Darood Sharif — Arabic, English Translation, Transliteration & Benefits

Darood Sharif (also spelled Durood Shareef) is the beautiful blessing that Muslims send upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The most well-known form — Darood Ibrahim — is recited in the final sitting of every Salah, making it one of the most repeated supplications in a Muslim's life.

What is Darood Sharif?

Darood Sharif (Arabic: salawat) is a dua in which we ask Allah to honour, exalt and send peace upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Allah Himself commands it in the Quran: "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." (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:56).

The Arabic word at the centre of this is salah (صلاة), the same word used for the five daily prayers — but here it carries a different sense depending on who is doing it. When Allah sends salah upon the Prophet ﷺ, it is His praise of him and His raising of his honour. When angels and believers send salah upon him, it is a request — we are asking Allah to do that. So when you say "Allaahumma salli alaa Muhammad", you are not praying to the Prophet ﷺ; you are asking Allah to honour him.

You will see the phrase written several different ways in English — Darood Sharif, Durood Shareef, Durood Pak, or simply salawat. All refer to the same thing. "Darood" is the Persian and Urdu word for this blessing, and because Persian and Urdu vowels do not map neatly onto English, people spell it by ear. "Sharif" and "Pak" both mean noble or pure. In Arabic-speaking countries the usual term is as-salatu ala an-Nabi — sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ.

Darood Ibrahim (recited in Salah)

This is the Darood the Prophet ﷺ taught his companions when they asked how to send blessings upon him (Sahih al-Bukhari). It is recited in the last sitting (Qa'dah) of Salah, after the Tashahhud.

Darood Sharif in English — word by word

Reading a smooth English translation tells you what the Darood says. Reading it word by word tells you what you are actually asking for, which makes it far easier to mean it in Salah rather than recite it on autopilot.

Notice the structure: the first half asks for salah and the second half asks for barakah, and both are phrased as "as You did for Ibrahim". That is why this Darood is named after Ibrahim (peace be upon him) even though the blessing being asked for is upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Short Darood Sharif

Muslims also commonly say the short salawat "Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam" (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) whenever the Prophet's ﷺ name is mentioned. In writing, many people prefer to spell this out in full, or use the symbol ﷺ, rather than abbreviating it — an abbreviation tends to be skipped over by the eye instead of actually said.

In South Asia you will also come across much longer compositions such as Darood Taj and Darood Tanjeena. These are later compositions rather than wordings narrated from the Prophet ﷺ himself. If you want to be certain you are reciting what he taught, Darood Ibrahim and the short salawat above are the wordings to learn first.

Darood Sharif in Salat al-Janazah

A common question is whether the funeral prayer uses a special Darood. It does not — the Darood recited in Salat al-Janazah is the same Darood Ibrahim you already recite in your daily prayers.

Salat al-Janazah has no ruku and no sujood. It is prayed standing, with four takbirs, and each section sits between two takbirs:

So the one part of the funeral prayer you almost certainly know already is the Darood. If you are unsure of the rest, follow the imam and recite what you know — the details of the first and third portions vary by school, and it is worth learning them the way they are prayed in your own community.

Common mistakes when reciting Darood

• Shortening "aali" to "ali". اٰلِ (aal) means family, and the alif is stretched. Clipping it changes the word — take the full two-beat length.
• Wondering why it sounds like "hameedum majeed". It is written hameedun majeed, but a tanween followed by the letter meem merges into a nasal sound. Reciting it as "hameedum-majeed" is correct, not a slip.
• Rushing the ending. Both halves close with innaka hameedum majeed, and because the phrase repeats, people speed through the second one. Give it the same weight as the first.
• Reciting it in the wrong place in Salah. Darood comes after the Tashahhud in the final sitting, not before it.
• Saying it only in prayer. The Darood is a dua you can make any time — walking, working, waiting. It does not need wudu or a particular posture.

Benefits of reciting Darood Sharif

• Tenfold blessings: The Prophet ﷺ said, "Whoever sends one blessing upon me, Allah will send ten blessings upon him." (Sahih Muslim).
• Sins forgiven and ranks raised: With each salawat, Allah forgives sins and elevates the reciter's status.
• Nearest on the Day of Judgment: "The people nearest to me on the Day of Resurrection will be those who send the most blessings upon me." (Tirmidhi).
• Duas are accepted: Sending Darood at the beginning and end of dua is a key reason for its acceptance.
• Angels' prayers: The angels ask forgiveness for the one who sends blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ.

When to recite Darood Sharif

• In every Salah, in the final sitting after Tashahhud.
• Abundantly on Friday (Jumu'ah) — the Prophet ﷺ especially encouraged it.
• Whenever his ﷺ blessed name is mentioned.
• At the start and end of every dua.
• As daily dhikr, morning and evening.