What is the tashahhud?
In most cases it's the sitting part of the prayer, done after every second rakah and again at the very end. The word tashahhud comes from the same root as shahada and means "testifying". You greet Allah, send peace on the Prophet ﷺ and the righteous, and declare that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and messenger.
The words and what they mean
The Prophet ﷺ taught his Companions this wording (Sahih al-Bukhari 831):
- "At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat": all greetings, prayers and good things belong to Allah.
- "As-salamu alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh": peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
- "As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadillahis-salihin": peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah.
- "Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh": I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.
There is a lovely story behind it. The Companions used to say "Peace be upon Allah" in the sitting, until the Prophet ﷺ told them that Allah Himself is As-Salam (the Source of Peace), and taught them this wording instead (Sahih al-Bukhari 831). Other slightly different wordings are also reported from the Prophet ﷺ, and all are valid.
When you say it
- First tashahhud: after the second rakah in prayers of three or four rakat (Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha), you sit, say the words above, then stand up for the next rakah.
- Final tashahhud: at the end of every prayer, including two-rakah prayers like Fajr. Here you add the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, then a dua if you like, and end with the salam.
The blessings on the Prophet ﷺ
In the final sitting, you send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, following Allah's command:
When the Companions asked how to do this, he taught them to say: "Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ala Ibrahim wa ala ali Ibrahim, innaka hamidun majid," and the same with "barik" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6357). See How do I send salawat on the Prophet? After this, the Prophet ﷺ said you may "select the invocation you like best and recite it" before ending the prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari 835).
How to sit
Abu Humaid described the Prophet's ﷺ sitting: in the second rakah he sat on his left foot with the right foot upright, and in the last rakah he pushed his left foot forward and sat on the ground (Sahih al-Bukhari 828). The schools differ on the small details of the sitting, so follow what your teacher or mosque does. Many people also point the index finger during the tashahhud. See Why do Muslims move their finger during tashahhud?
- Tashahhud is the sitting recitation that includes the testimony of faith.
- You say it after every second rakah and at the end of the prayer.
- In the final sitting, add the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.
- You may then make a dua before ending with the salam.
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