How to recite the tashahhud (at-tahiyyat)

Near the end of every prayer, you sit and say a short passage called the tashahhud (the testimony). It is also called at-tahiyyat (the greetings), after its first words. In the final sitting, you follow it with the salawat: a prayer asking Allah to bless the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This lesson breaks both into small parts so you can learn them one piece at a time.

The Prophet taught these words with great care. His companion Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet taught him the tashahhud while holding Ibn Mas'ud's hand between his own two hands, just as he would teach him a surah of the Quran (Bukhari and Muslim).

When you say it

• In every prayer, you sit after the last prostration of the last unit (rak'ah). This is the final sitting, and you say the tashahhud there.

• In prayers of three or four units (Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha), you also sit after the second unit. This is the first sitting. You say the tashahhud, then stand up for the next unit.

• In a two-unit prayer such as Fajr, there is only one sitting: the final one.

Most scholars teach that in the first sitting you say the tashahhud only, then stand. The Shafi'i school also recommends adding the salawat there. In the final sitting, scholars agree that the salawat comes after the tashahhud. If you are unsure, follow what your local masjid teaches.

The tashahhud, part by part

These are the words the Prophet taught Ibn Mas'ud. Practice them outside of prayer, one card at a time, until they feel familiar.

The Prophet said that when you say this line, it reaches every righteous servant of Allah in the heavens and on earth (Bukhari and Muslim). In one sentence, you ask for peace for yourself and for every righteous servant of Allah, in the heavens and on earth.

This last line is the shahada, the same testimony you made when you became Muslim. You get to renew it in every prayer.

The salawat: asking Allah to bless the Prophet

The companions once asked the Prophet how they should send blessings on him. He taught them these words, reported by Ka'b ibn Ujrah, may Allah be pleased with him (Bukhari). Because they mention the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, they are often called the Ibrahimi salawat.

After this, the Prophet said you may choose any supplication (dua) you like (Bukhari and Muslim). Then you end the prayer with the taslim, which you will practice in the next lesson.

Other correct wordings

The Prophet taught more than one wording of the tashahhud. For example, his companion Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported a version that begins at-tahiyyatul-mubarakat (Muslim). Scholars explain that any wording authentically reported from the Prophet is valid, and the salawat also has another authentic wording that is very close to this one. So if your local masjid teaches a slightly different version, you are not doing anything wrong. Learn one well, and say it with care.

Go gently with these words. Learning one card a day is real progress. In the next lesson, you will put everything together and walk through a complete two-unit prayer, step by step.