Tashahhud (Declaration of Faith in the Seated Position)

Tashahhud is the recitation said in the seated position after every second rak'ah and in the last rak'ah of the prayer. The most well-known version in Sunni Islam is narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: "Al-tahiyyatu lillahi, wal-salawatu wal-tayyibat. Al-salamu 'alayka ayyuha al-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Al-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadillahi al-salihin" (Sahih al-Bukhari).

There are several authentic versions of tashahhud narrated from different companions. The Hanafi school prefers Ibn Mas'ud's version, the Shafi'i school prefers Ibn Abbas's version, the Maliki school prefers Umar's version, and the Hanbali school accepts all authentic versions with a preference for Ibn Mas'ud's.

During tashahhud, one points with the right hand's index finger (shahadah finger) as a sign of tawhid (God's oneness). The precise details of the finger movement vary between the schools of law. In the last tashahhud, al-salat al-ibrahimiyyah (the blessings upon the Prophet Ibrahim and Muhammad) is added. Tashahhud is a pillar (rukn) of the prayer according to the majority of Sunni scholars.