Imam Baghawi رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه states: ‘Salat of Allah Almighty is to ‘shower mercy’, whereas our Salat means to supplicate for the mercy.’ (Sharh-us-Sunnah, vol. 2, pp. 280)

One question arises here that when Allah Almighty is showering mercies upon His Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم Himself, then why did He command us to recite Salat upon the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, i.e. supplicate for mercy? You ask for something that you do not already possess. So, when mercies are already descending, then why have we been commanded to supplicate for them?

While explaining this, the renowned commentator of the Holy Quran, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan Na’eemi رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه states: O reciters of Salat and Salam! Never ever assume that My (Lord) mercies are dependent upon your supplications to be showered upon My Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, and that My beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم is in need of your recitation of Salat and Salam. Regardless of whether you recite Salat upon him or not, My mercies continuously keep showering upon him. Your birth took place now and you started reciting Salat and Salam recently. Mercies are showering upon the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم since even ‘then’ and ‘when’ did not exist. Mercies are being showered upon him even before the existence of ‘where’ and ‘there’. Making you recite Salat and Salam upon him, i.e. making you to supplicate for mercy to be showered upon the Holy Rasool
صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, is indeed for your own benefit. You will recite Salat and Salam upon the Noble Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and gain abundant of reward for it. (Shan-e-Habib-ur-Rahman, pp. 184; summarised)

صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد                      صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب

O devotees of Rasool! Undoubtedly, Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم does not need the recitation of our Salat. In fact, it benefits the reciter of Salat. More a person recites Salat and Salam upon the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, higher the reward will be gathered in his Book of Deeds accordingly. But Satan would never want us to increase our righteous deeds by reciting Salat upon the Holy Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم abundantly. It is possible that he brings an