Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ), often shortened to the Arabic ligature ﷺ or the Latin abbreviations SAW, SAWS, or PBUH, is the salawat — a short prayer of blessing — that Muslims recite every time the name of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is mentioned. It means: “May Allah send His peace and blessings upon him.”
This page covers the full Arabic spelling with and without diacritics, a word-by-word breakdown, the Quranic command from Surah al-Ahzab 33:56, the most-cited hadith on the reward for sending salawat, the difference between ﷺ / SAW / PBUH, when Muslims say it (in salah, on Fridays, after adhan), the correct response when you hear someone say it, and the common spelling variants people search for.
Table of Contents
Pronunciation
The phrase is read in five syllables: Sal-la-LLA-hu · a-LAY-hi · wa-SAL-lam. The double “ll” in Sallallahu is doubled (shadda); the “h” in alaihi is a clear, breathy h; the final wasallam ends with a soft “m”. The video below walks through each word at a slow pace before repeating the phrase at conversational speed:
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam in Arabic
The phrase is four words. Written with diacritical marks (tashkīl), which is how it appears in the Mushaf and most printed Islamic books:
صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
And without diacritics, which is how it usually appears in modern Arabic news, websites, and chat:
صلى الله عليه وسلم
Most Arabic publishers also use the single-character ligature ﷺ — one Unicode glyph that contains the full phrase in compressed calligraphic form. It is read aloud in full as Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, never as a separate word.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Breaking the phrase into its four parts makes the meaning precise:
Related:
| Transliteration | Arabic | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Salla | صَلَّى | May He bless / send prayer upon |
| Allahu | اللّٰهُ | Allah (subject of the verb) |
| Alayhi | عَلَيْهِ | upon him |
| Wa sallam | وَسَلَّمَ | and grant peace |
The verb salla shares its root with salah (prayer). When Allah is the subject, classical scholars explain that salla ‘alayhi does not mean “Allah prays for him” — it means Allah praises him among the angels and elevates his rank. When the same verb has angels or believers as the subject, it means asking Allah to send those blessings upon him.
Common Spellings and Abbreviations:
- Salla Allahu Alaihi Wasallam
- Salallahu Alayhi Wasalam
- Sal lal lahu alaihi wasallam
- S.A.W — Latin initials
- SAW / SAWS / SAAW
- PBUH — “Peace Be Upon Him” (English translation)
- ﷺ — Arabic ligature (Unicode U+FDFA)
The Quranic Command (Surah al-Ahzab 33:56)
Sending salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ is not a cultural courtesy — it is a direct command from Allah in Surah al-Ahzab. The verse opens by stating that Allah Himself does this act, and that the angels do it too — only after that does the command reach the believers:
“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 for “blessing” in this verse is salat, and the word for “peace” is salam — the same two words that form the phrase salla · alayhi · wa-sallam. The full salawat we say today is the verbal action that fulfils the command.
When this verse was revealed, the companions asked the Prophet ﷺ how they should send salawat upon him. He replied with what is now known as Salawat al-Ibrahimiyyah, taught in Sahih al-Bukhari 6357 — the long form recited at the end of every salah after Tashahhud. So “Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam” is the short form of that long salawat, used outside of formal prayer.
The Reward in the Hadith
The Prophet ﷺ described the reward for sending one salawat upon him in several authentic narrations. The most-cited is from Sahih Muslim:
“Whoever sends one salawat upon me, Allah will send ten salawat upon him.”
[Sahih Muslim 408]
An expanded version recorded in Sunan an-Nasa’i 1297 adds two more rewards: “…Allah will send ten salawat upon him, raise him by ten ranks, and erase ten of his sins.” Four blessings flow from a single recitation: divine prayer, rank, forgiveness, and the original mercy itself.
The Prophet ﷺ also warned about neglect. Jami at-Tirmidhi records:
“The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send salawat upon me.”
[Jami at-Tirmidhi 3546]
For Friday, Sunan Abi Dawud 1047 narrates: “The most virtuous of your days is Friday. On it, send abundant salawat upon me, for your salawat will be presented to me.” This is why many Muslims increase salawat on Fridays specifically.
And the salam is returned in real time. Abu Hurayrah (raḍiyallahu ‘anhu) reported:
“Whenever someone greets me, Allah returns the soul to my body so that I return his greeting.”
[Sunan Abi Dawud 2041]
SAW vs PBUH vs ﷺ — Which Should You Use?
All three forms refer to the same salawat, but they differ in completeness and adab (etiquette):
- The full phrase (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, written or spoken) carries the full reward of the salawat. This is what scholars and classical books always preferred.
- The Arabic ligature ﷺ is functionally identical to the full phrase — it is the four words compressed into a single Unicode glyph. When read aloud, it is pronounced in full.
- SAW / SAWS / SAAW are Latin abbreviations of the same phrase. They are tolerated for speed in writing, but Imam Nawawi and Ibn Salah (rahimahumullah) discouraged the abbreviated form, holding that the salawat should be written in full out of respect.
- PBUH (“Peace Be Upon Him”) is an English translation, not a transliteration. It conveys the meaning but loses the Arabic structure.
Practical rule: in books, articles, and formal writing, prefer the full Arabic or transliteration. In chat, social media, and informal notes, the abbreviations are acceptable — but if you have time, write it in full. The reward is in the recitation, not the abbreviation.
The ﷺ Symbol — Unicode and Typography
The single-glyph form ﷺ is encoded at Unicode U+FDFA in the Arabic Presentation Forms-A block. It is one of a small set of religious ligatures registered with the Unicode Consortium specifically because the phrase is so common in Arabic typography. The HTML entity is ﷺ and you can copy the symbol from this page directly: ﷺ.
On Windows, the keyboard shortcut Alt + 65018 on the numpad inserts it. On macOS and iOS, the easiest way is the Arabic keyboard’s character picker, or simply copy-paste from any Islamic text. Most modern Arabic fonts (Amiri, Lateef, Scheherazade, Noto Naskh) render ﷺ correctly. Some Latin fonts do not contain the glyph and will display a fallback box.
When Muslims Say Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
The Prophet ﷺ taught his ummah to send salawat in many situations. The most common are:
- Whenever his name is mentioned — in lectures, conversations, books, social media, or your own recitation. This is the immediate response taught by the hadith of the miser.
- In every salah — the long Salawat al-Ibrahimiyyah is recited after the second Tashahhud, before the final salam. This is the Darood Sharif most Muslims memorize.
- On Friday and Friday night — based on Sunan Abi Dawud 1047, many Muslims set a daily target (100, 300, or 1,000 salawat) on Fridays.
- When entering and leaving the masjid — salawat is part of the recommended du’a sequence.
- After the adhan — the Prophet ﷺ said whoever sends salawat upon him after the adhan and asks Allah for al-Wasilah for him will be granted his intercession on the Day of Judgment (Sahih Muslim 384).
- As daily dhikr — many Muslims include 100 salawat as part of morning or Tahajjud prayer dhikr.
What to Say When You Hear It
If someone says “Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam” after mentioning the Prophet ﷺ, the appropriate response is to say it yourself — either repeating the same phrase or replying with:
عَلَيْهِ الصَّلاةُ وَالسَّلام
“Alayhi al-salah wa al-salam” — “Upon him be prayer and peace.”
The reply is itself a salawat — saying it earns the same tenfold reward described in Sahih Muslim 408. There is no requirement to vary your phrasing; reciting the same Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam back is fully valid.
Common Spelling Variants
Because the phrase is transliterated from Arabic, English spellings vary widely. All of the following point to the same salawat — the differences are typographic, not theological:
- Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam — standard academic transliteration
- Salla Allahu Alayhi wa Sallam — word-spaced, Library of Congress style
- Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam — “alayhi” instead of “alaihi”
- Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam — doubled “aa” to mark the long vowel
- Sav, sa.w, s.a.w. — common Indonesian and Turkish abbreviations
- SAWS — sometimes written as “Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam”
- SAA — “Sallallahu Alayhi Aalihi” (used by some Shia communities adding “and his family”)
- सल्लल्लाहु अलैहि वसल्लम (Hindi/Devanagari), সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়াসাল্লাম (Bangla), صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم (Urdu)
The recitation is what matters. If you are not sure how to spell it, say it — or write the phrase in full Arabic or as ﷺ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam mean?
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) means: “May Allah send His blessings and peace upon him.” It is the salawat (prayer) Muslims say after mentioning the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s name. The saying is a direct command from Allah in the Quran (33:56) and a continuous expression of love and respect for the Messenger.
When do Muslims say Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam?
Muslims say it every time they mention or hear the name of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — in speech, writing, lectures, and du’a. It is also said during salah after Tashahhud, when reciting Darood Ibrahimi, and as part of daily dhikr. Many Muslims also say it on Fridays in greater frequency, based on Sunan Abi Dawud 1047 that du’a sent on the Prophet ﷺ on Friday is conveyed to him.
What is the symbol ﷺ?
The ﷺ symbol (Unicode U+FDFA, HTML entity ﷺ) is a single Arabic ligature that contains the full phrase صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ in compressed calligraphic form. It is a typographic shorthand used in modern Arabic and Islamic publishing. Pronunciation is the same as the full phrase — the symbol is read aloud in full as “Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.”
What is the difference between SAW, PBUH, and ﷺ?
All three refer to the same salawat. SAW is the Latin abbreviation for Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. PBUH stands for “Peace Be Upon Him” — the English translation. ﷺ is the Arabic ligature symbol. Scholars including Imam Nawawi preferred writing or saying the phrase in full because it carries the full reward of the salawat; abbreviations are tolerated but considered less complete than the full phrase.
Why do Muslims say Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam after the Prophet’s name?
Saying Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is a direct command from Allah in Surah al-Ahzab 33:56 and a daily Sunnah of love and respect. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever sends one salawat upon me, Allah will send ten upon him, raise him by ten ranks, and forgive ten of his sins.” (Sunan an-Nasa’i 1297). The hadith of the miser (Jami at-Tirmidhi 3546) warns against neglecting salawat when his name is heard.
Is there a Quranic command to say Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam?
Yes. Surah al-Ahzab, ayah 56 says: “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.” This is the foundational command, and the exact wording of the long salawat (Salawat al-Ibrahimiyyah) was taught by the Prophet ﷺ himself in Sahih al-Bukhari 6357 when companions asked him how to send blessings.
