'alayhim aayaatihi wa yuzakkeehim
Wa yu'allimuhumu'l kitaaba wa'l hikmah
Wa in kaanu min qablu lafee dhalaalin mubeen

Certainly, Allah conferred a great favour on the believers
when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves
who recites to them His revelations, and purifies them
and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom
although before that they were surely in manifest error. (3:164)

Wa Idh Akhadh'Allahu meethaaqa'nnabiyyeena
Lamaa aataytukum min kitaabin wa hikmatin
Thumma ja'akum rasulun musaddiqun limaa ma'kum
La tu'minunna bihi wa latansurunnah
Qaala a'aqrartum wa akhaztum 'alaa dhaalikum isree
Qaalu aqrarnaa
Qaala fa'sh-hadu wa ana ma'kum minash-shaahideen

And when Allah took the Covenant of the Prophets
(He said): (Behold) what I have given you of the Book and Wisdom.
Afterward, there will come to you a Messenger confirming what is with you;
you shall believe in him and you shall help him.
He said: do you agree and take this my Covenant as binding on you?
They said: We agree.
He said: Then bear witness. And I am with you among the witnesses. (3:81)

Wa maa arsalnaaka illaa Rahmatallil 'aalameen

And We sent you not but as a mercy for all the worlds (21:107)

These verses are interspersed in an intricate pattern among the salawaat (blessings) and dua (invocations), with dua following one or more salawaat, as in this instance.

Allahumma Salli wa Sallim 'alaa 'abdika wa Nabiyyika wa Rasulika
Sayyidina wa Nabiyyinaa Muhammad-i-nin
Nabiyyi'l Ummiyyi wa'r Rasuli'l 'Arabiyyi
Wa 'alaa aalihi wa as'haabihi
Wa azwaajihi wa dhurriyyaatihi wa ahli baytihi
Salaatan takunu laka ridhaa wa lahu jazaa-an wa lihaqqihee adaa-an
Wa a'tihi'l waseelata wa'l fadheelata
Wa'sh sharafa wa'ddarajata'l 'aaliyata'r rafee'ata
Wab'ath-hu'l maqaama'l Mahmood
Alladhee wa 'adtahu Yaa Arhama'r Raahimeen.

Allahumma innaa natawassalu bika
Wa nas'aluka wa natawajjahu ilayka
Bikitaabika'l 'Azeezi wa Binabiyyika'l Kareemi
Sayyidina Muhammad-in Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam
Wa bisharafihi'l majeedi
Wa biabawayhi Ibrahima wa Ismaila
Wa bisaahibayhi Abi Bakr-in wa 'Umar-a
Wa Zinnuraini 'Uthmaan-a wa aalihi Fatima-ta wa 'Aliyy-un
Wa waladayhima'l Hasan-i wa'l Husain-i
Wa 'ammayhi'l Hamza-ti wa'l 'Abbas-i
Wa zaujatayhi Khadija-ta wa 'Aishah.

O Allah! Bestow blessings and peace
on Your servant, the Prophet sent by You, Your Messenger,
our master, our Prophet Muhammad
who was not taught by any human
(but directly by You, O Allah),
The Messenger who was an Arab,
and on his family and companions
and his blessed wives, and offspring and his blessed household;
such blessings as may please You, reward him and fulfil his rights,
and (O Allah), give him the Wasila
and distinction, and nobility and the highest exalted position
and raise him to the highest Praised Station
which You have promised him,
O The Most Merciful of those who show mercy.

O Allah! Indeed, You are our only Means
and we beg of You and we turn our faces towards You
with the means of Your exalted Book
and through the means of the gentle Prophet sent by You,
Sayyidina Muhammad, blessings and peace of Allah be on him,
and through the means of his glorious nobility
and through the means of his forefathers
Sayyidina Ibrahim and Sayyidina Isma'il
and through the means of his companions
Sayyidina Abu Bakr and Sayyidina 'Umar
and the possessor of the two lights Sayyidina 'Uthman
and the family members of Sayyidatna Fatima and Sayyidina 'Ali
and their two sons Sayyidina Hasan and Sayyidina Husain,
and his uncles Sayyidina Hamza and Sayyidina 'Abbas
and his blessed wives Sayyidatna Khadija and Sayyidatna 'Aishah.

In this salaat and the dua following it, the Gauth u'l A'zam not only shows his deep love for the blessed Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam, but also for the ahlu'l bayt (his blessed household) and his glorious sahaba (companions). In the salaat, he includes the dua that is recited after the azan. We notice that this entire dua is in honour and praise of the beloved Prophet Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam. In the dua that follows, he invokes Allah using the wasila (means), of Allah Ta'ala Himself, of the Holy Qur'an Kareem, the noble ProphetSallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam, Nabi Ibrahim and Nabi Ismail Alayhimussalam, the ahlu'l bayt and the sahaba, Rady Allahu 'Anhum Ajma'een.