What do I say in the tashahhud?

The words themselves

In the sitting, you say:

"At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibatu. As-salamu 'alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. As-salamu 'alayna wa 'ala 'ibadillahis-salihin. Ash-hadu an la ilaha illallah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluh."— Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Mas'ud

In English: all greetings, prayers and good things belong to Allah; peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings; peace be upon us and upon the righteous servants of Allah; I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

IslamWeb (fatwa 18928) notes that this wording is a sound hadith and not part of the Qur'an, and that it has come through several narrations.

What you add in the final sitting

After the testimonies, you add the prayer on the Prophet ﷺ:

"Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta 'ala Ibrahim wa 'ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta 'ala Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid."— Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim

Then you seek refuge:

"A'udhu billahi min 'adhabi Jahannam, wa min 'adhabi'l-qabr, wa min fitnati'l-mahya wa'l-mamat, wa min fitnati'l-Masihid-Dajjal."— Sahih Muslim

Shaykh Ibn Baz (in al-Durus al-Muhimmah) lists this order: the tashahhud, then the prayer and blessing on the Prophet ﷺ, then the seeking of refuge in the final tashahhud, then whatever supplication you wish.

The first tashahhud and the final one

The two are not identical. In a three- or four-unit prayer you sit after the second unit for the first tashahhud, and here you stop after the two testimonies and stand for the third unit. Ibn Baz notes that if you also pray on the Prophet ﷺ here, that is better, because of the general hadiths on the matter.

The final tashahhud is the one that carries the prayer on the Prophet ﷺ and the seeking of refuge. In Fajr, IslamWeb (fatwa 296782) explains, there is only the final tashahhud — it runs from "at-tahiyyatu lillahi" through to "innaka Hamidun Majid."

Which version to use

Several sound versions exist — from Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Aisha and Ibn Umar رضي الله عنهم — and they differ only slightly. Imam Ahmad stated that any authentic tashahhud is valid. Ibn Hajar said there is no disagreement among the people of hadith that Ibn Mas'ud's is the most authentic.

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin advises alternating between the versions, just as one alternates the opening supplications, so that you keep the full sunnah alive.

Saying "sallallahu 'ala Muhammad" or "sayyidina Muhammad"

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin was asked this directly. His answer: the better form is "Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad" — the wording the Prophet ﷺ himself taught — because following what the Lawgiver prescribed takes precedence. He added that the Prophet ﷺ is the master of the children of Adam, but that this belief does not require mentioning his mastery in every prayer upon him.

Common mistakes

• Stopping at the tashahhud and making salam: many people pray on the Prophet ﷺ and then immediately give salam, omitting the seeking of refuge from the four things. Ibn Uthaymin notes the Prophet ﷺ commanded it, and that some scholars held it obligatory in the final tashahhud. Tawus رحمه الله, a Successor, would order the one who omitted it to repeat the prayer.
• Supplicating after salam instead of before it: the sunnah places supplication before the closing salam. Ibn Uthaymin notes that making it a fixed habit after voluntary prayers has no evidence.
• Saying "ya Rabbi" during the tashahhud: IslamWeb (fatwa 254254) states this does not invalidate the prayer and nothing is required for it.

Key takeaways

• The tashahhud is a hadith, not Qur'an, and Ibn Mas'ud's version is the most authentic and most widely chosen.
• In the final sitting, follow the tashahhud with the prayer on the Prophet ﷺ, then the seeking of refuge from four things, then your own supplication — all before the salam.
• In a three- or four-unit prayer, the first tashahhud ends at the two testimonies; you stand for the next unit.
• Fajr has only the final tashahhud, running from "at-tahiyyatu" to "innaka Hamidun Majid."
• Any authentic version is valid; alternating between them keeps the sunnah alive.

Further reading

• Ibn Uthaymin, Sifat Salat al-Nabi ﷺ
• Ibn Baz, al-Durus al-Muhimmah
• al-Fawzan, Minhat al-'Allam (commentary on Bulugh al-Maram)

And Allah knows best.