and by al-Tabarani in al-Muʿjam al-Kabir and al-Muʿjam al-Awsat, with only a single taslim. Its narrators are all narrators of the Sahih collections.”
I say: This general statement requires qualification, for the narrator from Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Wahhab is Muʿadh. Although he was trustworthy, he was not among the narrators of the Sahih collections. He was Muʿadh ibn al-Muthanna ibn Muʿadh ibn Nasr ibn Hassan, Abu al-Muthanna al-Anbari. Al-Khatib included his biography in Tarikh Baghdad (13/131), declared him trustworthy, and recorded his death as d. 288 AH.
I then found another route for the hadith of Anas. Ibn Abi Shaybah said in al-Musannaf (1/118/1): Yunus ibn Muhammad narrated to us; Jarir ibn Hazim narrated to us, from Ayyub, from Anas:
“The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, made a single taslim.”
I say: This is a chain whose narrators are all trustworthy and among the narrators relied upon by both Shaykhs. However, Ayyub—meaning al-Sakhtiyani—saw Anas ibn Malik, but it has not been established that he heard from him. Ibn Hibban said in al-Thiqat: “It is said that he heard from Anas, but this is not sound in my view.”
In sum, this hadith is authentic, and it is the most authentic of the hadiths reported concerning a single taslim in the prayer. Al-Bayhaqi cited some of them, and their chains are not free of weakness; yet, taken together, they corroborate this. Al-Bayhaqi said after citing them:
“It is also reported from a group of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, that they made a single taslim. This is a matter of permitted variation, and limiting oneself to it is permissible.”
Al-Tirmidhi likewise related something similar from the Companions. He then said:
“Al-Shafiʿi said: If he wishes, he may make a single taslim; and if he wishes, he may make two taslims.”
I say: A single taslim is an obligation that cannot be dispensed with, because of his saying, peace and blessings be upon him:
“...and its ending is the taslim.”
Making two taslims is sunnah, and it is permissible occasionally to omit the second one on the basis of this hadith.
His practice, peace and blessings be upon him, in concluding the prayer took several forms:
The first: limiting oneself to a single taslim, as mentioned above.