Why do we send Salam to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in our salah?
Every Muslim recites the ṣalāt al-Ibrāhīmiyyah in their prayer, sending blessings upon both our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and Prophet Ibrāhīm (ʿpeace be upon him). Why do we mention Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in our salah?
1. The supplication of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him)
Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) prayed:
وَٱجۡعَل لِّی لِسَانَ صِدۡقࣲ فِی ٱلۡأٓخِرِینَ ﴿٨٤﴾
“And grant me a reputation of honour among later generations.” (al-Shuʿarāʾ: 84)
Allah accepted this supplication, and to this day his name is honoured in the prayers of the Ummah of Muḥammad ﷺ. Ibn Kathīr, in his Tafsīr, explains that this verse means Allah would cause Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) to be remembered with praise and honour among all nations who came after him. The ṣalāt al-Ibrāhīmiyyah is one of the most evident manifestations of this acceptance. It shows us that if a dua is accepted one can reap its fruits forever.
2. Ibrāhim (peace be upon him) named us Muslims
Allah says:
هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِینَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَفِی هَـٰذَا…
“It is He [Ibrāhīm] who named you Muslims before and in this [revelation]…” (al-Ḥajj: 78)
Al-Qurṭubī, in his Tafsīr, comments that Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him) was the first to use the term Muslims for those who submitted to Allah, and this honour has continued until the final Ummah. Thus, remembering him in our prayer is a way of recognising his role in shaping our identity.
3. His prayer for a messenger from among us
While raising the Kaʿbah with Ismāʿīl, Ibrāhīm supplicated:
رَبَّنَا وَٱبۡعَثۡ فِیهِمۡ رَسُولࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡ یَتۡلُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِمۡ ءَایَـٰتِكَ وَیُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَیُزَكِّیهِمۡۚ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلۡعَزِیزُ ٱلۡحَكِیمُ ﴿١٢٩﴾
“Our Lord, send among them a Messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses, teach them the Book and wisdom, and purify them. Indeed, You alone are the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (al-Baqarah: 129)
This prayer was answered through the sending of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. Al-Ṭabarī notes in his Tafsīr that this is one of the greatest proofs of Ibrāhīm’s (peace be upon him) compassion for later generations, as he prayed for guidance not only for his own people but for those yet to come.
The Prophet ﷺ himself said: “
I am the supplication of my father Ibrāhīm and the glad tidings of ʿĪsā.” (Musnad Aḥmad).
Thus, sending salām upon Ibrāhīm is a repayment for his duʿāʾ, which resulted in the greatest blessing for us — the coming of our Messenger ﷺ.
4. The encounter during al-Miʿrāj
During the Night Journey, the Prophet ﷺ met Ibrāhīm in the seventh heaven. It is reported that Ibrāhīm said:
“Convey my salām to your Ummah.” (al-Nasāʾī, ʿAmal al-Yawm wa al-Laylah).
Ibn Ḥajar, in Fatḥ al-Bārī highlights that the Ummah responds to this salām every day by invoking blessings upon him in their prayers. This creates a mutual exchange of salām between Ibrāhīm and the followers of Muḥammad ﷺ
From these points, we see that we revere Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) for various reasons:
• the fulfilment of his duʿāʾ to be remembered
• an acknowledgement that he named us Muslims
• a repayment for his prayer that brought us our Prophet ﷺ
• and a response to his salām in the Miʿrāj.
Every recitation of the ṣalāt al-Ibrāhīmiyyah links us to this legacy. It reminds us that Islam is the continuation of the path of Ibrāhīm (peace be upon him), the father of the prophets and a model of pure submission.