– wa-l-barakah (and blessing): an abundance and increase of goodness, a widening of beneficence and generosity, and the perpetuation and consolidation of that bounty, in proportion to the immense right he has over them. Indeed, the greatest good that ever reached them from their Lord came through his blessed call. May Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him.

– as-salāmu ʿalaynā (peace be upon us): that is, upon us who are praying, and upon the angels.

– ʿibādu-llāhi aṣ-ṣāliḥīn (the righteous servants of Allah): those whose inward and outward states are sound—people who discharge the rights that Allah has imposed upon them and the rights owed to His servants.

Al-Tirmidhī said: Whoever wishes to share in this greeting that all worshippers offer during the prayer must be a righteous servant; otherwise he is deprived of this tremendous merit. The hadith states, “For when you do so, you have extended salām to every righteous servant in the heavens and on earth.” Reported by al-Bukhārī (831) and Muslim (402). Therefore, the worshipper should keep this comprehensive meaning in mind.

– ash-hadu an lā ilāha illā Allāh (I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah): I affirm with certainty and conviction that none deserves worship in truth except Allah. The testimony is a decisive assertion; decisiveness resides in the heart, while the tongue merely conveys it. This phrase is the word of monotheism, the word of piety, and the straight path. One must know it and act upon it, not merely pronounce it.

– ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhu wa rasūluh (and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger): I testify to this with truthfulness, certainty, love, and compliance. He is Allah’s servant and His Messenger, the choicest of His creation. May Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him, his family, and all his Companions. A fuller discussion of this testimony will follow.

– ʿabduhu wa rasūluh (His servant and Messenger): He is a servant of Allah, the most perfect of creation in worshipping his Lord. He conveyed the Message, advised the ummah sincerely, and strove for Allah as He deserves to be striven for.

The two words “servant” and “Messenger” constitute a rebuttal to two misguided groups:

The first is the faction of extremists who assigned to the Prophet ﷺ a share of the worship due to Allah alone, and some even granted him a measure of lordship and control over the universe, claiming that he knows