At-Tahiyyat — a beautiful account, in every word of which lies a declaration of tawhid, of honour and of faith. Prayer is the greatest act of worship in a believer’s life. And one of the most significant parts of the prayer is the tashahhud, which we know as “At-Tahiyyat.” Every sentence of this supplication contains praise of Almighty Allah, salutations upon the beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), prayer for the righteous servants of God and the highest declaration of faith.
There is a saying current in society that the phrases of At-Tahiyyat are part of a conversation between Allah and the Messenger (peace be upon him) on the night of the Mi’raj. There is, however, no authentic narration on this in the reliable hadith. As Muslims we should therefore know the matter in the light of the authentic Quran and Sunnah, and convey correct information to others as well.
At-Tahiyyat: the Arabic, transliteration and meaning
التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
Transliteration: “At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat. As-salamu alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-salamu alayna wa ala ibadillahis-salihin. Ashhadu alla ilaha illallahu, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh.”
Meaning: “All honour, all acts of worship and all pure words and deeds are for Allah alone. O Prophet, may peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. May peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no true object of worship but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His servant and messenger.”
In the light of the Quran
1. All worship is for Allah alone
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
“Say: indeed my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.” (Sura al-An’am: verse 162)
2. Salutations and blessings upon the Prophet (peace be upon him)
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
“Indeed Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send blessings upon him and greet him with full salutation.” (Sura al-Ahzab: verse 56)
In the light of authentic hadith
1. The Messenger (peace be upon him) taught the Companions At-Tahiyyat
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to teach them the tashahhud as he taught them a sura of the Quran. He then taught this supplication of At-Tahiyyat. (Bukhari 831, Muslim 402)
2. The merit of “As-salamu alayna …”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that when you say —
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
— this supplication reaches every righteous servant in the heavens and on the earth. (Bukhari 831)
The lessons of At-Tahiyyat
All honour and worship are devoted to Allah alone.
Love, respect and salutations are expressed towards the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
One prays for oneself and for all righteous Muslims.
The testimony of tawhid and of the messengership is renewed.
Faith is strengthened further in every prayer.
At-Tahiyyat is not merely a supplication in the prayer; it is a unique declaration of a believer’s creed, worship, love and faith. It should therefore be recited with an understanding of its meaning, with attention and with humility. At the same time we must remember that the claim that At-Tahiyyat was a conversation between Allah and the Messenger (peace be upon him) on the night of the Mi’raj is not established by authentic hadith. The beauty of Islam is that what we propagate should be established by the Quran and the authentic Sunnah. May Allah the Exalted grant us all the ability to acquire sound knowledge and to act upon it. Amin.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report