Among the rights of Ahlul-Bayt is that salawaat is due to them as well as the Prophet and that one should not separate the Messenger of Allah from his progeny when chanting salawaat.
Verily Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O you who believe! send blessings on him [Muhammad] and greet him with the fitting salutation.
When the above Ayah was revealed, the Companions of the Prophet inquired about the manner in which salawaat is to be said. The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) answered:
When saying salawaat, one must say: "O Allah! send Thy peace and blessings upon the Prophet and his progeny in the same manner that You send it upon Ibrahim and his progeny for You are Praiseworthy and Most High."
In his book (Sawaa'iq), Ibn Hajr quotes the Prophet saying, "Do not deliver an unfinished salawaat for me." Ibn Hajr adds, when the Prophet was asked what he meant by an unfinished salawaat, the Prophet replied:
"Do not say 'O Allah! send Thy peace and blessings upon Muhammad instead say: Allah! send Thy peace and blessings upon Muhammad and upon Aali Muhammad".
Regretfully, this unfinished salawaat is quite popular in writings of Ahlul-Sunnah and the lectures of Sunni preachers.
In a Hadith, the beloved Prophet (p.b.u.h.) insists that, "Whoever makes prayer and does not declare salawaat for him and his family, his prayer is incomplete and will not be accepted."
Imam Shafi'i attests to this Hadith in a famous poem:
Roughly translated Al-Shafi'i says: Oh the love of Ahlul-Bayt is such That it is a must since the Qur'an has it established . Suffice it that their distinction is such That the prayer is invalid if no salawaat is offered for them.
source : http://www.maaref-foundation.com
