all of the prayer, and the salam is one of its parts. Furthermore, if the intention were obligatory for the salam, it would have been obligatory to specify it, like the takbirat al-ihram. Also, because it is an act of worship, an intention is not required to exit from it, just like other acts of worship. Analogizing the final part to the initial part is not correct, for the intention is considered in the initial part so that its ruling extends to the remaining parts, unlike the final part; and for this reason, the two parts are distinguished in all other acts of worship. Some of our companions said: He should intend with both taslims to exit the prayer. If he intends along with that to respond to the two angels, and to those behind him if he is an imam, or to [the imam and] (69) those with him if he is a follower, there is no harm in that. Ahmad stipulated this, as he said: He performs the taslim in the prayer, and intends with his salam to respond to the imam, due to what Muslim narrated from Jabir ibn Samura, who said: When we prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) we used to say (70): "Peace be upon you, peace be upon you." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) looked at us and said: "What is the matter with you that you wave your hands as if they were the tails of restive horses (71)! When one of you performs the salam, let him turn to his companion and not gesture with his hand." In another narration: "It suffices one of you to place his hand on his thigh, then perform the salam to his brother on his right and his left." [Narrated by Muslim. In another narration] (72), he said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded us to respond to the imam, and that we perform the salam to one another. [Narrated by Abu Dawud] (73). This indicates that it is a sunnah to perform the salam (74) to those with him [among the worshipers] (75), which is the school of al-Shafi‘i and Abu Hanifah. Abu Hafs ibn al-Muslim, from our companions, said: