Sri Kandeh: The First Tashahhud

Monday, July 4, 2011

The First Tashahhud

The First Tashahhud

The Solāt of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)

By Shaikh Muhammad Nasiruddin Al-Albāni

[The book was translated by Usama Ibn Suhaib Hasan al-Britani; it would be worthwhile to revisit it and I invite you to provide inputs]

In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;

All the praise and Thanks are due to Allāh, the Lord of al-ā’lamīn. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, and that Muhammad, sallallāhu alayhi wa sallam, is His Messenger.

1. The Description of the Solāt
2.11. The First Tashahhud

The Prophet (Sallallāhu‘alaihi wa sallam) would sit for tashahhud after finishing the second raka'ah. In a two-raka'ah prayer such as Fajar, "he would sit muftarishan" [175], as he used to sit between the two Sajdah, and "he would sit in the first tashahhud similarly" [176] in a three- or four-raka'ah prayer. [See diagram - qss]

Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alaihi wa sallam) also ordered "the one who prayed badly" thus, saying to him, when you sit in the middle of the solat, then be calm, spread your left thigh and perform tashahhud. [177]

Abu Hurairah (radiyallāhu‘anhu) said, "My friend (Rasūlullāh Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade me from squatting (iq'ā') like a dog" [178]; in another hadith, "he used to forbid the squatting of the devil." [179]

"When Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) sat in tashahhud, he would place his right palm on his right thigh (in one narration: knee), and his left palm on his left thigh (in one narration: knee, spreading it upon it)" [180]; and "he would put the end of his right elbow on his right thigh." [181]

Also, "Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forbade a man who was sitting in solat resting on his left hand, and said: Verily, that is the prayer of the Jews [182]; in one wording, Do not sit like this, for indeed this is the way of sitting of those who are punished [183]; in another hadith, It is the sitting posture of those who incurred (Allāh's) anger. [184]

Moving the Finger in Tashahhud

" Rasūlullāh (sallallāhu‘alaihi wa sallam) would spread his left palm on his left knee, clench all the fingers of his right hand, point with the finger adjacent to the thumb towards the qiblah, and fix his sight on it (i.e. the finger)." [185]

Also, "when he pointed with his finger, he would put his thumb on his middle finger” [186], and sometimes "he would make a circle with these two." [187]

"When he raised his finger, he would move it, supplicating with it" [188], and he used to say, "It is surely more powerful against the devil than iron, meaning the forefinger." [189]

Also, "the Companions of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to remind each other, which is, about pointing with the finger when supplicating." [190]

Once, "he saw a man supplicating with two fingers, so he (sallallāhu‘alaihi wa sallam) said, "Make it one, [make it one,]" and indicated with his forefinger." [191]

"He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would do this in both tashahhuds." [192]

The Obligation of the First Tashahhud, and the Validity of its Supplication.

"He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would recite the Taqiyyah after every two raka'at" [193]; "the first thing he would say in this sitting would be: All compliments be to Allāh." [194]

"When he (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) forgot to perform the tashahhud after the first two raka'ahs, he would prostrate (twice) for forgetfulness." [195]

Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to order them to perform tashahhud, saying, When you sit after every two raka'at, then say: All compliments ... and then each of you should select the supplication he likes best and supplicate Allāh, Mighty and Sublime, [with it] [196]; in another version: Say, All compliments ... in every sitting [197], and he also ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do so, as has been mentioned.

"Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would teach them the tashahhud the way he taught them Surahs of the Qur'an"[198], and "the Sunnah is to say it quietly." [199]

The Manner of Tashahhud

Ibn Hajar Asqalani in his Fathul Bāri recorded that it is known as Tashahhud because it includes the Shahadah. Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught several ways of Tashahhud:

[1.] The Tashahhud narrated by Ibn Mas’ūd (radiallāhu‘anhu), who said, "The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught me the tashahhud, [with] my palm between his palms, the way he taught me Surahs of the Qur'ān:

“At-tahiyyātu lillāhi was-salawātu wa’t-tayyibāt,
As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuh.
As-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘alā ‘ibād-Illāh is-sālihīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha ill-Alāh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh”

(All compliments [200], prayers [201] and pure words [202] are due to Allāh.

Peace [203] be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh and His blessings [204].

Peace be on us, and on the righteous slaves of Allāh. [For when one says that, it includes every righteous slave in the heaven and the earth.]

I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger).

This was while he was among us, but after he was taken, we would say: “Asālamu‘alannabiy” [Peace be on the Prophet]." [205].

[Scholars regards this is rather an ijtihad of Ibn Mas‘ud but it is proper to stick to original phrase of ‘As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuh’ narrated from Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)]

[2.] The tashahhud narrated by Ibn 'Abbās (radiallāhu‘anhu): "The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to teach us the tashahhud the way he taught us [surahs of] the Qur'ān; he used to say:

“At-tahiyyatul mubaraka tus-salawātut-tayyibātu lillah,
As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuhu.
As-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘alā ‘ibād-Illāh is-sālihīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha ill-Allāh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasūlullāh [in one narration: ‘abduhu wa rasūluh]”

(All compliments, blessed words, prayers, pure words are due to Allāh.

Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh and His blessings.

Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allāh.

I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, and [I bear witness] that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh (in one narration: ... is His slave and messenger).) “[206; used by majority of the Shafi‘ies]

[3.] The Tashahhud narrated by ‘Abdullāh Ibn 'Umar (radiallāhu ‘anhu), (almost similar Ibn ‘Abbas), who reported the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) as saying in the tashahhud:

“At-tahiyyatul illah was-salawātu-wa tayyibāt,
As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuhu.
As-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘alā ‘ibād-Illāh is-sālihīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha ill-Allāh, [wahdahu lasyarikalah], wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan [‘abduhu wa rasūluh]”

(All compliments, prayers and good words are due to Allāh.

Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh [Ibn 'Umar said, "I add:" [207]] and His blessings.

Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allāh.

I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh [Ibn 'Umar said, "I add:" [208]] alone, He has no partner, - and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger). [209; Ibn ‘Umar add wahdahu lasyarikalah]

[4.] The Tashahhud narrated by Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (radiyallāhu‘anhu), (also almost similar Ibn ‘Umar), who said that the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said ... when you are sitting, the first thing each of you says should be:

“At-tahiyyātuttaiyibat wassalawātulillah,
As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuh,
As-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibād-illāhis-sālihīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha ill-Allāh [wahdahu lasyarikalah] wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh”

(All compliments, good words and prayers are due to Allāh. Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh and His blessings. Peace be on us, and on the righteous slaves of Allāh. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh [alone, He has no partner], and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger - seven phrases, and they are the greetings in the prayer.”) [210]

[5.] The tashahhud of 'Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (radiyallāhu‘anhu), (also almost similar Ibn ‘Abbas), who taught the people the tashahhud while on the pulpit, saying, "Say:

“At-tahiyyatulillah azzakiyatullillah, wattayibatulillah, was-salawātulillah,
As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allāhi wa barakātuh.
As-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘alā ‘ibād-Illāh is-sālihīn.
Ash-hadu an lā ilāha ill-Alāh, Wa ash hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh”

(All compliments are due to Allāh; all pure titles are due to Allāh; all good words [are due to Allāh]; all prayers are due to Allāh.

Peace be on you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh and His blessings.

Peace be on us and on the righteous slaves of Allāh. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allāh, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.) [211]

The Manner Sending Salawāt on the Prophet

(As-Salāh 'ala an-Nabiyy)

He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) used to send Salawāt on himself in the First Tashahhud as well as the other. [212] He also established it for his ummah, ordering them to send Salawāt on him after sending Salam on him [213], and he taught them several ways of doing so:

[1.] * “Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala ahli bait, wa’ala azwajihi wa dzurriyyatihi, Kama sallaita ‘ala Ibrāhīm; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd;
Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammad, wa `ala ahli bait, wa’ala azwajihi wa dzurriyyatihi, Kama bārakta ‘ala Ibrāhīm; Innaka Hamīdum-Majīd”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad [214], and on his household, and on his wives and progeny, as you sent prayers on the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory; And send blessings on Muhammad [215], and his household, and his wives and progeny, as you sent blessings on the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory).

This supplication he would use himself*. [216]

[2].* Imam Ahmad recorded that Ibn Abi Layla said that Ka‘ab bin ‘Ujrah met him and said, "Shall I not give you a gift The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) came out to us and we said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh! We know how to send Salam upon you, but how can we send Salāh'. He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala ‘Ali Muhammad, Kama salaita ‘ala [Ibrāhīm, wa’ala] Ali Ibrāhīm; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd;
Allāhumma barik ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala ‘Ali Muhammad, kama bārakta ‘ala [Ibrāhīm, wa`ala] āli Ibrāhīm; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd.”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on [Ibrahim, and on] [217] the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory;

O Allāh! Send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on [Ibrahim, and on] [218] the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.) [219]

[3].* In his Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Ka ‘ab bin ‘Ujrah said, "It was said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, with regard to sending Salam upon you, we know about this, but how about Salāh' He said:

“Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala ‘ali Muhammad, Kama salaita ‘ala Ibrāhīm [wa āli Ibrāhīm]; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd;
Wa barik ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala ‘ali Muhammad, kama barakta ‘ala [Ibrāhīm wa] āli Ibrāhīm;
Innaka Hamīdum Majīd.”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on Ibrahim, [and the family of Ibrahim]; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory;

And send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on [Ibrahim, and] the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory). [220. Ahmad, Nasā’ie and Abu Ya’la in his Musnad (44/2) with a sahīh sanād.]

[4.] “Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin [Nabiyilummi] wa ‘ala ‘āli Muhammad, Kama sallaita ‘ala [āli] Ibrāhīm;
Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammadin [Nabiyilummi], wa ‘ala āli Muhammadin , kama bārakta ‘ala [āli] Ibrāhīm fil’ālamīn; Innaka Hamīdum Majīd.”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad [the Unlettered Prophet], and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on [the family of] Ibrahim;

And send blessings on Muhammad [the Unlettered Prophet] and the family of Muhammad, as you sent blessings on [the family of] Ibrahim among the nations; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory). [221 Muslim , Abu `Awānah, Ibn Abi Shaibah (2/132/1) and Abu Dawud; Hakīm declared it sahīh.]

5.* Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri, (radiyallāhu‘anhu), said: "We said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, this is the Salām upon you, but how do we send Salāh upon you' He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

“Allāhumma Salli ‘ala Muhammad ‘abdika warasulik, Kama sallaita ‘ala [āli] Ibrāhīm;
Wabārik`ala Muhammad ‘abdika warasulik, wa’ala āli Muhammd, Kamabarakta’ala āli Ibrāhīm, [wa ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm]”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad, Your slave and messenger, as You sent prayers on [the family of] Ibrahim.

And send blessings on Muhammad [Your slave and messenger], [and the family of Muhammad,] as you sent blessings on Ibrahim [and on the family of Ibrahim]) [222]

[6.]* Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Humaid As-Sa‘idi (radiyallāhu‘anhu) that they said: "O Messenger of Allāh, how can we send Salāh upon you'' He (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:

`Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad, wa [‘ala] azwajihi wa dzurriyyatihi, Kama sallaita ‘al[a] Ibrāhīm;
Wa barik ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala azwajihi wa dzurriyyatihi, Kama barakta ‘al[a] Ibrāhīm,
Innaka Hamīdum-Majīd”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad and [on] his wives and progeny, as You sent prayers on [the family of Ibrahim]. And send blessings on Muhammad, and [on] his wives and progeny, as You sent blessings on [the family of] Ibrahim;
You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory). [223]

[7.] “Allāhumma Salli’ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala āli Muhammad, Wabārik ‘ala Muhammad, wa ‘ala āli Muhammd, Kama sallaita ‘ala Ibrāhīm; Wa bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm, Innaka Hamīdum Majīd”

(O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, and send blessings on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, As you sent prayers and sent blessings on Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory.) [224]

[8.]* Muslim recorded the hadith reported Abdullah bin Zaid (radiyallāhu‘anhu), - one who was shown the adzān (the call for prayer) in a dream - narrated it on the authority of Mas'ud al-Ansari (radiyallāhu‘anhu), who said: We were sitting in the company of Sa'ad bin 'Ubadah when the Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)came to us. Bashir bin Sa’ad enquired [from the Prophet Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam]: Allah has commanded us to bless you [re: al-Ahzab, 33:56], O Messenger of Allah! But how should we do it? He (the narrator [Mas’ud al-Ansari]) said: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) kept quiet (and we were so much perturbed over his silence) that we wished we had not asked him. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) then said:

“(For blessing me) say:

Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala Ali Muhammad kamā sallaita ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm;

Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm fil-‘ālamīn; Innaka Hamīdun Majīd

(0 Allah! Send Prayers upon Muhammad and the members of his household as You Sent Prayers upon the members of Ibrahim's household.

And Send Blessings to Muhammad and the members of his household as You granted Blessings upon the members of the household of Ibrahim, among all the nations’ Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full of Glory’);

And the salutation [i.e As-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha’n-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh as per the Taqiyyah] as you about knows it.”

[Muslim (803), Chapter 15 Book 4: Blessings on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)After Tashahhud; This version is linguistically sound and comprehensive. This was also recorded by Abu Dawud, An-Nasā'ie, At-Tirmidzi and Ibn Jarir. At-Tirmidzi said, "It is Hasan Sahih.''; with phrases, ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm]

Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidzi reported the following Hadith and graded it Sahih; An-Nasa'ie, Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban recorded in their Sahihs that Fadalah bin ‘Ubayd, (radiyallāhu‘anhu), said: "The Messenger of Allāh heard a man making supplication in his solat when he had not praised Allāh nor said Salāwat upon the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). The Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘This man is rushing.’ Then he (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)called him over and said, to him and to someone else: ‘When any one of you supplicates[in his solat], let him start by praising and glorifying Allāh, may He be exalted, then let him send Salāwat upon the Prophet, and after that let him make supplication as he wishes.’''

In the hadith Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)specify, when any one of you supplicates in his solāt he should first recite The Tashahhud which starts by praising and glorifying Allāh; followed by The Salawat; and then supplicates. Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did not specify one tashahhud to the exclusion of another. So, there is evidence here to establish sending of salawāt on him [i.e salawat Ibrahimiyyah as taught by him, Sallallāhu ‘alaihi wa sallam] in the first tashahhud, as well as the final Tashahhud.

Important explanation on Sending Prayers on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

1. It can be seen that in most of the ways of sending Salawāt on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), there is no mention of Ibrāhīm separate from his family, the wording being, "... as you have sent prayers on the family of Ibrāhīm." The reason for this is that in 'Arabic, the family of a man includes the man as well as his dependants, e.g. in the words of the Exalted, "Allāh has chosen Adam, Nooh, the family of Ibrāhīm and the family of 'Imran above all people" [Al-'Imrān, 3:33]; "We sent against them a violent tornado with showers of stones, except the family of Loot - We delivered them by early dawn" (Qamar, 54:34);Similar is his saying (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), O Allāh! Send prayers on the family of Abu Awfa. The phrase Ahl al-Bayt (people of the house) is also like this, e.g. "Allāh's grace and His blessings be on you, O people of the house" (Hood, 11:73). Hence, Ibrāhīm is included in "the family of Ibrāhīm".

Ibn Taymiyyah says, “Most of the versions have, 'as you sent prayers on the family of Ibrāhīm' and 'as you sent blessings on the family of Ibrāhīm'; some have 'Ibrāhīm' himself. This is because he is the cause of all prayers and purifications on them; the rest of his family are secondary recipients of all that. To show these two points, both wordings have been employed separately."

Further, there is a well-known question among the people of knowledge: about the nature of the comparison in his statement, "as you sent prayers on ...", for it is true that the model for comparison is normally superior to the one being compared; here, the opposite is the case, since Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is [the Prophet of this ummah ] greater than Ibrāhīm, and so his [priority] superiority dictates that the prayers requested are more excellent than any prayers received or to be received by anyone else. The scholars have provided many answers to this, and these can be found in Fath al-Bāri and Jalā' al-Ifhām. They amount to about ten views, all of which are unsubstantiated, some weaker than others, except one, a well-supported view, and adopted by Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn al-Qayyim. This view is: "The family of Ibrāhīm includes many prophets; none like them is found in the family of Muhammad. Therefore, when prayers on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and his family are sought similar to that bestowed on Ibrāhīm and his family, which includes prophets, the family of Muhammad receives out of that what is appropriate for them. Since the family of Muhammad does not reach the rank of the prophets, the extra blessings and benefit given to the prophets, including Ibrāhīm, are left for Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Thus he gains a distinguished position which others cannot reach."

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) says, "This is the best of all the previous views: that Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is one of the family of Ibrāhīm; in fact, he is the best of the family of Ibrāhīm, as 'Ali ibn Talhah has related from Ibn 'Abbās (radiallāhu 'anhu) about the saying of the Exalted, "Allāh has chosen Adam, Nooh, the family of Ibrāhīm and the family of 'Imran above all people" [Al-’Imran, 3:33]; Ibn 'Abbās said, "Muhammad is among the family of Ibrāhīm". This is text for the fact that if other prophets descended from Ibrāhīm are included in his family, then the inclusion of the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is more fitting. Hence our saying, "... as you sent prayers on the family of Ibrāhīm", includes the prayers sent on him and on the rest of the prophets descended from Ibrāhīm. Allāh has then ordered us to specifically send prayers on Muhammad and his family, as much as we send prayers on him, along with the rest of Ibrāhīm’s family generally. Therefore, the Prophet's family receives out of that what is appropriate for them, leaving all of the remainder to him (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). There is no doubt that the total amount of prayers received by Ibrāhīm’s family, with the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) among them, is greater than that received by the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) alone. Therefore, what is sought for him is such a great favour, definitely greater than that sought for Ibrāhīm. Hence, the nature of the comparison and its consistency become clear. The prayers sought for him with these words are greater than those requested any other way, since what is requested with the supplication is that it be as much as the model of comparison, and that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) receive a large portion: the comparison dictates that what is requested is more than what was given to Ibrāhīm and others. Thus, the excellence and nobility of Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), over and above Ibrāhīm and his family, which includes many prophets, is evident, and is as he deserves. This sending of prayers on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) becomes evidence for this excellence of his and this is no more than he deserves. So, may Allāh send prayers on him and on his family, and send peace on them, many greetings of peace, and reward him from our supplications better than He has rewarded any prophet from his people. “Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kamā sallaita ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm; Wa bārik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm fil-‘ālamīn; Innaka Hamīdun Majīd (O Allah! Send Prayers upon Muhammad and the members of his household as You Sent Prayers upon the members of Ibrahim's household. And Send Blessings to Muhammad and the members of his household as You granted Blessings upon the members of the household of Ibrahim, among all the nations’ Verily You are Most Praiseworthy, Full of Glory’); [Recorded by Muslim (803), from Mas‘ud al-Ansari]

2. The reader will see that this part of the Solat, with all its different types, is always a sending of Salah on the family of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam): on his wives and children as well as himself. Therefore, it is neither from the Sunnah, nor carrying out the Prophet's command, to leave it at "O Allāh! Send Salah on Muhammad" only. Rather, one of these complete types of supplication must be used, as is reported from his action (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), whether in the first or the final tashahhud. There is text about this from Imam Shāfi‘ie (rahimahullāh) in Al-‘Umm: "The tashahhud in the first and second instance is the same thing; by 'tashahhud', I mean the shahadah (bearing of witness) and the sending of Salah on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam): neither will suffice without the other."

In fact, one of the most amazing things to arise from this age and its intellectual anarchy is that one person, Muhammad Is'af Nashashībi, in his book Al-Islam As-Sahīh ("The Correct Islam"), has the audacity to reject the sending of Salawāt on the family of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) when sending Salah on him, despite it being firmly established in the Sahihs of Al-Bukhāri and Muslim, and elsewhere, on the authority of several Companions, e.g. Ka'ab ibn 'Ujrah, Abu Humaid as-Sa'idi, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari, Abu Hurairah and Talhah ibn 'Ubaidullah! In their ahadith, it is found that they asked the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), "How do we send Salawāt on you?", so he taught them this way of doing so. Nashashībi's argument for his view is that Allāh the Exalted did not mention anyone else with the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) in His saying: "O you who believe! Send prayers on him, and salute him with all respect." [Ahzab 33:56] He then goes on to say in his refutation that the Companions asked him (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)that question because the meaning of "salāh " was known to them as "supplication", so they were asking: "How can we supplicate to you?"!

This is a clear deception, for their question was not about the meaning of "salāh” on him, in which case he would have a point, but it was about the manner of doing the salāh on him, as is found in the narrations to which we have referred. Thus it all fits, for they asked him about the way of doing it according to the Sharī’ah, something which they could not possibly find out except from the guidance of the All-Knowing, All-Wise, Giver of the Sharī’ah. Similarly, they could also ask him about the way of performing the Salāh made obligatory by words of the Exalted such as "Establish the Salāh (Prayer)"; for their knowledge of the literal meaning of "Salāh” could not remove their need to ask about its manner according to the Shari’ah, and this is crystal clear.

As for Nashashībi's argument referred to, it is of no consequence, for it is well-known among the Muslims that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is the expounder of the words of the Lord of the Worlds, as He says: "And We have sent down to you the Message that you may explain clearly to the people what is sent for them" (Nahl 16:44). Hence, the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) explained the way of doing salāh on him, and it included mention of his family, so it is compulsory to accept that from him, due to Allāh's saying: ‘So take what the Messenger gives you’ [Hashr, 59:7], and the well-known authentic hadith, Verily, I have been given the Qur'an and something similar to it. [225]

I really wonder what Nashashībi and those taken in by his pompous words would say if someone were to reject the tashahhud in solat altogether, or reject the menstruating woman's abstaining from prayer and fasting, all with the argument that Allāh the Exalted did not mention the tashahhud in the Qur'an; He only mentioned bowing and prostration, and He did not exempt a menstruating woman from prayer and fasting in the Qur'an!! So, do they agree with such arguments, which are along the lines of his original one, or not? If they do, and we hope not, then they have strayed far, far away from guidance, and have left the mainstream of the Muslims; if they do not, then they are correct in agreeing with us, and their reasons for rejecting those arguments are exactly the same as our reasons for rejecting Nashasheebi's original pronouncement, which we have explained clearly.

Therefore beware, O Muslims, of attempting to understand the Qur'an without recourse to the Sunnah, for you will never be able to do that, even if you were the Sibawaih [226] of the age, the expert of the age in the 'Arabic language. Here is an example in front of you, for this Nashashībi is one of the leading scholars of the 'Arabic language of this period; you have seen how he has strayed, after being deceived by his knowledge of the language, by not seeking the aid of the Sunnah in understanding the Qur'an; in fact he has rejected this aid, as you know. There are many other examples of this - there is not enough room here to mention them, but what we have mentioned will suffice, and Allāh is the Granter of all capability.

3. The reader will also see that in none of these types of salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is there the word sayyid (chief, leader). The later scholars have differed about the validity of its inclusion in the Ibrāhīmi salāh. Due to lack of space we will not go into the details of that nor make mention of those who rejected its validity in keeping with the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)'s complete teaching to his ummah when he instructed, "Say: O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad ..." on being asked about the manner of salāh on him, but we will quote the Hafidz Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani on this, bearing in mind his position as one of the great Shafi’e scholars of both hadith and fiqh, for contradiction of this teaching of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) has become widespread among Shafi’e scholars!

Hafiz Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghurabīli (790- 835 AH), a companion of Ibn Hajar(rahimahullāh), said, and I quote from his manuscript [227]:

He (i.e. Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani), (rahimahullāh), was asked about the features of salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), whether during prayer or outside it, compulsory or recommended: Is one of its conditions that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) be attributed with sayādah (leadership), e.g. 'O Allāh! Send prayers on Sayyidina (our leader) Muhammad ...' or 'the foremost of creation', or 'the leader of the children of Adam' etc.? Or should one stick to 'O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad'? Which of these two is the better approach: including the word sayyid, due to it being an established attribute of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), or leaving it out due to the absence of it in the narrations? He (Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani) (rahimahullāh), replied: "Yes, to follow the narrated wording is superior. It cannot be said, "Maybe the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)himself did not say it out of modesty, just as he did not say (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)on mentioning of his name, although his ummah has been encouraged to do so" - for we say that if that were superior, it would have been quoted from the Companions and then from the Successors, but we do not come across it in any narrations from any Companion or Successor. This is despite the volume of quotations from them. We have Imām Shāfi’ie, (rahimahullāh), one of the foremost among men in his respect for the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), saying in the preface to his book which is a base for the people of his mazhab: "O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad ..." etc. until the end of what his judgment dictated, "... every time one of the believers remembers him, and every time one of the heedless fails to remember him", which he seems to have deduced from the authentic hadith which has in it that the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) saw the Mother of the Believers engaging in long and numerous glorifications, so he said to her, "You have said words which, if weighed against the following, would be balanced: Glorified be Allāh, as many times as the number of His creation"; he ((Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)) used to like supplications which were concise, but exhaustive in meaning. Qadi 'Iyād set out a chapter about salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)in his book Ash- Shifā' (The Book of Cure), quoting in it narrations from the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)on the authority of several Companions and Successors; in none of these is the word sayyid reported:

a) The hadith of 'Ali, that he used to teach them the manner of salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) by saying,’ O Allāh, Spreader of Plains, Originator of Heights, send the foremost of Your prayers, the most fertile of Your blessings, and any remaining compliments, on Muhammad, Your slave and messenger, the opener of what is closed’.

b) Again from 'Ali, that he used to say, "The prayers of Allāh, the Beneficent, the Merciful, of the Angels nearest (to Allāh), of the Prophets, of the Sincere ones, of the Witnesses, of the Righteous, and of whatever glorifies You, O Lord of the Worlds, be on Muhammad son of 'Abdullah, Seal of the Prophets, Imam of the God fearers, ... etc."

c) On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (radiyallāhu‘anhu), that he used to say, "O Allāh! Send Your prayers, Your blessings and Your mercy, on Muhammad, Your slave and messenger, the imam of goodness, the messenger of mercy ...” etc.

d) From Al-Hasan Al-Basri (radiyallāhu‘anhu), that he used to say, "Whoever wants to drink from the cup which quenches, from the fount of the Al-Mustafa, should say: O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad, and on his family, his Companions, his wives, his children, his descendants, his household, his in-laws, his helpers, his followers, and all those who love him." This is what he (Qadi 'Iyād) has written in Ash- Shifā', regarding the manner of salāh on the Prophet, on the authority of the Companions and those who succeeded them, and he also mentioned other things in it. Yes, it is related in a hadith of Ibn Mas'ud that in his salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), he would say, "O Allāh! Send the best of Your prayers, mercy and blessings on the leader (sayyid) of the messengers ..." etc., transmitted by Ibn Majah, but its isnad is weak, so the hadith of 'Ali, transmitted by Tabarāni with a acceptable isnād, takes precedence. This hadith has difficult words, which I have reported and explained in the book Fadl An-Nabi (Excellence of the Prophet, (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) by Abul Hasan Ibn Al-Faris (rahimahullāh). Some Shāfi’es have said that if a man took an oath to send the best salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), the way to fulfil his oath would be to say, "O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad every time the believers remember him or the heedless fail to remember him"; Nawawi (rahimahullāh) said, "The one which is most fitting to be designated as correct is that one should say: O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad, and on the family of Muhammad, as you sent prayers on Ibrāhīm ..." Several of the later scholars have replied to this by saying that in neither of the two ways mentioned above is there anything to prove which is superior as regards narration, but as regards the meaning, then the former is clearly superior. This issue is well-known in the books of fiqh, and of all the scholars of fiqh who addressed this issue, without exception; in none of their words does the word sayyid appear. Had this additional word been commendable, it would not have escaped all of them, leaving them ignorant of it. All good is in following what is narrated, and Allāh knows best."

Ibn Hajar Asqalani’s view of the unacceptability of describing the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)as sayyid during the salāh on him in accordance with the Qur'anic order is also that of the Hanafi scholars. It is the view which must be adhered to, for it is a true indication of love for him, (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam); "Say: If you do love Allāh, then follow me: Allāh will love you." [Al-’Imran, 3:31]

Because of this, Imam Nawawi (rahimahullāh) said in Rawdah At-Talibin (1/265), "The most complete salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is: O Allāh! Send your prayers on Muhammad ..." etc., corresponding to type no. 3 given, in which there is no mention of sayyid!

4. It should be known that types nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 are the ones which the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)taught his Companions when they asked about the manner of salāh on him, so this has been used as evidence that these are the best ways of doing the salāh on him, for he would not choose anything for them or himself except the best and noblest. Imām Nawawi, (rahimahullāh), as mentioned, endorsed in Rawdah at- Talibin that if a man were to take an oath to do the best possible salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), this could not be fulfilled except in these ways.

Subki has given another reason: whoever does salāh with those types has made salāh on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) with certainty, and whoever does so with other words is in doubt whether or not he has performed the prayers as requested. This is because they said, "How do we send prayers on you?" and he replied, "Say: ...", thus defining their salāh on him as their saying such-and-such. This was mentioned by Haithami in Ad-Dharr Al-Mandub (25/2); he then said (27/1) that the objective is achieved with all the types which have occurred in authentic ahadith.

5. It should be known that it is not valid to combine all these way into one way of salāh, and the same goes for the different tashahhuds given previously. In fact, that would be an innovation in the religion; the Sunnah is to say different ones at different times, as Shaikh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah has explained in his discussion of the takbir of the two 'Eids (Majmu' al-Fataawa 29/253/1).

6. 'Allamah Siddiq Hasan Khan says in his book Nuzul Al- Abrar bil 'Ilm al-Ma'thuur min Al-Ad'iyah wal-Adhkār, after giving many ahadith about the excellence of repeated salāh on the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) (p. 161):

"There is no doubt that the foremost among the Muslims in sending salāh on him (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)are the People of Hadith and the narrators of the purified Sunnah, for it is one of their duties in this noble branch of learning to make salāh on him before every hadith, and so their tongues are always engaged in his mention, may Allāh grant him mercy and peace. There is no book of Sunnah or collection of hadith, be it a Jaami', Musnad, Mu'jam, juz', etc., except that it comprises thousands of ahadith; even one of the least bulky ones, Suyuti’s Al-Jīmi' As-Saghīr, contains ten thousand ahadith, and the rest of the collections are no different. So this is the Saved Sect: the body of the People of Hadith, who will be the closest among men to the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) on the Day of Resurrection, and the most likely to be rewarded by his intercession (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), may my mother and father be sacrificed for him! This excellence of the People of Hadith cannot be surpassed by anyone unless he does more than what they do, something which is well-nigh impossible. Therefore, O desirer of good, seeker of salvation, no matter what, you should either be a muhaddith, or be close to the muhaddathīn; do not be otherwise ... for apart from that there is nothing which will benefit you."

I ask Allāh, The Almighty to make me one of these People of Hadith, who are the closest among men to the Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam); perhaps this book will be a testimony to that. May Allāh shower His mercy on Imām Ahmad (rahimahullāh), who recited:

The religion of Muhammad is in narrations, The best mounts for a young man are the traditions; Turn not away from Hadith and its people, For Opinion is night, while Hadith is day, A young man can be ignorant of the guidance... Although the sun is shining in all its splendour!

Wallahu‘alam

Footnotes:

175. Nasā’ie (1/173) with a sahīh isnad.

176. Bukhāri and Abu Dawud.

177. Abu Dawud and Bayhaqi with a good sanād.

178. Tayalisi, Ahmad and Ibn Abi Shaibah. About iq‘ā', Abu ‘Ubaidah and others said, "It is when a man presses his buttocks against the ground, keeps his shins upright, and leans his hands on the ground, the way a dog does." This is different to the iq`ā' between sajdahs, which is approved in the Sunnah, as covered previously.

179. Muslim, Abu ‘Awānah; and others. It is given in Irwa' (316).

180. Muslim and Abu ‘Awānah.

181. Abu Dawud and Nasā’ie with a sahīh sanād. It is as though the meaning is that he would not separate his elbows from his side, as Ibn al-Qayyim has elucidated in Zaad al-Ma`ād.

182. Bayhaqi and Hakim, who declared it sahīh and Dhahabi agreed. It is given, as well as the next one, in Irwa' (380).

183. Ahmad and Abu Dawud with a good isnad.

184. ‘Abdur Razzaq; ‘Abdul Haqq declared it sahīh in his Ahkam (no. 1284 - with my checking).

185. Muslim, Abu ‘Awānah and; Ibn Khuzaimah. Humaidi (13/1) and Abu Ya’la (275/2) added with a sahīh sanād on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar: "and this is the shooting of the devil; no-one will forget when he does this", and Humaidi raised his finger. Humaidi also said that Muslim bin Abi Maryam said, "A man related to me that in a church in Syria, he saw images of Prophets depicted like this", and Humaidi raised his finger. This is an extremely strange remark, but its sanād up to "the man" is sahīh.

186. Muslim and Abu ‘Awānah.

187. Abu Dawud, Nasā‘ie, Ibn al-Jarud in al-Muntaqa (208), Ibn Khuzaimah (1/86/1-2) and Ibn Hibban in his Sahīh (485) with a saheeh sanād. Ibn al-Mulaqqin also declared it sahīh (28/2), and it has a supporting narration in Ibn `Adi (287/1).

188. ibid. About "supplicating with it", Imam Tahawi said, "This is evidence that it was at the end of the solat." Hence, there is evidence in this that the Sunnah is to continue pointing and moving the finger until the taslīm, for the supplication is until then. This is the view of Malik and others. Imam Ahmad was asked, "Should a man point with his finger during prayer?" He replied, "Yes, vigorously." (Mentioned by Ibn Hani in his Masā'il of Imam Ahmad, 1/80). From this, it is clear that moving the finger in tashahhud is a proven Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallāhu 'alaihi wa sallam), and it was practised by Ahmad and other imams of the Sunnah. Therefore, those who think that it is pointless and irrelevant and has nothing to do with the Prayer, should fear Allāh, since because of this, they do not move their fingers although they know it to be an established sunnah; and they take great pains to interpret it in a way which is inconsistent with the `Arabic way of expression and contrary to the understanding of the imams with regard to it.

The amazing thing is that some of them will defend an imām on other issues, even if his opinion conflicts with the Sunnah, with the argument that to point out the imam’s mistakes inevitably means to taunt and disrespect him. They then forget this and reject this established Sunnah, at the same time mocking at those who practice it. Whether or not they realize it, their mockery also includes those imams whom they often defend wrongly, and who are correct about the Sunnah this time! In fact, they are deriding the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)himself, for he is the one who brought us this Sunnah and so jeering at it is equivalent to jeering at him. [But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this except ...]

As for putting the finger down after pointing, or limiting the movement to the affirmation (saying lā ilāha: 'there is no god ...') and negation (saying: illallāhu: '... except Allāh'), all of that has no basis in the Sunnah; in fact, it is contrary to the Sunnah, as this hadith proves.

Further, the hadith that he would not move his finger does not have an authentic isnad, as I have explained in Da`ief Abi Dawud (175). Even if it were authentic, it is negatory, while the hadith above is affirmatory: the affirmatory takes precedence over the negatory, as is well-known among the scholars.

189. Ahmad, Bazaar, Abu Ja’far al-Bukhtīri in al-Amali (60/1), ‘Abdul Ghani al-Maqdisi in his Sunan (12/2) with a hasan sanād, Ruyani in his Musnad (249/2) and Bayhaqi.

190. Ibn Abi Shaibah (2/123/2) with a hasan sanād.

191. Ibn Abi Shaibah (12/40/1, 2/123/2) and Nasā’ie. Hākim declared it sahīh and Dhahabi agreed, and there is a supporting narration for it in Ibn Abi Shaibah.

192. Nasā‘ie and Baihaqi with a sahīh sanād.

193. Muslim and Abu ‘Awānah.

194. Bayhaqi transmitted it as a narration from ‘Aishah with a good isnad, as verified by Ibn al-Mulaqqin (28/2).

195. Bukhāri; Muslim. It is given in Irwa' al-Ghalīl (338).

196. Nasā’ie, Ahmad and Tabarāni in Mu’jam al-Kabīr (3/25/1) with a sahīh sanād. The literal meaning of the hadīth is evidence for the validity of supplication in every tashahhud, even the one not adjacent to the tasleem, and this is the view of Ibn Hazam (rahimallāh).

197. Nasā‘ie with a sahīh sanād.

198. Bukhāri and Muslim.

199. Abu Dawud and Hakīm, who declared it sahīh and Dhahabi agreed.

200. Ar. Tahiyyat, i.e. "all words which imply peace, sovereignty and eternity, are due to Allāh." (Nihayah)

201. Ar. salawāt, i.e. "all supplications which are used to glorify the majesty of Allāh, for He is fully entitled to them, and none but Him is worthy of them." (Nihayah)

202.Ar. tayyibāt, i.e. "all good and pure words suitable for praising Allāh, not those ones incompatible with his attributes with which kings were greeted." (Fath al-Bāri)

203. Meaning seeking of refuge with Allāh and being strengthened by him, since as-Salām (Peace) is actually a name of Allāh. Hence, the greeting effectively means: Allāh be a watcher and safeguard over you. Similarly, it is said, "Allāh be with you", i.e. in His safeguarding, help and favour.

204. A term for all the good continuously emanating from Allāh.

205. Bukhāri, Muslim, Ibn Abi Shaibah (1/90/2), Siraj and Abu Ya’la in his Musnad (258/2). It is given in Irwa' (321).

Ibn Mas‘ūd's statement, "We said: Peace be on the Prophet" clarifies that the Companions (radallāhu‘anhum) used to say, "Peace be on you, O Prophet" in tashahhud while the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)was alive, but when he died, they ceased to do that, instead saying, "Peace be on the Prophet". Undoubtedly, this was with the endorsement of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam); this is supported by the fact that ‘Aishah (radiallāhu‘anha) would similarly teach the tashahhud in prayer with "Peace be on the Prophet", as transmitted by Siraj in his Musnad (9/1/2) and Mukhlis in al-Fawaa'id (11/54/1) with two sahīh isnads from her.

Ibn Hajar says, "This addition shows clearly that they used to say 'Peace be on you, O Prophet', addressing him directly during his life time, but when the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)died, they stopped addressing him [that way] and mentioned him in the third person instead, saying 'Peace be on the Prophet'." He also says in a different place, "Subki said in Sharh al-Minhaj, after mentioning this narration from Abu ‘Awānah only, 'If this is authentically-reported from the Companions, it proves that after his time, it is not compulsory to address the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)directly in the greeting of peace, so one says: Peace be on the Prophet.' (Ibn Hajar continues :) This is authentic without doubt (i.e. because it is established in Sahīh al-Bukhāri), and I have also found strong support for it: ‘Abdur Razzaq said: Ibn Juraij informed me: ‘Atā' informed me that the Companions used to say 'Peace be on you, O Prophet' while the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)was alive, but after he died, they would say 'Peace be on the Prophet', and this is a sahīh isnād. As for Sa‘id bin Mansur’s narration from Abu ‘Ubaidah bin ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud, who reported from his father that the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) taught them the tashahhud, and then he (‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ūd) said it (the tashahhud); Ibn ‘Abbas said: We used to say 'Peace be on you, O Prophet' only while he was alive, to which Ibn Mas‘ūd replied, 'This is how we were taught, and this is how we teach it', it would appear that Ibn ‘Abbās said this as a matter of discussion but Ibn Mas‘ūd did not accept. However, the narration of Abu Ma ‘mar (i.e. the narration of Bukhāri) is more authentic, since Abu ‘Ubaidah did not hear (ahādith) from his father, and furthermore, the isnad up to Abu ‘Ubaidah is weak."

These words of Ibn Hajar Asqalani have been quoted by several scholars in their analysis, e.g. Qastallani, Zurqani, Lucknawi, etc. They all chose to give his words without commenting further. This discussion is treated more fully in al-Asl.

206. Muslim, Abu ‘Awānah, Shāfi’e and Nasā’ie.

207. See next note.

208. These two additions have been proved to be part of the tashahhud from the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam). Ibn ‘Umar did not add them of his own accord (far is he above such a thing!); in fact, he learnt them from other Companions who reported them from the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), and he then added them to the tashahhud which he heard from the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)directly.

209. Abu Dawud and Daraqutni, who declared it sahīh.

210. Muslim, Abu ‘Awānah, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah.

211. Mālik and Bayhaqi with sahīh isnads. Although this hadith is mawquf, it is effectively marfu’, for it is known that this sort of thing is not said from personal opinion, since it was so, it would be no better than any other sayings of dzikir, as Ibn ‘Abdul Barr has said.

*NB: In none of the types of tashahhud is there the addition: wa maghfiratuhu (... "and His forgiveness"), so one should not be accustomed to it. Hence some of the Salāf rebuked it, as the following narrations show:

Tabarāni (3/56/1) reported with a sahīh isnad from Talhah bin Musarrif, who said: Raī’ bin Khaitham added during tashahhud, "... and His blessings and His forgiveness"! So ‘Alqamah said, "We stop where we were taught: Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and also the mercy of Allāh and His blessings"; ‘Alqamah was actually following the example of his teacher ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ūd (radiallāhu’anhu), from whom it is authentically-reported that he was teaching a man the tashahhud: when he got to "I bear witness that there is no (true) god except Allāh ...", the man said: "alone, He has no partner", to which ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ūd said, "He is so, but we stop at where we were taught." (Transmitted by Tabarāni in Mu’jam al-Awsat, no. 2848, with a sahīh isnad.)

212. Abu ‘Awānah in his Sahīh (2/324) and Nasā’ie.

213. They had said, "O Messenger of Allāh, we have been taught how to send peace on you (i.e. in tashahhud), but how do we send prayers on you? He said, "Say: O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad ..." etc. Thus he (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) did not specify one tashahhud to the exclusion of another, so there is evidence here to establish sending salawāt on him in the first tashahhud also. This is the way of Imam Shāfi’e, (rahimahullāh) as in the text of his book Al-Umm, and it is held to be correct by his companions, as Nawawi has explained in al-Majmu’ (3/460) and supported in Rawdah Talibin (1/263). It is also the view of Wazīr bin Hubairah al-Hanbali in al-Ifsah, as Ibn Rajab has quoted and strongly supported in Dhail Tabaqāt (1/280). Many ahadith exist about sending prayers on him (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)in tashahhud; in none of them is there any such specification mentioned. In fact, these ahadith are general, hence including every tashahhud, and I have given them in al-Asl as ta’liq, but not in the main text, for they do not satisfy our conditions for authenticity. However, they do support each other in meaning, and those who reject and oppose this have no authentic evidence to use as proof, as I have detailed in al-Asl. Similarly, to say that adding anything to "O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad" is makruh has no basis in the Sunnah, nor is there any convincing proof for it. In fact, we see that whoever says this does not implement the previous instruction of the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam), "Say: O Allāh! Send prayers on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad ...” there is more to this discussion in al-Asl.

214. One of the earliest views about the meaning of "sending prayers on the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam)" is that of Abu al-‘Aliyah (with reference to Surah Al-Ahzāb, 33:56), "Allāh's sending prayers on his Prophet means His exalting him and raising his rank; the angels' and others' sending prayers means their seeking this from Allāh, and here it is meant asking the prayers to be increased, not asking for the original prayer in itself." Ibn Hajar (rahimahullāh) quoted this in Fath al-Bāri, and went on to refute the widespread notion that the Lord's prayer on someone is His Mercy; Ibn al-Qayyim also clarified this in Jalā' al-Afhām, leaving little scope for further comment.

215. from barakah: growth, increase. Hence this supplication secures for Muhammad the good which Allāh granted to the family of Ibrahim, continual, established good, as well as its multiplying and increase.

216. Ahmad and Tahawi with a sahīh sanād.

217. See next note.

218. These two additions are conclusively found in Bukhāri, Tahawi, Baihaqi, Ahmad and Nasā’ie. They also exist via different routes of narration in other types of this supplication (see nos. 3, 7), and so do not be confused by Ibn Al-Qayyim's view in Jalā' al-Afhām (p. 198), following in the footsteps of his great teacher Ibn Taymiyyah in al-Fatāwa (1/16), "There is no authentic hadith with the phrases 'Ibrahim' and 'the family of Ibrahim' together"; here, we have shown you such authentic ahadith. Ibn al-Qayyim's error is further established by the fact that he himself declared no. 7 sahīh, which contains what he denied above!

219. Bukhāri, Muslim, Humaidi (138/1) and Ibn Mandah (68/2), who said, "There is consensus on this hadith being authentic."

220. Ahmad, Nasā’ie and Abu Ya’la in his Musnad (44/2) with a sahīh sanād.

221. Muslim, Abu `Awānah, Ibn Abi Shaibah (2/132/1) and Abu Dawūd; Hakim declared it sahīh.

222. Bukhāri, Nasā’ie, Tahawi, Ahmad and Isma‘il Al-Qādi in Fadl As-Salāh ‘Alan Nabiy (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) (p. 28 1st ed., p. 62 2nd ed. with my checking).

223. Bukhāri, Muslim and Nasā’ie.

224. Nasā’ie, Tahawi, Abu Sa‘id bin al-‘Arabi in al-Mu’jam (79/2) with a sahīh sanād. Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) gave its source as Muhammad bin Ishaq as-Siraj in Jalā' al-Afhām (pp. 14-15) and then declared it sahīh. This wording includes both 'Ibrahim' and 'the family of Ibrāhīm’; something overlooked by both Ibn al-Qayyim and his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah, as explained above.

225. Abu Dawud and Ahmad with a sahīh isnād.

226. A famous grammarian and scholar of the `Arabic language of the second century AH.

227. Which is preserved in the Zahiriyyah Library in Damascus.

228. Nasā'ie, Ahmad and Tabarāni with various isnāds from Ibn Mas`ud - the details are given in as-Sahīhah (878) - and there is a supporting hadith of Ibn az-Zubair in Majma’ az-Zawa’id (2/142).

229. Muslim, Abu Dawud (976,980), various isnāds from Ibn Mas‘ūd: Sahīh.

[Via The Qur'an and Sunnah Society]