Kemusykilan
SALAWAT
What is As Salawat 
? As Salawat is the blessing. Is it not strange that Salah
is spelt exactly the same as Salawat? In order to understand Salawat we must look at Salah. We have already covered Salah in a separate article on this site. PLEASE READ IT FOR YOURSELF.
Having read the article on Salah we find that we are in fact writing the name AHMAD with our body. So if we are writing the name AHMAD with our body first before we get to LILLAH then why is it wrong to say Salawat or Darood on Muhammad
? In other words, we have to write the name AHMAD The Nabee (Prophet) is closer to the believers than their own selves so that is one form of nearness of Muhammad to us than our own selves. Then we finally come to rest in the position of Lillah in the Salah.
Therefore we have to attain first attain nearness to Muhammad before we can attain nearness to Allah.
There is one deviant sect of Muslims who call the Salah 'the Contact Prayer'. They do not believe in sending Salawat upon Muhammad . Can they explain who are they contacting ? Unless they have changed the body movements of the Salah and they are writing the word CONTACT with their bodies !
Therefore the Arabic word Salawat is basically spelt Salat or Salah and both Salah and Salawat draw the seeker closer to Muhammad first and then to Allah. In other words we have to pass through AHMAD first before we rest in LILLAH. If Allah could be approached directly by everyone there was no need to send Messengers (
), Allah would have spoken to every person !
In Urdu Salawat is called Darood. Why ? If we look at the word Darood it is spelt 
Why is it spelt as it is ? If we split the word Darood into two words we get Dar 
and Wood 
.
Dar means 'Place' and Wood means 'Love' . Therefore Darood is the Place of Love. Whose place ? Muhammad's ! Whose love ? Allah's love ! Hence the title given to Muhammad Habeeb Allah - the Beloved of Allah.
THE NINETY-NINE NAMES OF ALLAH
The 99 Names of Allah have been taught to us by Muhammad. We have to try and emulate some of the Siffat or Names or Qualities of Allah but we must endeavour to know all the 99 Names. For example, As Saboor is the Patient, we have to try and emulate the quality of patience. Then there is the Name Al Muzill meaning the Degrader, we must KNOW what it means. Why ?
So that we like what Allah likes and we dislike what Allah dislikes. If we go against this rule, then Allah will degrade us. Remeber what happened to Shaytan - Satan when he refused to bow down to Adam () ? Allah wanted Shaytan to bow down to Adam () whom Allah had made with His own hands, but Shaytan did not like what Allah had made and liked. Allah degraded Shaytan !
If Allah loves Muhammadthen we must also love Muhammad. There is no way out. If we do not show respect and love towards Muhammad then how can we say that we like what Allah likes?
May Allah enlighten all the Muslims and guide them to the correct path. Ameen.