The tashahhud, the final sitting

Every prayer ends in a seated position, with a recitation called the tashahhud, followed by greetings of peace to the right and left. This is the final sitting.

You sit with your left foot tucked under you and your right foot upright (in most positions). Hands on the thighs, right index finger pointed forward during the declaration of oneness. Do not get anxious about the exact finger movement; variations exist and all are valid.

The full tashahhud (at-tahiyyat)

The text below is the version taught directly by the Prophet ﷺ to Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and recorded in al-Bukhari (831).

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

“At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibatu. As-salamu alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadillahis-saliheen. Ash-hadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu.”

— Sahih al-Bukhari 831

It means: All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to 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 there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.

The salawat on the Prophet (durood)

After the tashahhud, in the final sitting, you add the salawat on the Prophet ﷺ, also known as the Ibrahimic dua. It sends prayers upon him and his family.

The short version (taught in Sahih al-Bukhari 3370): Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ala Ibrahim wa ala ali Ibrahim, innaka hameedun majeed.

You can then make personal dua before ending the prayer.

The taslim — ending the prayer

You end the prayer by turning your head to the right and saying as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, then to the left and saying the same. That is the taslim. The prayer is now complete.

When you sit for tashahhud

• In two-rakah prayers (Fajr), you sit once, say the full tashahhud plus salawat, and end.
• In three-rakah prayers (Maghrib) and four-rakah prayers (Dhuhr, Asr, Isha), you sit briefly after the second rakah, say only the tashahhud up to the shahadah, then stand up. At the end of the last rakah, you sit again for the full tashahhud plus salawat, then end.