—that after the Messenger’s death, peace and blessings be upon him, they would say, “Peace be upon the Prophet, and Allah’s mercy and blessings.” (1) This was one of Ibn Mas‘ud’s independent judgments, in which he was opposed by one more knowledgeable than he: ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him. For he addressed the people from the pulpit of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and said in the tashahhud: “Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s mercy,” as Malik narrated in al-Muwatta’ through one of the soundest chains of transmission. (2) ‘Umar said this in the presence of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and they approved of it.

Moreover, the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, taught it to his community. He would teach it to Ibn Mas‘ud with Ibn Mas‘ud’s hand clasped between his own hands, (3) so that he would retain this exact wording. He taught it to them just as he taught them a surah of the Quran, and he knew that he would die, for Allah said to him:

“You will certainly die, and they too will certainly die.” [al-Zumar]

Yet he did not say, “After my death, say: ‘Peace be upon the Prophet.’” Rather, he taught them the tashahhud word for word, just as he taught them a surah of the Quran. Therefore, Ibn Mas‘ud’s independent judgment is not to be relied upon; rather, one should say, “Peace be upon you, O Prophet.”

His statement, “O Prophet”: this is a vocative expression in which the vocative particle has been omitted. The original wording is, “O, O Prophet,” but the particle is omitted because of frequent usage and for ease of expression. It begins with an indirect designation of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.

The word nabīʾ (prophet) may be pronounced with a hamzah, and it may also be pronounced nabiyy (prophet), with a doubled ya and without a hamzah.