إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبي. يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه وسلموا تسليما
Inna Allāha wa-malāʾikatahu yuṣallūna ʿalā al-nabiyy; yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū ṣallū ʿalayhi wa-sallimū taslīmā
Topic
“God and His angels bless the Prophet; O believers, invoke blessings and peace upon him”: the verse recited in the Friday sermon.
What it means
These words are the Quran’s verse 33:56. They state that God and His angels bless the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and call on the believers to ask for blessings and peace on him. The imam recites the verse in the khuṭba, the Friday sermon, and the congregation answers quietly with the proper invocation, such as “May God bless him and grant him peace”. The verse is the basis for the practice of invoking blessings on the Prophet whenever his name is spoken or heard. Scholars teach that the invocation expresses love and gratitude toward the messenger through whom the Quran came. In the daily prayer, Muslims also recite the blessings in the closing sitting.
Often misunderstood as
The invocation is sometimes mistaken for worship of the Prophet, but the verse asks for God’s blessings on him and so keeps all worship for God.
What the sources say
The Prophet is reported to have said that whoever invokes a blessing on him once, God will bless that person tenfold (Sahih Muslim).
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 55, listed as INNA ALLAH WA MALĀ’IKATAHU YUṢALLŪNA ‘ALĀ AL NABIYY. YĀ AYYUHA ALLADHĪNA ĀMANŪ ṢALLŪ ‘ALAYHI WA SALLIMŪ TASLĪMAN.. The definition is restated here.