why do Shiites include the descendants of Mohammad when blessing him, saying, O Lord, bless Muhammad and his descendants?
ANSWER:
It is obvious that the holy Prophet himself taught to bless him. When the following verse was revealed: Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O. ye who believe! Call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute hi with a (becoming) salutation." (33:50), the Muslims asked the Prophet, “How shall we salute you?"
- "Don't salute me incompletely," the Prophet answered.
-"How, then, shall we salute you?” they repeated.
- “Say," he replied, “O Lord, bless your apostle Muhammad and his descendants."[1]
Saluting Muhammad's descendants is so important that Shafi'i, in his famous poem says: "O descendants of our holy Prophet! Loving you is a precept recommended by God in the Qur'an. Of the importance and elevation of your position it suffices to say that whoever salutes you not. has performed no prayers[2]
[1]
"Iba Hajar, Al-şawā iq al-Muhriqah, book 11, chap. 1, p. 146; al Durr al-Manthur, vol. 5; commenting on verse 56 of Chapter al Ahzab, the traditionists as well the authors of Shhah and Masanid(anthologies of traditions) such as Abd al-Rezzaaq, Ibn Abi-Shaybah and ….
[2] Ibn Hajar, Al-Şawa'iq al-Muhriqah, book 11, p. 148; al-Shabrăwi, al. Ithaf, p. 29; al-Hamzāwl al-Maliki, Mashariq al-Anwår, p. 88; alZarqāni, al-Mawāhib, p. 119; Şabban, al-Is af.p.119
