Short answer
In the Hanafi school the salam is wajib, not fard. The prayer's fard parts are complete once you have sat in the final sitting for the length of the tashahhud; saying "as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah" to the right and left is required to close it properly. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools count the salam as a pillar.
Ending the prayer with the word "as-salam" is wajib, for both the right and the left salam. Leaving it deliberately makes the prayer deficient and it must be repeated; if you forget it and remember while still seated, say it, and if you forget it and do something that ends the prayer, the prayer should be repeated within its time.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The first salam is a pillar of the prayer and the second is sunnah.
- Maliki
- One salam, with the exact words "as-salamu alaykum", is a pillar.
- Hanbali
- Both salams are pillars in the fard prayer.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said that the key to prayer is purification, it is entered with the takbir, and it is exited with the taslim (the salam). Sa'd reported seeing him give salam to his right and to his left until the white of his cheek could be seen. The four schools agree the prayer should end this way. They differ on its level.
In the Hanafi school the last of the fard acts is the final sitting for as long as the tashahhud takes. The salam that follows is wajib. Leaving it does not cancel the prayer, but the prayer is deficient.
How to give salam:
- Turn your face to the right and say "As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah", then to the left and say the same.
- Intend to greet the angels and the Muslims on each side; the imam intends the followers, and the followers intend the imam on the side he is.
- The follower gives salam after the imam, not before him.
- The imam's first salam ends the congregation; someone who joined late stands up after the imam's second salam to complete his prayer.
Mistakes: if you owe sajdah sahw, the Hanafi method is one salam to the right, then the two sajdahs, then the tashahhud and the final salams. See sajdah sahw, the wajib acts of salah and the tashahhud.
The evidence
Sunan Abi Dawud 61
Grading to be checked... وتحريمها التكبير وتحليلها التسليم ...
"The key to prayer is purification; it is entered with the takbir and exited with the taslim."
The prayer is closed with the salam.
Sahih Muslim 582
Sahih... يسلم عن يمينه وعن يساره حتى أرى بياض خده ...
"I used to see the Messenger of Allah ﷺ give salam to his right and his left until I could see the white of his cheek."
Two salams, turning the face right and left.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of the prayer. The word as-salam is wajib, not fard; the final sitting for the length of the tashahhud is the last fard.
- Nur al-Idah with Maraqi al-Falah, Chapter on the wajibs of the prayer. The word as-salam twice, right and left, is among the wajibs.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.