[Q 701] Why We Stand for Salam

Question

I have a question regarding the term “Salam.” Could you please explain its meaning, its references in the Quran and Hadith, and the reason for reciting it while standing, particularly during Jumu’a prayers and special gatherings? Young people are asking this question and would appreciate an easy-to-understand answer.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب

Answer

Salat and Salam refers to sending Allah Almighty’s mercies (Durood) and blessings (Salam) upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad Mustafa ﷺ. When a person performs this act, he supplicates in honor of the Prophet ﷺ, and when it is from Allah Almighty, it means sending down mercy and praising him among the angels.

Reciting Durood and Salam upon the blessed personality of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a highly meritorious act. Just as the veneration and respect for the Holy Prophet ﷺ were obligatory upon Muslims during his apparent lifetime, similarly, his veneration and respect are obligatory upon the Ummah today. Standing respectfully while reciting Salam upon him at the Jumu’ah prayer or any other gathering is a continuation of this etiquette and reverence.
Allah Almighty states in the Holy Qur’an:

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ وَ مَلٰٓىٕكَتَهٗ یُصَلُّوْنَ عَلَى النَّبِیِّؕ- یٰۤاَیُّهَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا صَلُّوْا عَلَیْهِ وَ سَلِّمُوْا تَسْلِیْمًا(۵۶)

Translation by Kanz al-Irfan: Indeed, Allah and His Angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe! Send blessings upon him and much salutations.

(Surah Al-Ahzab, Pāra 22, Ayah 56)

Under the mentioned ayah, the Mufti of Ahl as-Sunnah, Shaykh al-Quran Abu Saleh Mufti Muhammad Qasim Qadri, may Allah prolong his shadow, writes: “In this ayah, Allah Almighty has not imposed any restriction on reciting Durood and Salam regarding a specific time or condition, such as standing or sitting. Therefore, it is permissible to recite the blessed Durood while standing or sitting, wherever one wishes, however one wishes, before or after Salah, or before or after the Adhan, whenever one desires.”

(Sirat al-Jinan, vol. 8, p. 85, Maktabat al-Madinah, Karachi)

Reciting Salat and Salam while standing with folded hands is a source of blessings, because in it, the pure mention of the Chief of the Prophets ﷺ takes place. Standing for the mention of Mustafa ﷺ is an act of veneration for the personality of Mustafa ﷺ, and the permissibility of standing respectfully for an honored person is proven from Ahadith. As narrated by Hadrat Abu Hurairah رضي الله تعالى عنه in Sunan Abi Dawud:

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه و سلم يَجْلِسُ مَعَنَا فِي الْمَجْلِسِ يُحَدِّثُنَا، فَإِذَا قَامَ قُمْنَا قِيَامًا حَتَّى نَرَاهُ قَدْ دَخَلَ بَعْضَ بُيُوتِ أَزْوَاجِهِ

Translation: The Prophet ﷺ used to sit with us in the gathering and converse with us. Then, when he stood up, we all would stand up with him and remain standing until we saw him enter one of the houses of his blessed wives.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 4775, vol. 4, p. 247, Al-Maktabat al-Asriyyah, Beirut)

Answered by: Tabaruk Madani (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 16th August 2026