The Final Tashahhud – The Obligation of the Tashahhud
After completing the fourth rakʿah the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would sit for the final tashahhud. In it he instructed exactly what he had prescribed for the first tashahhud and performed what he had done there, except that “he would sit in the posture of tawarruk,” resting his left hip on the ground and extending both feet to one side. He would “place the left foot beneath his thigh and shin,” and he would “keep the right foot upright,” though at times “he laid it flat.” He would also “press the palm of his left hand against his left knee, leaning upon it.” (ص 981 - 989)
The Obligation of Invoking Blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ
Within this tashahhud he legislated the invocation of blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ just as he had done in the first tashahhud. The various formulae for that invocation have already been listed.
The Prophet ﷺ once “heard a man supplicating in his prayer without glorifying Allah the Exalted and without sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, so he said, ‘This man has been hasty.’” He then called the man and said to him—or to someone else—“When any one of you prays, let him begin by praising his Lord, Mighty and Majestic, and extolling Him; then let him send blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ; after that he may ask for whatever he wishes.” [He also “heard a man praying who glorified and praised Allah and sent blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, whereupon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Ask and you will be answered; request and you will be given.’”] (ص 990 - 997)
Seeking Refuge from Four Things before Supplicating
The Prophet ﷺ said, “When any one of you finishes the [final] tashahhud, let him seek refuge in Allah from four things, saying: ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of Hell, from the punishment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the evil trial of the False Messiah (al-Masīḥ al-Dajjāl).’ [He may then supplicate for himself with whatever he wishes.]” He used to make this supplication in his tashahhud, and he taught it to the Companions ﵃ just as he taught them a surah from the Quran. (ص 998 - 1001)
Supplication before the Taslīm and Its Varieties
The Prophet ﷺ would supplicate during the prayer with various invocations—sometimes with one, sometimes with another—and he approved still other supplications, “instructing the worshipper to choose from them whatever he prefers.” They include:
- “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave; I seek refuge in You from the trial of the Antichrist; I seek refuge in You from the trials of life and death. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from sin and heavy debt.”