Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: Sheila Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom, 

eds., Images of Paradise in Islamic Art (Hanover, N.H.: 

Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 1991); Juan 

Eduardo Campo, The Other Sides of Paradise: Explora-

tions into the Religious Meanings of Domestic Space in 

Islam (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 

1991); Muhammad Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, The Remem-

brance of Death and the Afterlife, Kitab dhikr al-mawt 

wa-ma badahu, Book XL of The Revival of the Religious 

Sciences, Ihya ulum al-din. Translated by T. J. Winter 

(Cambridge: Islamic Texts Society, 1995).

pbuh

The four letters p-b-u-h combine to form an acro-

nym for the phrase “Peace be upon him,” which 

is the English rendering of the Arabic alayhi 

al-salam. It is used in English-language Islamic 

publications and written texts whenever men-

tion is made of m

Uhammad

 as the prophet (nabi

or rasul) of i

slam

. It is not used by non-Muslims 

or in Western scholarship about Muhammad and 

Islam.

Invoking peace on another is the signature 

greeting used by Muslims. According to the 

q

Uran

, 

angel

s use it when greeting the blessed 

in 

paradise

 (for example, Q 16:32) and people 

should use it in greeting God’s servants (Q 

27:59). The peace blessing is also invoked by 

the Quran for the prophets, including a

braham

, 

m

oses

, Aaron, and Elias (for example, Q 37:109, 

114, 120, 130, 181). It is required in the perfor-

mance daily prayers, when the peace blessing is 

recited for the Prophet (nabi) Muhammad, the 

person performing the prayer, and believers in 

general.

The peace blessing (salam) for Muhammad 

as the prophet of Islam is an abbreviated render-

ing of an Arabic formula known as the tasliyya.

It consists of the invocation salla Allah alayhi wa 

sallam (May God bless him and grant him peace), 

which is used with reference to Muhammad (and 

other prophets) in Arabic-language Islamic texts, 

publications, sermons, recitations, and speeches. 

There are several variations on this formula used 

in everyday speech, including the popular expres-

sions “Bless the Prophet!” (salli ala al-nabi) and 

“Bless the beauty of the Prophet!” (salli ala jamal