Zuhayr ibn Muhammad (14). Al-Bukhari said: "He narrates munkar (rejected) hadiths (15)." Abu Hatim al-Razi said: "This hadith is munkar." Al-Athram asked Ahmad about this hadith, and he replied: (16) "Hisham (17) says: 'He used to perform one taslim, making us hear it.'" It was said to him: "They disagree regarding it from Hisham; some of them say 'tasliman' (a salutation), and some of them say 'taslimatan' (a single salutation)." He said: "This is better." Thus, Ahmad clarified that the meaning of the hadith returns to the fact that he would let them hear the one taslim. As for those who narrated "tasliman", they have no proof in it, for it can apply to one or two. Furthermore, our hadiths contain more than theirs, and an addition from a trustworthy narrator is acceptable. It is also possible that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed both actions to clarify what is permissible and what is sunnah (recommended), and because prayer is an act of worship involving an entry and an exit, it is permissible for it to have two exits, like the Hajj.

Section: The obligatory requirement is one taslim, and the second is a sunnah. Ibn al-Mundhir said: "Everyone I recall from among the scholars has reached a consensus that the prayer of one who restricts himself to a single taslim is valid." Al-Qadi mentioned another narration regarding it, that the second one is obligatory, and he said: "It is more correct, due to the hadith of Jabir ibn Samurah, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to perform it and persist in it, and because it is an act of worship with two exits, so both are obligatory like the two exits of Hajj, and because it is one of the two taslims, so it is obligatory like the first." The correct view is what we have stated. The statement (18) of Ahmad is not explicit regarding the obligation of the two taslims; rather, he merely said: "The two taslims are more correct from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)," and the hadith of Ibn Mas‘ud and others lean towards that. It is permissible that he leaned towards it in terms of legality and recommendation, rather than obligation, as others have done. This is indicated by his statement in the narration of Muhanna: "The two taslims are more pleasing to me." And because ‘A’ishah, Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘, and Sahl ibn Sa‘d (19) have narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to perform one taslim, and the Emigrants (Muhajirin) used to perform one taslim. So in what we have mentioned, there is a harmonization between the reports and the statements of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in that what is legislated and the sunnah is two taslims, while the obligatory is one. The consensus reported by Ibn al-Mundhir has indicated the correctness of this, so there is no deviating from it. The action of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is construed as being part of the legislation and the sunnah; for most of the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in prayer are sunnah and not obligatory, so construing his action of this taslim as sunnah when evidence for it is established is not prevented, and Allah knows best. Furthermore, because with one taslim one exits the prayer, so nothing else is obligatory upon him within it, and because this is a prayer, one taslim is sufficient for it, [and because this is one] (21) like the funeral prayer and voluntary prayer. As for his statement in the hadith of Jabir: "It is sufficient for any of you," he means in terms of attaining the sunnah, indicated by the fact that he said: "To place his hand on his thigh, then perform the salutation to his brother on his right and on his left." All of this is not obligatory. This disagreement we have mentioned concerns the obligatory prayer; as for the funeral prayer, voluntary prayer, and the prostration of recitation, there is no fear that one exits from them with a single taslim. Al-Qadi said: "This is a single narration." Ahmad explicitly stated it in the funeral prayer and the prostration of recitation, and because the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not perform in the funeral prayer except one taslim. And Allah knows best.

Section: The sunnah is to say: "Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah" (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah). Because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to perform the taslim in this manner, in the narration of Ibn Mas‘ud, Jabir ibn Samurah, and others. Wa'il has narrated...