بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
The tashahhud — recited in the sitting position after every two rak’ahs — is among the most memorized texts in Islam, said by every praying Muslim multiple times daily. Immediately following it, the Sunnah adds a further obligation many are less confident about: sending salat (blessings) upon the Prophet ﷺ, for which two distinct authenticated wordings exist.
The Tashahhud
Arabic: التَّحِيّاتُ للهِ وَالصَّلَواتُ والطَّيِّبات، السَّلامُ عَلَيكَ أَيُّها النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُه، السَّلامُ عَلَيْنا وَعَلى عِبادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحين، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لا إِلهَ إِلاّ الله، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً عَبْدُهُ وَرَسولُه
Transliteration: Attaḥiyyātu lillāhi waṣ-ṣalawātu, waṭ-ṭayyibāt. Assalāmu ‘alayka ‘ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh. Assalāmu ‘alaynā wa ‘alā ‘ibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn. ‘Ash-hadu ‘an lā ‘ilāha ‘illallāh wa ‘ash-hadu ‘anna Muḥammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh
Translation: “All greetings of humility are for Allah, and all prayers and goodness. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.”
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 52; recorded in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim 1/301.
This version, narrated by Ibn Mas’ud (RA), is the most widely taught across the Hanafi madhab, though other authentically narrated versions exist from other Companions and are used in other schools — a point worth knowing for anyone who encounters a slightly different wording and wonders whether it is a corruption; it is more often simply a different, equally authentic narration. The direct second-person address to the Prophet ﷺ (“Peace be upon you, O Prophet”) is itself notable — grammatically, this remains addressed to him directly even though he is not physically present, which several scholars discuss in the context of the Prophet’s ﷺ awareness of the salutations sent to him by his ummah.
Salat upon the Prophet ﷺ: Two Authenticated Versions
Following the tashahhud, sending salat upon the Prophet ﷺ is a distinct, additional obligation before completing the final tashahhud of a prayer — most scholars hold it to be a required (wajib or rukn, depending on the madhab) component specifically in the last sitting, though recommended in every sitting.
1. As-Salatul-Ibrahimiyyah
Arabic: اللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحمَّد، وَعَلى آلِ مُحمَّد، كَما صَلَّيتَ عَلى إبْراهيمَ وَعَلى آلِ إبْراهيم، إِنَّكَ حَميدٌ مَجيد، اللّهُمَّ بارِكْ عَلى مُحمَّد، وَعَلى آلِ مُحمَّد، كَما بارَكْتَ عَلى إبْراهيمَ وَعَلى آلِ إبْراهيم، إِنَّكَ حَميدٌ مَجيد
Translation: “O Allah, bestow Your favour on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad as You have bestowed Your favour on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad as You have blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, You are Praiseworthy, Most Glorious.”
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 53; Sahih al-Bukhari 6/408.
Known as As-Salatul-Ibrahimiyyah for its comparison to Ibrahim (AS), this is the version taught most widely and used by the overwhelming majority of Muslims in prayer. Commentators have long discussed why Ibrahim (AS) specifically is invoked as the point of comparison rather than another prophet; the more common explanation is that Ibrahim (AS) is the patriarchal figure common to the Abrahamic prophetic line the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ culminates, and that his family (al Ibrahim) was likewise blessed with continued prophethood, a blessing this dua asks be extended in its own form to Muhammad ﷺ and his family.
2. The Version Including Wives and Progeny
Arabic: اللّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحمَّدٍ وَعَلى أَزْواجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِه، كَما صَلَّيتَ عَلى آلِ إبْراهيم…
Translation: “O Allah, bestow Your favour on Muhammad and upon his wives and progeny as You have bestowed Your favour upon the family of Ibrahim…”
Reference: Hisn al-Muslim 54; Sahih al-Bukhari 6/407; Sahih Muslim 1/306.
This second, less commonly used version explicitly names the Prophet’s ﷺ wives (azwaj) and progeny (dhurriyyah) rather than the broader term “family” (aal) used in the first — both are authentically recorded, and a worshipper may use either.
Why This Sequence Matters
The tashahhud closes with the testimony of faith (shahadah), and salat upon the Prophet ﷺ follows immediately, before the worshipper proceeds to whatever further personal supplication they choose (covered separately in the following article on duas before salam). This order — faith, then blessings on the Messenger who conveyed it, then personal request — reflects a broader pattern found throughout Islamic supplication: praise and testimony first, then the asking.
Reflection: The tashahhud is often the fastest-recited portion of prayer for those who learned it very young. Slowing down its second-person address to the Prophet ﷺ, and the deliberate choice of Ibrahim (AS) as its point of comparison, restores weight to words many say without pause several times a day.
References cited: Hisn al-Muslim 52, 53, 54; Sahih al-Bukhari 6/407-408; Sahih Muslim 1/301, 1/306.