Why do we send blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)?
Question

                Billions of people have lived during the past fourteen hundred years, sending blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in their prayers and in their personal supplications, and when mentioning the name of the Prophet. If the Prophet was perfect and infallible, then why does he need all these salaams and blessings from us in order to enter Paradise? Whilst we are imperfect and we are in greater need of these salaams and blessings in order to enter Paradise? Or is there another, different reason why we send blessings and salaams upon the Prophet?
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly:

	Sending 
	blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is one 
	of the best and noblest acts of worship by means of which one may draw 
	closer to Allah. Allah, may He be exalted, has enjoined that upon His 
	believing slaves. He, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the 
	meaning):

	“Allah 
	sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet (Muhammad 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)) and also His angels (ask Allah 
	to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allah 
	to bless) him (Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)), and 
	(you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation 
	i.e. As¬Salâmu 'Alaikum)”

	[al-Ahzaab 
	33:56].

	The Prophet 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) also urged us to do that and 
	explained that it brings a multiple reward and that it is a means of 
	attaining forgiveness of sins and having one’s needs met. He (blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, 
	Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold and will erase from him ten 
	misdeeds and raise him ten degrees in status.” Narrated by an-Nasaa’i 
	(1297); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan an-Nasaa’i.

	At-Tirmidhi 
	(2457) narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I 
	said: O Messenger of Allah, I want to send more blessings upon you (before 
	offering supplication); how much of my supplication should I allocate to 
	that? He said: “Whatever you wish.” I said: One quarter? He said “Whatever 
	you wish, but if you do more, it will be better for you.” I said: Half? He 
	said: “Whatever you wish but if you do more, it will be better for you.” I 
	said: Two thirds? He said: “Whatever you wish, but if you do more, it will 
	be better for you.” I said: Shall I make all of my supplication for that? He 
	said: Then your worries will be taken care of and your sin will be 
	forgiven.”

	Classed as hasan 
	by al-Albaani in Sunan at-Tirmidhi.

	Secondly:

	You said that 
	the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is perfect and 
	infallible, so why does he need us to send many blessings and salaams upon 
	him so that he might be admitted to Paradise, whereas we are in greater need 
	of that than him, because we are not perfect? This objection on your part is 
	not appropriate, for several reasons, as follows:

	1.

	Sending 
	blessings and salaams upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him) is something that is enjoined. Allah, may He be exalted, says 
	(interpretation of the meaning):

	“O 
	you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)), and (you should) greet (salute) 
	him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As¬Salâmu 'Alaikum)”

	[al-Ahzaab 
	33:56].

	So it is an act 
	of worship, and what is required of the Muslim is to comply with the command 
	of Allah, and not to object to His command.

	2.

	The virtue of 
	sending blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him) does not benefit the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) 
	only; rather it also benefits the one who sends blessings on him. The virtue 
	mentioned in the hadiths quoted above and in other hadiths benefits the one 
	who sends blessings upon the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him).

	Shaykh Ibn 
	‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said, in his commentary on the 
	hadith: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: 
	“Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him 
	tenfold” means: If you say “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad (O Allah, 
	send blessings upon Muhammad)”, Allah will send upon you a tenfold blessing 
	in return, and Allah will praise you before those on high ten times.

	End quote from
	Sharh Riyaadh as-Saaliheen.

	3.

	The rights of 
	the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) are the greatest 
	rights after those of Allah. Through him, Allah saved many people from the 
	depths of darkness and brought them into the light. Allah, may He be 
	exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

	“It 
	is He Who sends down manifest Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, 
	signs, revelations, etc.) to His slave (Muhammad (blessings and peace of 
	Allah be upon him)) that He may bring you out from darkness into light. And 
	verily, Allah is to you full of kindness, Most Merciful”

	[al-Hadeed 57:9]

	“(This is) a Book which We 
	have revealed unto you (O Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him)) in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness (of disbelief and 
	polytheism) into light (of belief in the Oneness of Allâh and Islâmic 
	Monotheism) by their Lord's Leave”

	[Ibraaheem 14:1].

	If a person 
	frequently mentions the name of a doctor at whose hands Allah caused him to 
	be healed, and that is only concerning physical well-being, then how about 
	the one at whose hands Allah brings about both spiritual and physical 
	well-being?

	It is one of the 
	rights of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) over his 
	ummah that they should send a lot of blessings upon him in response to that 
	favour and in fulfilment of some of his rights (blessings and peace of Allah 
	be upon him).

	Ibn al-Qayyim 
	(may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah, may He be glorified, enjoined 
	sending blessings upon him straight after telling us that He and His angels 
	send blessings upon him. What is meant is that if Allah and His angels send 
	blessings upon His Messenger, then you should send blessings upon him, for 
	it is more appropriate that you should send blessings upon him and greet him 
	with salaam, because of what you have received of the blessing of his 
	message.

	End quote from
	Jalaa’ al-Ifhaam.

	Shaykh ‘Abd 
	ar-Rahmaan as-Sa‘di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

	“O 
	you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad 
	(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)), and (you should) greet (salute) 
	him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As¬Salâmu 'Alaikum)”

	[al-Ahzaab 
	33:56],

	following the 
	example of Allah and His angels, as a reward to him for some of the rights 
	that he has over them, so as to perfect their faith and show respect, love 
	and honour for him (sa), and as a means of increasing their good deeds and 
	expiating their bad deeds.

	End quote from
	Tafseer as-Sa‘di (1/671).

	So blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him, constantly, until the Day of Judgement, so long 
	as night and day follow one another. Blessings and peace of Allah be upon 
	him so long as righteous people remember him. 

	Do not deprive 
	yourself of that virtue. May Allah help us and you to make the most of acts 
	of obedience, and protect us from the evil of our own selves, for He is Most 
	Munificent, Most Generous.

	And Allah knows 
	best.