Muslim of Abū Mūsā’s form of the tashahhud, whose wording is close to that of Ibn Mas‘ūd. Ibn ‘Abbās’s form of the tashahhud is also authentically reported from him in Sahīh Muslim. The Sunan collections contain the forms reported by Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Ā’ishah and Jābir. It is also established in al-Muwatta’ and elsewhere that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb taught the Muslims a form of the tashahhud from the pulpit of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). ‘Umar would not have taught them a form that they accepted unless it was prescribed.

Thus, the correct position according to the meticulous scholarly authorities is that reciting any of these forms of the tashahhud is permissible and is not disliked. Anyone who maintains that using the wording of Ibn Mas‘ūd’s tashahhud is obligatory—as some scholars of Ahmad’s school have maintained—is mistaken.

Another example is the adhān (call to prayer) and the iqāmah (call announcing the start of prayer). An authentic report from Anas states that Bilāl was instructed to recite the phrases of the adhān in pairs and those of the iqāmah singly. It is also authentically reported:

“He taught Abū Mahdhūrah the adhān and iqāmah, repeating the testimonies aloud after first reciting them quietly in the adhān, and doubling the phrases of the iqāmah.”

Some chains of transmission relate that he said “Allah is the Greatest” four times at the beginning, as reported in the Sunan collections; others relate that he said it twice, as reported in Sahīh Muslim. The Sunan collections also report that Bilāl’s adhān, as narrated by ‘Abdullāh ibn Zayd, involved neither such repetition in the adhān nor doubling the phrases of the iqāmah.

Both Bilāl’s adhān and Abū Mahdhūrah’s adhān are Sunnah. Thus, whether the caller repeats the testimonies in this manner or not, and whether he recites the phrases of the iqāmah singly or doubles them, he has done well and followed the Sunnah.