as is the case with the taslim (greeting) upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the tashahhud.

Section: If one inverts the taslim, saying: "Alaykum al-salam" (Upon you be peace), it does not suffice. The Qadi said: There is another view, that it does suffice. This is the opinion of al-Shafi‘i, because the intended meaning is achieved, and it is not a Qur’anic verse where the arrangement of words is of critical importance. Our position is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) articulated it with the words in that specific order and commanded it to be so. He said to Abu Tamimah: "Do not say 'alayka al-salam', for 'alayka al-salam' is the greeting of the dead." Narrated by Ahmad in al-Musnad. Furthermore, it is an act of dhikr (remembrance) performed at one of the two ends of the prayer, so it is not permissible to perform it in an inverted order, like the takbir.

Section: If one says: "Salamun ‘alaykum" [indefinite and nunated, there are two views regarding it]: One of them is that it suffices. This is the school of al-Shafi‘i; [because the tanwin (nunation) stands in the place of the alif and lam (the definite article), and] because most of the greetings mentioned in the Qur’an are without alif and lam, such as His saying: "Salamun ‘alaykum (Peace be upon you) for what you patiently endured" (Surah al-Ra‘d: 24). And His saying: "They say: Salamun ‘alaykum" (Surah al-Nahl: 32). And His saying: "And its keepers will say to them: Salamun ‘alaykum" (Surah al-Zumar: 73). Also, because we have permitted the tashahhud using the tashahhud of Ibn ‘Abbas and Abu Musa, both of which contain: "Salamun ‘alayka," without alif and lam, and the two taslims are one [category of ruling].