Muslim's narration: 'And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.' As for us, we rely upon what Abdullah ibn Mas'ud narrated, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught me the tashahhud—[holding] my palm between his palms—just as he would teach me a surah from the Quran: 'The salutations are for Allah, and the prayers, and the pure things. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger.' And in another wording: 'When one of you sits in prayer, let him say: The salutations are for Allah.' And therein: 'For when you do that, you have truly sent peace upon every righteous servant of Allah in the heaven and on the earth.' And therein: 'Let him choose of the supplication whatever he wishes.' Agreed upon (2). Al-Tirmidhi said: The hadith of Ibn Mas'ud has been narrated through more than one chain, and it is the soundest hadith narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regarding the tashahhud. It has been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) along with him by Ibn Umar, Jabir, Abu Musa, and Aisha. This is the view of the majority of scholars, so it is necessary to adopt it and prioritize it. As for the hadith of Umar, he did not narrate it from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); it is merely from his own words, and the majority of scholars hold a contrary opinion, so how can it be a consensus? Furthermore, the disagreement is not concerning its validity in prayer, but rather concerning what is more excellent and better, and the best is the tashahhud of the Prophet
(2) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter: The tashahhud in the final [sitting], and Chapter: What one chooses of supplication after the tashahhud and that it is not obligatory, from the Book of Adhan; and in: Chapter: One who designates a group [of people] or gives peace in prayer to those not facing him while he is unaware, from the Book of Actions in Prayer; and in: Chapter: 'Peace' is one of the names of Allah the Almighty, and 'When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with one better than it or return it', from the Book of Seeking Permission; and in: Chapter: Holding with both hands, from the Book of Supplications; and in: Chapter: His saying the Almighty: {The Peace, The Believer}, from the Book of Tawhid. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/211, 212, 2/79, 7/63, 64, 73, 8/142. And Muslim, in: Chapter: The tashahhud in prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/301, 302. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter: The tashahhud, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/221, 222. And al-Tirmidhi, in: Chapter: What has been narrated concerning the tashahhud, from the Chapters on Prayer. Aridat al-Ahwadhi 2/83, 84. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter: How the first tashahhud is, and Chapter: Another type of tashahhud, from the Book of al-Tatbiq; and in: Chapter: The obligation of the tashahhud, Chapter: How the tashahhud is, and Chapter: The choice of supplication after the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), from the Book of Forgetfulness (Sahu). al-Mujtaba 2/189, 193, 3/34, 35, 43. And Ibn Majah, in: Chapter: What has been narrated concerning the tashahhud, from the Book of Establishing the Prayer; and in: Chapter: The marriage sermon, from the Book of Marriage. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/290, 609. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 1/376, 382, 413, 414, 422, 423, 428, 431, 437, 439, 440, 450, 459, 464.
