The Method of Sitting in the Tashahhud
Hadrat Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him), while describing the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, says:
وإذا جلس فى الركعتين جلس على رجله اليسرى ونصب اليمنى وإذا جلس فى الركعة الأخيرة قدم رجله اليسرى ونصب الأخرى وقعد على مقعدته
“When the Prophet ﷺ sat (for the tashahhud) after performing two rak’ahs, he would spread his left foot on the ground and keep his right foot upright; and when he sat (for the tashahhud) in the last rak’ah, he would bring his left foot forward (from beneath his right thigh) and keep the right upright, and sit on his buttocks.”
The state of sitting in the final tashahhud described in this hadith is called tawarruk. The scholars have differed on whether tawarruk is to be performed in the middle tashahhud as well or only in the final tashahhud.
(Shafi’i) Tawarruk is to be performed in the second tashahhud.
(Malik) Tawarruk is to be performed in both tashahhuds.
(Ahmad) Tawarruk is specific to the prayer that has two tashahhuds.
(Abu Hanifah) Tawarruk is not to be performed even in the final tashahhud.
(Ibn al-Qayyim) Tawarruk from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is mentioned only in the tashahhud in which the salam is given, as in a narration in Sunan Abi Dawud where it says:
حتى إذا كانت السجدة التى فيها التسليم
“Until, when he performed the prostration in which there is the salam (he would perform tawarruk).”
Those scholars (meaning the Hanafis) who did not consider tawarruk recommended even in the final tashahhud rely on the hadith in which Hadrat Wa’il ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him), without any restriction to the first or second tashahhud, says absolutely about the Prophet ﷺ:
ثـم قـعــد فافترش رجله اليسري
“Then he sat and spread out his left foot.”
The second method of tawarruk:
In a narration related from Hadrat Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated that:
فإذا كان فى الرابعة أفضي بوركه اليسرى إلى الأرض وأخرج قدميه من ناحية واحدة
“When the Prophet ﷺ was in the fourth rak’ah, he would sit on the ground on his left buttock and bring both his feet out from one side.”
The third method of tawarruk:
Hadrat Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) has related that:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا قعد فى الصلاة جعل قدمه اليسرى بين فخذه و ساقه و فرش قدمه اليمني
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat in prayer, he would place his left foot between his thigh and shin, and spread out his right foot.”
From these narrations it appears that the Prophet ﷺ sometimes used one method of tawarruk and at other times another.
