SUMMARY:

1. Reciting abundant durood at any time on Friday, in any particular amount, with any particular words is an established act of worship.
2. There is absolutely no harm in using the words of the famous narration of Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, [اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدِنِ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيْمًا], nor is there any harm in reciting it 80 times, nor is there any harm in reciting it after Asr on Fridays.
3. However, to consider the combination of this exact amount, exact words and exact time to be an established Sunnah in and of itself, will need an established hadith. We are unaware of any. And Allah knows best.
4. One may also use the words [اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ وَرَسُوْلِكَ النَّبِّيِ الْأُمِّيِّ] or any other words.
5. If one considers the classification of Ibn Nu’maan to be correct, then it would be permissible to hope that eighty years of sins are forgiven, when reciting the durood eighty times with the words [اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ وَرَسُوْلِكَ النَّبِّيِ الْأُمِّيِّ]. This is if his classification was on this particular narration. If Ibn Nu’man’s classification was for Hadith [A], then one could hope for this virtue by reading any words of durood eighty times. On the other hand, if the classification of Ibn Hajr, Ibnul Jawzi and Zahabi is taken to be accurate, then it would be incorrect to believe that eighty years of sins are forgiven by reciting this or any other durood 80 times on a Friday. There is more caution in this second stance as far as belief in this particular virtue is concerned. And Allah knows best.
6. To hope for eighty years of rewards by reciting the wordings mentioned in hadith [B] is not correct since we are unaware of its chain and no one has classified it to be sound or authentic.
7. The virtues which are established for general durood is mentioned in the following hadith. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sends salaah (durood) upon me once, Allah Ta’aala will send salaah upon him tenfold, and will erase ten sins from him, and will raise him ten degrees in status.”

• Collected by Nasai in his ‘Sunan’ [#1298], Ibn Hibban in his ‘Sahih’ [#2390] and Hakim in ‘Mustadrak’ [Vol.1 Pg.550]. He classified it authentic.

N.B. If one is in the habit of reciting the wordings of the famous narration [Hadith B] of Abu Hurairah 80 times after Asr on a Friday, then continue to do such. One should simply change their intention for this recital.

The correct intention is that we were encouraged to recite the durood abundantly on Fridays in authentic narrations and there are many rewards for reciting durood mentioned in authentic hadiths. It is also a right of our beloved Nabi ﷺ upon us to send abundant durood upon him. This is why we are reciting these words in this number. We can add 20 more and make it 100, if we so wish. And Allah Ta’ala knows best and He, Alone, grants tawfeeq and divine ability.

May Allah make us from amongst those who reap the rewards of the following hadith:

“The person closest to me on the Day of Judgement is the one who sent the most Salaat (Durood) upon me.”

• Collected by Tirmidhi [#484] and he said Hasan Gharib.

N.B. Some students of knowledge have made a bold claim that only after Hazrat Shaikh did the practice of reciting the wordings of the famous narration of Abu Huriarah رضي الله عنه came into being. Such claims need a thorough research of all the books of history which is not an easy task. Rather, the Mufti of Damascus, Muhammad Khalil Aafandi has mentioned in the biography of Shaikh Ahmed ibn Ibrahim Al-Jibali (d.1147AH), who was a great spiritual mentor in the way of the Sunnah, that he used to prescribe for his disciples to recite durood 80 times after the Asr prayers on Fridays in the words اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ عَبْدِكَ وَنَبِيِّكَ وَرَسُوْلِكَ النَّبِّيِ الْأُمِّيِّ وَعَلَى الِه وَصَحْبِه وَسَلًّمَ. [Silkud Durar Vol.1 Pg.80] Therefore, it is possible that others used the famous wordings of the narration of Abu Huriarah رضي الله عنه.

And Allah Ta’ala knows best.

رب صل و سلم دائما ابدا

على حبيبك خير الخلق كلهم

واخر دعوانا ان الحمد لله رب العالمين