Step 12 of 14
The Final Sitting
After the two prostrations of the last rak'ah, sit for the final time and recite the tashahhud again. Then send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ with the words below, which he taught when his companions asked him, "How do we send blessings on you?"
Then make a du'a before the salam. The Prophet ﷺ said that when one of you finishes the final tashahhud, let him seek refuge in Allah from four things: the punishment of Hell, the punishment of the grave, the trials of life and death, and the evil of the False Messiah (al-Masih al-Dajjal). After that you may ask Allah for whatever good you wish.
Abu Humayd described the Prophet ﷺ in the last rak'ah putting his left foot forward, keeping the right foot upright and sitting on the ground (tawarruk). The schools differ over how to sit here, as shown below.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ، اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ
Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, innaka hamidun majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammadin wa 'ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta 'ala Ibrahima wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, innaka hamidun majid.
O Allah, send Your blessings on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim; You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim; You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
How does one sit in the final tashahhud?
2 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Hanafi, Hanbali.
Show each school
- On the left foot (iftirash)Hanafi
- On the left hip (tawarruk)Maliki · Shafi'i
- Tawarruk only in prayers with two tashahhudsHanbali
- Hanafi
- A man sits on his left foot with the right foot upright in every sitting, the final one included, while a woman sits on her left hip with her feet to the right.
- Maliki
- Tawarruk is recommended in every sitting of the prayer, the final one included.
- Shafi'i
- Tawarruk is sunnah in every final sitting that is followed by the salam, even in a two-rak'ah prayer, while the first tashahhud is on the left foot.
- Hanbali
- Tawarruk is for the final sitting of three- and four-rak'ah prayers; in Fajr and other two-rak'ah prayers one sits on the left foot.
Is sending blessings on the Prophet ﷺ in the final tashahhud a pillar?
The schools are split two and two.
Show each school
- SunnahHanafi · Maliki
- Pillar (rukn)Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- It is sunnah in the prayer; the obligation to send blessings on the Prophet ﷺ is fulfilled outside it.
- Maliki
- It is sunnah in the final sitting, in the relied-upon view of the school.
- Shafi'i
- It is a pillar after the final tashahhud; the least that suffices is "Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad".
- Hanbali
- It is a pillar in the relied-upon view of the school; another narration from Ahmad makes it sunnah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 831 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3370 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 588Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 832 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 835 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 828 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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