Attahiyat, the tashahhud in salah.

Attahiyat, also called the tashahhud, is what you recite in the sitting after every two rakahs. It begins Attahiyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat. The Hanafi school uses the wording taught by Abdullah ibn Masud, which is in both Bukhari and Muslim. The Shafi'i school prefers the wording of Ibn Abbas. Both are below, with the meaning line by line.

Dua 1: Ibn Masud wording (Hanafi)

التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

At-taḥiyyātu lillāhi waṣ-ṣalawātu waṭ-ṭayyibāt. As-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh. As-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn. Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāh, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluh.

All greetings, prayers and good things are for Allah. 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 Messenger.

Sahih al-Bukhari 831; Sahih Muslim 402

Dua 2: Ibn Abbas wording (Shafi'i)

التَّحِيَّاتُ الْمُبَارَكَاتُ الصَّلَوَاتُ الطَّيِّبَاتُ لِلَّهِ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

At-taḥiyyātul-mubārakātuṣ-ṣalawātuṭ-ṭayyibātu lillāh. As-salāmu ʿalayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh. As-salāmu ʿalaynā wa ʿalā ʿibādillāhiṣ-ṣāliḥīn. Ashhadu an lā ilāha illallāh, wa ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūlullāh.

All blessed greetings, prayers and good things are for Allah. 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 the Messenger of Allah.

Sahih Muslim 403

Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.

Guide

When and how to say it.

Ibn Masud said the Prophet ﷺ taught him the tashahhud with his hand held between his own, as he would teach a surah of the Quran.¹

When to recite Attahiyat

In a two-rakah prayer, recite it once, in the final sitting. In a three or four-rakah prayer, recite it in the first sitting after two rakahs and stop at abduhu wa rasuluh, then stand up. In the final sitting, recite it again, then Durood Ibrahim and a dua, and end with the salam.

Meaning, phrase by phrase

Transliteration	Meaning
At-tahiyyatu lillah	All greetings of honour are for Allah
was-salawatu wat-tayyibat	and all prayers, and all good words and deeds
As-salamu alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu	Peace be upon you, O Prophet
wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh	and the mercy of Allah and His blessings
As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadillahis-salihin	Peace be upon us and on the righteous servants of Allah. This greeting reaches every righteous servant in the heavens and on earth.²
Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah	I bear witness that there is no god but Allah
wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh	and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger

Hanafi position

Reciting the tashahhud is wajib in both sittings. The first sitting is wajib and the last sitting is fard. In the first sitting, stop after the shahadah: if you go on as far as Allahumma salli ala Muhammad, you have delayed the third rakah and should do sajdah sahw. Raise the right index finger at la ilaha and lower it at illallah.

Other madhhabs

Shafi'i: The final tashahhud is a pillar (rukn) and the first is sunnah. The Ibn Abbas wording is preferred. The finger is raised at illallah and kept raised.
Maliki: Both tashahhuds are sunnah, though the final sitting itself is fard. Umar's wording, from al-Muwatta, is preferred, and the finger is moved during the tashahhud.
Hanbali: The final tashahhud is a pillar and the first is wajib. The Ibn Masud wording is preferred.

"As-salamu alayka" or "as-salamu alan-nabi"?

Ibn Masud reported that after the Prophet ﷺ died, the Companions said as-salamu alan-nabi (peace be upon the Prophet).³ The four madhhabs keep as-salamu alayka ayyuhan-nabi, the wording he taught, and most scholars say both are allowed.

Sahih al-Bukhari 6265.
Sahih al-Bukhari 831; Sahih Muslim 402.
Sahih al-Bukhari 6265.
Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Bab Sifat al-Salah. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
Sahih al-Bukhari 831; Sahih Muslim 402
Sahih Muslim 403

The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.

Questions

Good to know.

What is the difference between Attahiyat and tashahhud?

None. Tashahhud is the name of this recitation and of the sitting it is said in. Attahiyat is its first word.

Do I read Durood after Attahiyat in the first sitting?

Not in the Hanafi school: stop at abduhu wa rasuluh and stand for the third rakah. In the final sitting, follow Attahiyat with Durood Ibrahim and a dua.

When do I raise my finger in Attahiyat?

In the Hanafi school, raise the right index finger at la ilaha and lower it at illallah. The Shafi'i school raises it at illallah.

Which Attahiyat is correct?

Every wording the Prophet ﷺ taught is valid. Hanafis and Hanbalis use Ibn Masud's, Shafi'is use Ibn Abbas's, and Malikis use Umar's.