We kindly request a clarification of the following: Is it a virtue to praise the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household)? Is this considered one of the acts of devotion encouraged by Islamic law?

Among the best things a person can utter is the praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household), whether by repeating such praise or by listening to it. This is what has been recently known as the "Prophetic praise." Ubay Ibn Ka‘b narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Indeed, some poetry contains wisdom” (recorded by al-Bukhari as a hadith marfu’, one that it is directly attributed to the Prophet). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) also listened to poetry.

The praise of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) by the Islamic Ummah is an indication of their love for him, which is one of the foundations of faith. Allah Almighty says,
“Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your spouses, your relatives, the wealth you have acquired, the trade you fear will decline, and the homes you cherish are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people” (Quran, 9:24). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) also said,
“By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, none of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father and his son” (recorded by Bukhari).
In another hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household)   said,
“None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his children, his father, and all people” (recorded by Muslim).

Loving the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) is an expression of love for Allah Almighty; whoever loves a king also loves his messenger, and the Messenger of Allah is the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds. He is the one who brought us all good and endured hardships for the sake of our becoming Muslim and attaining paradise. Allah, our Lord, described him in many places in the Quran with attributes that demonstrate his virtue, including, “And indeed, you are of a great moral character” (Quran, 68:4).

The scholar al-Bajuri (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in the introduction to Sharh Al-Burdah (pp. 5–6),
“Indeed, his perfections — peace and blessings be upon him and his family — are incalculable, and his noble traits transcend all bounds of understanding. Those who praise his noble person and describe his manifest perfection fall short of what lies beyond, incapable of doing it justice. How can they, when Allah described him in His books with attributes that dazzle minds and he cannot be fully comprehended? If those who came before and those who came after were to go to extremes in enumerating his virtues, they would be unable to encompass what his Lord has gifted him of endowments.”

Khuraym Ibn Aws Ibn Harithah Ibn Lam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) when al-‘Abbas Ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah have mercy on him) said to him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I want to praise you.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) replied,
‘Proceed, may Allah not break your teeth.’ So, al- ‘Abbas proceeded to recite some poetic verses, including,
“At your birth, the earth shone
and the horizons were illuminated by your light.
And we, bathed in that light, traverse the paths of guidance and righteousness” (recorded by al-Tabarani in Al-Mu‘jam Al-Kabir). In this hadith, we find that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) approved of his uncle’s praise and did not object to it, which proves the virtue and legitimacy of praising him.

Based on the above, praising the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his household) is one of the greatest acts of drawing close to Allah Almighty, and reciting poetry in his honor holds great merit.

And Allah the Almighty knows best.