Was the Report “Imam Ali Sent the Same Salat upon Umar That Muslims Recite for the Prophet” Really Sahih?
A Hadith-Critical Refutation of TwelverShia.net
https://www.twelvershia.net/2013/05/02/jafar-al-sadiq-says-ali-ra-sent-salat-upon-umar-ra/
TwelverShia.net presents the following narration:
Arabic:
أَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَتِيقِيُّ، نَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْحَافِظُ، نَا أَبُو حَامِدٍ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ الْحَضْرَمِيُّ، نَا يَعْقُوبُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الدَّوْرَقِيُّ، نَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ:
قَالَ عَلِيٌّ لِعُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، وَهُوَ مُسَجًّى:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ.
وَدَعَا لَهُ.
قَالَ سُفْيَانُ:
قِيلَ لِجَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ:
أَلَيْسَ قِيلَ لَا يُصَلَّى عَلَى أَحَدٍ إِلَّا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟
قَالَ:
هَكَذَا سَمِعْتُ.
English:
Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-‘Atiqi reported from Ali ibn Umar al-Hafiz—Imam al-Daraqutni—from Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Harun al-Hadrami, from Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi, from Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Jabir ibn Abdullah, who allegedly said:
“Ali said to Umar ibn al-Khattab while he was lying covered:
‘May Allah send salat upon you.’
He then prayed for him.
Sufyan said:
Ja‘far ibn Muhammad was asked:
‘Has it not been said that salat should not be invoked upon anyone except the Prophet ﷺ?’
He replied:
‘This is how I heard it.’”
Reference:
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Jami‘ li-Akhlaq al-Rawi wa Adab al-Sami‘, chapter concerning invoking salat upon the Prophet whenever he is mentioned. Report numbering differs between editions.
TwelverShia.net then writes:
“Grading: Sahih.”
It finally concludes:
“So this same Salat you send upon the Prophet in your prayer, Ali sent it upon Umar.”
This presentation collapses under Sunni hadith criticism.
1. This is a Sunni report, not an authenticated Shia narration
The report is not taken from al-Kafi, Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, Tahdhib al-Ahkam or al-Istibsar through an authenticated Imami chain.
It comes from the Sunni historian al-Khatib al-Baghdadi through transmitters evaluated according to Sunni hadith standards.
The presence of Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq a.s inside a Sunni chain does not transform the narration into an authenticated Shia report.
Imam al-Sadiq allegedly said only:
هَكَذَا سَمِعْتُ
“This is how I heard it.”
He did not say:
“Umar was a divinely appointed caliph.”
He did not say:
“Umar deserves the permanent ritual salat of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.”
He did not command Muslims to recite Umar’s name in prayer.
He merely transmitted wording attributed to earlier narrators.
Transmission is not theological endorsement.
2. Al-Khatib does not grade the report Sahih in the cited passage
TwelverShia.net writes:
“Grading: Sahih.”
But after narrating it, al-Khatib does not say:
هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ
“This hadith is authentic.”
The article does not identify the hadith critic supposedly responsible for its confident “Sahih” label.
More importantly, Imam al-Daraqutni—the major Sunni hadith specialist who himself appears in al-Khatib’s chain—examined this exact narration and identified defects in both its chain and its wording.
3. Imam al-Daraqutni says the connected chain is not the preserved version
Al-Daraqutni was asked about this report and answered:
Arabic:
هُوَ حَدِيثٌ يَرْوِيهِ جَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، وَاخْتُلِفَ عَنْهُ؛ فَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، وَخَالَفَهُ أَصْحَابُ جَعْفَرٍ، فَرَوَوْهُ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ مُرْسَلًا.
English:
“It is a report narrated by Ja‘far ibn Muhammad from his father, but disagreement occurred concerning it.
Ibn Uyaynah narrated it from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from Jabir.
However, the other companions of Ja‘far contradicted him and narrated it from Ja‘far, from his father, in a mursal form.”
Al-Daraqutni then ruled:
وَالْمَحْفُوظُ الْمُرْسَلُ.
“The preserved version is the mursal version.”
Reference:
Al-Daraqutni, al-‘Ilal al-Waridah fi al-Ahadith, question 297, vol. 3, p. 89.
The chain presented by TwelverShia.net is:
Ja‘far al-Sadiq → Imam al-Baqir → Jabir → Imam Ali.
But the other transmitters from Imam al-Sadiq narrated:
Ja‘far al-Sadiq → Imam al-Baqir → the event.
The link through Jabir is missing.
That form is disconnected.
Therefore, the specialist Sunni verdict is not:
“The connected narration is Sahih.”
It is:
وَالْمَحْفُوظُ الْمُرْسَلُ
“The preserved version is mursal.”
4. Al-Daraqutni specifically identifies “صلى الله عليك” as the anomalous wording
Al-Daraqutni stated:
Arabic:
وَأَغْرَبَ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فِي إِسْنَادِهِ وَمَتْنِهِ.
English:
“Ibn Uyaynah was singular and unusual in this hadith, both in its chain and its wording.”
He explained the sanad problem:
فَأَمَّا فِي إِسْنَادِهِ فَإِنَّهُ وَصَلَهُ عَنْ جَابِرٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ.
“As for its chain, he connected it through Jabir from Ali.”
Then he identified the unusual wording:
وَأَمَّا فِي مَتْنِهِ فَإِنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنَّ عَلِيًّا دَخَلَ عَلَى عُمَرَ وَهُوَ مُسَجًّى فَقَالَ:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ.
“As for its wording, he narrated that Ali entered upon Umar while he was lying covered and said:
‘May Allah send salat upon you.’”
Reference:
Al-Daraqutni, al-‘Ilal, vol. 3, p. 89.
This is decisive.
The exact phrase used in the article’s title:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ
is not an undisputed, securely preserved wording.
It is the very addition that al-Daraqutni identifies as part of Ibn Uyaynah’s unusual matn.
TwelverShia.net says:
“Sahih.”
Al-Daraqutni says:
Unusual in the sanad.
Unusual in the matn.
Contradicted by other transmitters.
The preserved form is mursal.
5. Al-Daraqutni suggests Imam al-Sadiq may have stopped narrating this disputed expression
The report claims that Sufyan asked Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq:
أَلَيْسَ يُقَالُ: لَا يُصَلَّى إِلَّا عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟
“Is it not said that salat should be invoked only upon the Prophet ﷺ?”
Imam al-Sadiq allegedly answered:
هَكَذَا سَمِعْنَا، أَوْ جَاءَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ.
“This is how we heard it,” or, “This is how it appeared in the report.”
Al-Daraqutni then observed:
وَيُشْبِهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ جَعْفَرٌ تَرَكَ هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةَ لَمَّا عَارَضَهُ سُفْيَانُ بِمَا عَارَضَهُ بِهِ.
“It appears possible that Ja‘far stopped narrating this particular expression after Sufyan challenged him concerning it.”
Reference:
Al-Daraqutni, al-‘Ilal, vol. 3, p. 89.
The article presents Imam al-Sadiq as though he strongly established a permanent salat upon Umar.
But al-Daraqutni’s own analysis suggests that Imam al-Sadiq may subsequently have omitted this disputed phrase.
6. Ibn Sa‘d records Sufyan’s uncertainty about the link through Jabir
Ibn Sa‘d reports:
Arabic:
حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ يُخْبِرُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، لَعَلَّهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ عَنْ جَابِرٍ...
English:
“Sufyan ibn Uyaynah said:
I heard Ja‘far ibn Muhammad narrating from his father—perhaps, Allah willing, from Jabir…”
Reference:
Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, biography of Umar ibn al-Khattab.
The key words are:
لَعَلَّهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ عَنْ جَابِرٍ
“Perhaps, Allah willing, from Jabir.”
This is doubt about the very link that converts the report from mursal into connected.
Ibn Sa‘d later says that “some of our companions” transmitted it from Sufyan without doubt:
أَخْبَرَنَا بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا...
“Some of our companions informed us…”
But that intermediary is unnamed.
An anonymous report cannot confidently remove the doubt preserved in Ibn Sa‘d’s direct transmission, especially when al-Daraqutni independently ruled:
وَالْمَحْفُوظُ الْمُرْسَلُ
“The preserved form is mursal.”
7. Other versions omit “صلى الله عليك”
Ibn Sa‘d transmits alternative versions through Imam al-Baqir that say:
يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ.
“May Allah have mercy upon you.”
They do not contain:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ.
“May Allah send salat upon you.”
Other versions are also transmitted without Jabir, in mursal form.
This supports al-Daraqutni’s conclusion:
The general story may have circulated in Sunni historical reports, but the specific words “صلى الله عليك” were not the stable, agreed-upon wording.
The article selected the most controversial addition and presented it as an undisputed Sahih statement.
8. The Tarikh al-Madinah supporting route is extremely weak
TwelverShia.net then cites:
Arabic:
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ:
أَنَّ عَلِيًّا رَأَى عُمَرَ وَهُوَ مُسَجًّى، فَقَالَ:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ...
فَقَالَ لَهُ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ...
فَقَالَ:
لَا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ إِلَّا النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ.
فَسَكَتَ.
English:
“Ahmad ibn Muawiya narrated from Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, from Ja‘far, from his father, from Jabir ibn Abdullah:
Ali saw Umar lying covered and said:
‘May Allah send salat upon you…’
Then Hasan ibn Ali said to him… [missing wording].
Then he said:
‘Do not invoke salat upon anyone except the Prophet ﷺ.’
So he remained silent.”
Reference:
Ibn Shabbah, Tarikh al-Madinah.
This route passes through Ahmad ibn Muawiya ibn Bakr al-Bahili.
Sunni critic Ibn Adi said:
حَدَّثَ عَنِ الثِّقَاتِ بِالْبَوَاطِيلِ، وَكَانَ يَسْرِقُ الْحَدِيثَ.
“He narrated false reports from trustworthy transmitters and used to steal hadith.”
Ibn Adi also ruled regarding one of his reports:
هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ بَاطِلٌ.
“This hadith through this chain is false.”
Therefore, the Tarikh al-Madinah route is not a reliable corroborating chain.
Its narrator was accused by a Sunni critic of transmitting false reports and stealing hadith.
9. The Tarikh al-Madinah text is incomplete
The surviving text itself contains a blank after:
فَقَالَ لَهُ الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ...
“Hasan ibn Ali said to him…”
The missing dialogue separates that sentence from:
فَقَالَ: لَا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ إِلَّا النَّبِيِّ...
“Then he said: Do not invoke salat upon anyone except the Prophet…”
Because the connecting words are missing, the surviving text does not conclusively establish:
What Imam Hasan said;
who uttered the next statement;
what prompted the final silence;
or how the full exchange originally read.
TwelverShia.net reconstructs an incomplete manuscript and presents its reconstruction as a fully preserved narration.
So its second proof suffers from:
A severely criticised narrator;
an accusation of transmitting false reports;
a visible textual gap;
and no ability to repair the mursal defect identified by al-Daraqutni.
10. Surah al-Ahzab gives the special command of salat for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Allah says:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا.
“Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with complete peace.”
Qur’an 33:56.
The verse does not command Muslims:
“Send ritual salat upon every caliph.”
It specifically says:
عَلَى النَّبِيِّ
“Upon the Prophet.”
Sunni tafsir explains that the verse announces the Prophet’s elevated status with Allah and commands the inhabitants of the earth to join the inhabitants of heaven in honouring him.
11. The Prophet himself explained that this commanded salat includes آل محمد
When the Companions asked how to fulfil Qur’an 33:56, the Prophet ﷺ taught:
Arabic:
قُلْنَا:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، قَدْ عَلِمْنَا كَيْفَ نُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْكَ، فَكَيْفَ نُصَلِّي عَلَيْكَ؟
قَالَ:
قُولُوا:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ.
English:
“We said:
‘O Messenger of Allah, we have learned how to greet you, but how should we send salat upon you?’
He replied:
‘Say:
O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and upon the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.
O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.’”
References:
Sahih Muslim 406; Sahih al-Bukhari 3370; Jami‘ al-Tirmidhi 483.
Another Sunni wording asks:
كَيْفَ الصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ؟
“How should we send salat upon you, the Ahl al-Bayt?”
The Prophet ﷺ answered:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ...
“O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad…”
Reference: Sahih al-Bukhari and other Sunni collections.
Therefore, the special ritual salat taught in response to Qur’an 33:56 is:
Muhammad and آل محمد.
It is not:
Muhammad and Umar.
It is not:
Muhammad and the political rulers.
It is not:
Muhammad and every Companion independently.
The Prophet himself identified the formula.
12. Sunni commentary says most scholars did not permit independent salat upon non-prophets
Imam al-Nawawi explains:
Arabic:
قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُمَا اللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَالْأَكْثَرُونَ:
لَا يُصَلَّى عَلَى غَيْرِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ اسْتِقْلَالًا، فَلَا يُقَالُ:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ، أَوْ عُمَرَ، أَوْ عَلِيٍّ، أَوْ غَيْرِهِمْ.
وَلَكِنْ يُصَلَّى عَلَيْهِمْ تَبَعًا، فَيُقَالُ:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَأَصْحَابِهِ، وَأَزْوَاجِهِ، وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ، كَمَا جَاءَتْ بِهِ الْأَحَادِيثُ.
English:
“Malik, al-Shafi‘i and the majority said:
Salat should not be invoked independently upon anyone other than the prophets.
Therefore, one should not say:
‘O Allah, send salat upon Abu Bakr,’ or ‘Umar,’ or ‘Ali,’ or anyone else.
Rather, they may be included in connection with the Prophet, such as:
‘O Allah, send salat upon Muhammad, the family of Muhammad, his Companions, wives and descendants,’ as transmitted in the narrations.”
Reference:
Al-Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim, chapter concerning salat upon the Prophet after the tashahhud.
So according to al-Nawawi’s presentation of the majority Sunni position, Umar is not independently assigned a permanent formula:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ.
13. Ibn Hajar says the Prophet restricted the taught salat to himself and his Ahl al-Bayt
Ibn Hajar records the position that independent salat is not assigned to non-prophets and explains:
Arabic:
وَلِأَنَّهُ لَمَّا عَلَّمَهُمُ السَّلَامَ قَالَ:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ.
وَلَمَّا عَلَّمَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ قَصَرَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ.
English:
“When he taught them the greeting of peace, he said:
‘Peace be upon us and upon Allah’s righteous servants.’
But when he taught them salat, he restricted it to himself and his Ahl al-Bayt.”
Reference:
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Fath al-Bari, chapter: “May salat be invoked upon someone other than the Prophet?”
This is exactly the distinction TwelverShia.net tries to erase.
The permanent ritual salat was taught for:
Muhammad and Ahl al-Bayt.
An occasional prayer containing the word salat for another believer is merely du‘a.
14. Ibn Kathir records that independent salat became a distinctive prophetic religious formula
Ibn Kathir discusses salat upon non-prophets and records that many scholars prohibited or disliked independently assigning it to others because it had become a distinctive religious sign associated with the prophets.
The dispute among Sunni jurists therefore concerns an occasional du‘a—not whether Umar may be inserted into the ritual Salat Ibrahimiyyah or assigned the same permanent status as the Prophet ﷺ.
15. Sunni scholars themselves call the alleged wording a general du‘a
Ibn Taymiyyah directly discusses what was attributed to Imam Ali and says:
Arabic:
وَأَمَّا مَا نُقِلَ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْغُلُوِّ، وَلَمْ يُجْعَلْ ذَلِكَ شِعَارًا لِغَيْرِ الرَّسُولِ، فَهَذَا نَوْعٌ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ.
English:
“As for what has been transmitted from Ali, provided it is not done as exaggeration and is not made into a distinctive slogan for someone other than the Messenger, then it is a type of supplication.”
Reference:
Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, vol. 22, discussion concerning salat upon non-prophets.
The decisive words are:
فَهَذَا نَوْعٌ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ.
“This is a type of supplication.”
The website claims:
“This is the same salat you send upon the Prophet in prayer.”
Ibn Taymiyyah says:
“It is a type of du‘a.”
These claims are not remotely identical.
16. Sahih al-Bukhari’s Abu Awfa narration does not help the article
Sahih al-Bukhari records:
Arabic:
كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أَتَاهُ قَوْمٌ بِصَدَقَتِهِمْ قَالَ:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ.
فَأَتَاهُ أَبِي بِصَدَقَتِهِ، فَقَالَ:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى آلِ أَبِي أَوْفَى.
English:
“When people brought their charity to the Prophet ﷺ, he would say:
‘O Allah, send Your blessings upon them.’
My father brought his charity, so the Prophet said:
‘O Allah, send Your blessings upon the family of Abu Awfa.’”
Reference:
Sahih al-Bukhari 1497 and 6359.
This proves that the Arabic root ص ل و may be used in a general prayer for believers.
It does not prove that the family of Abu Awfa received the same permanent ritual rank as Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Muslims do not recite in tashahhud:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى آلِ أَبِي أَوْفَى.
They recite:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.
That is the difference between:
An occasional du‘a for blessing;
and the special, permanent, ritual Salat Ibrahimiyyah taught in response to Qur’an 33:56.
17. The article confuses three completely different things
First:
A general Arabic supplication for blessing.
Second:
A permanent honorific repeatedly attached to a person’s name.
Third:
The ritual Salat Ibrahimiyyah taught for Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and آل محمد.
Even if Imam Ali a.s occasionally said:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ
it would fall—according to Sunni explanations—under the first category:
A general du‘a.
It would not place Umar in the second or third category.
It would not mean that Muslims must say:
Umar صلى الله عليه.
It would not place Umar in the Salat Ibrahimiyyah.
It would not make Umar part of آل محمد.
It would not prove Umar’s caliphate.
It would not prove his infallibility.
It would not invalidate Imamah.
18. The website’s theological conclusion is completely unrelated to the narration
Suppose, merely for argument, that Imam Ali a.s offered an occasional prayer for Umar.
How would that prove:
That Umar was appointed by Allah?
That Imam Ali surrendered his own divinely established authority?
That Saqifah was legitimate?
That every decision of Umar was correct?
That Ahl al-Bayt accepted every action attributed to Umar?
It would prove none of these things.
A prayer for a dead Muslim is not a declaration of political legitimacy.
Final Verdict
TwelverShia.net writes:
“Grading: Sahih.”
But Imam al-Daraqutni says:
وَخَالَفَهُ أَصْحَابُ جَعْفَرٍ.
“The companions of Ja‘far contradicted Ibn Uyaynah.”
He says:
وَأَغْرَبَ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فِي إِسْنَادِهِ وَمَتْنِهِ.
“Ibn Uyaynah was singular and unusual in both the chain and the wording.”
He concludes:
وَالْمَحْفُوظُ الْمُرْسَلُ.
“The preserved version is mursal.”
The exact words:
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ
are identified as part of the anomalous wording.
Ibn Sa‘d preserves Sufyan’s own doubt over whether Jabir was actually in the chain.
Other versions omit the words “صلى الله عليك” and instead say:
يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ.
“May Allah have mercy upon you.”
The Tarikh al-Madinah route contains Ahmad ibn Muawiya al-Bahili, whom Ibn Adi accused of narrating false reports from trustworthy transmitters and stealing hadith.
Its surviving text also contains a visible gap.
Therefore, the first connected report is defective and not preserved as connected.
The second supporting route is extremely weak and textually incomplete.
The entire report cannot honestly be declared fabricated with certainty, because some form of the general story exists in Sunni literature.
But the website’s specific “Sahih SALAT” claim is demonstrably unsound.
Finally, Qur’an 33:56 commands salat specifically upon the Prophet ﷺ.
When the Companions asked how to fulfil that command, the Prophet taught:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.
“O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad.”
Al-Nawawi reports that Malik, al-Shafi‘i and the majority did not permit independent salat upon non-prophets.
Ibn Hajar states that when the Prophet taught salat, he restricted it to himself and his Ahl al-Bayt.
Ibn Taymiyyah describes any occasional use for another person merely as:
نَوْعٌ مِنَ الدُّعَاءِ.
“A type of supplication.”
Therefore, TwelverShia.net’s statement:
“This same Salat you send upon the Prophet in your prayer, Ali sent upon Umar”
is false in sanad, false in textual certainty and false in meaning.
The specific wording is defective.
The preserved route is mursal.
The supporting chain is extremely weak.
And the special ritual salat remains:
Muhammad and آل محمد.
Did Imam Ali Send Salat upon Umar?
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