Islamic phrase · meaning and usage
Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam meaning
Also written Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, SAW, SAWS, PBUH, ﷺ, Salallahu alaihi wasallam
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam
“May Allah send blessings and peace upon him”
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Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ), written ﷺ, SAW or PBUH, means “may Allah send blessings and peace upon him”. Muslims say it whenever the Prophet Muhammad is mentioned, following Qur’an 33:56.
What Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam means
Ṣalāh from Allah upon the Prophet means His praise and honour of him before the angels; salām is peace and safety. Saying it is called ṣalawāt. The one glyph ﷺ is a ligature of the whole phrase.
Word by word
| Arabic | Say | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| صَلَّى | ṣallā | (may He) send blessings / honour |
| اللَّهُ | Allāhu | Allah |
| عَلَيْهِ | ‘alayhi | upon him |
| وَسَلَّمَ | wa sallam | and (send) peace |
When to say it
- Whenever the name of the Prophet Muhammad is said, heard or written.
- In the tashahhud of every prayer (the ṣalāt Ibrāhīmiyyah).
- Much more on Friday.
- At the start and end of a dua.
How to reply
When someone mentions the Prophet, the listener also says ﷺ. No other reply is needed.
Where it comes from
In the Qur’an
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ ۚ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.
In the hadith
“Whoever sends one ṣalāh upon me, Allah sends ten upon him.”
Sahih Muslim 408
“The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send ṣalāh upon me.”
Jami at-Tirmidhi 3546
“Send much salawat on me on Friday.”
Sunan Abi Dawud 1047
Common mistakes
- Writing “SAW” or “PBUH” only. Scholars of hadith, such as Ibn as-Salah and an-Nawawi, encouraged writing the words in full. The glyph ﷺ is a good compromise many use.
- Skipping it when hearing his name. The hadith calls that miserliness (Tirmidhi 3546).
Frequently asked questions
What does sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mean?
“May Allah send blessings and peace upon him.” It is said after the Prophet Muhammad’s name.
What do SAW and PBUH mean?
SAW abbreviates ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. PBUH is the English “peace be upon him”. Writing the phrase in full is preferred.
What is the symbol ﷺ?
It is a single Unicode character (U+FDFA) containing the whole Arabic phrase.
Is it said for other prophets?
For other prophets Muslims usually say ‘alayhis-salām (“peace be upon him”).
What is the reward of salawat?
Allah sends ten blessings for every one (Muslim 408).
Related phrases
How this page works and sources
Qur’an text and its English meaning are taken from the same Uthmani text and translation the Niyat app uses, and each ayah links to its place in our Qur’an reader. Hadith are cited by collection and number (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abi Dawud, Jami at-Tirmidhi, Sunan an-Nasa’i, Sunan Ibn Majah); where a narration has a weak chain we say so. Hadith wording is summarised in plain English. Where the schools of law differ, the page says so in one line. The sound button uses your browser’s own Arabic voice; nothing is sent anywhere.
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