The tashahhud, sitting, and pointing with the finger in it

Abu al-Zubayr reports this statement of a Companion: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would teach us the words of the tashahhud just as he would teach us a surah of the Qur'an.
Imam Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "After every two rak'ahs, the tashahhud is to be recited, and peace is to be sent upon the messengers and also upon the righteous servants of Allah who follow them."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Ali bin Zayd, about whom there is disagreement over whether he may be used as evidence, and he has been declared trustworthy.

Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat (in the tashahhud), he would sit at rest on his left thigh.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Muhammad bin Sinan al-Qazzaz, whom Imam Abu Dawud and others declared a liar, while Imam al-Daraqutni (may Allah have mercy on him) declared him thiqah (trustworthy).

It is reported about Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: For one of you to sit on two hot stones would be better for him than to sit cross-legged during the prayer. Imam Abd al-Razzaq says: He means: When a person is praying standing, he should not sit cross-legged in the tashahhud; but when he is praying sitting, then he may sit cross-legged.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir from al-Haytham bin Shihab, whom Imam Ibn Hibban (may Allah have mercy on him) declared thiqah (trustworthy); the remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Usamah bin Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with his hand placed. The narrator says: I think the words of the narration are: I saw him with his hand placed on his thigh, pointing with his finger.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir from Ghaylan bin Abdullah, from his father, from his grandfather Asma' bin Harithah. I have not found anyone who mentions this narrator or his father.

Sayyiduna Khufaf bin Ima' bin Rahadah al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat at the end of his prayer, he would point with his index finger. The polytheists used to say: "He is performing magic with it," whereas the polytheists were lying; it was an affirmation of the Oneness of Allah (tawhid).
Imam Ahmad recorded it as a lengthy narration, and it has already passed in the chapter on the manner of the prayer; Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir in the form you see here, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the polytheists entered Makkah, they would say to their idols: "Greetings be upon you, and may you be well." So Allah Almighty revealed to His Prophet: Recite: "All acts of bodily worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty, and all acts of financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Fa'id, who is matruk al-hadith (abandoned in hadith).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would teach the people (the words of) the tashahhud from the pulpit, just as a teacher teaches children.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Abd al-Rahman bin Ishaq Abu Shaybah, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Abza (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would do like this in his prayer. He described this by pointing with his index finger.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir from Abu Sa'id al-Khuza'i, from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Abza (may Allah be pleased with him). No one other than Mansur bin al-Mu'tamir narrated from Abu Sa'id al-Khuza'i, as Ibn Abi Hatim has stated on the authority of his father.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Abza reports from his father about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that when he supplicated during the prayer, he would place his hand on his thigh and point with his finger like this. He kept his little finger lowered, and he also kept the finger next to it lowered.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, also through the narrator named Rashid.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "There is no prayer for the one who has no tashahhud."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, al-Harith, who is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would teach us (the words of) the tashahhud just as he would teach us a surah of the Qur'an, and he would say: "Learn it, for there is no prayer without the tashahhud." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: Part of it is recorded in the Sahih.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Sufdi bin Sinan, whom Yahya bin Ma'in declared da'if (weak). Imam al-Bazzar recorded it with narrators who have been declared trustworthy, though there is disagreement about some of them, but that is not harmful, if Allah wills.

Nafi' narrates: When Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar prayed, he would point with his finger and keep his gaze on it. He would say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is harder on Satan than iron."
Al-Bazzar and Ahmad recorded it; its chain contains Kathir bin Zayd, whom Ibn Hibban declared thiqah (trustworthy) while others declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite the tashahhud in the prayer. The narrator says: We asked: "Do you remember the words of the tashahhud from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) just as you remember the letters of the Qur'an, with all their waws and alifs?" When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on his left side, he used to recite this.
Al-Tabarani recorded it thus in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir.

Al-Bazzar has recorded this from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). Al-Aswad narrates: Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to teach the words of the tashahhud during the prayer, and he would take care even over the alif and the waw.
In al-Tabarani's chain there is a narrator, Zuhayr bin Marwan al-Raqashi; I have not found anyone who mentions him. The narrators of al-Bazzar's chain are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us the tashahhud just as he taught us a surah of the Qur'an.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its chain contains a da'if (weak) narrator.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When any of you is in the mosque, he should not make anyone hear his voice, and he should point with his finger towards his Lord."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Umayr bin Imran al-Hanafi, who is da'if (weak).

Khalid al-Hadhdha' narrates: I taught Ibn Sirin the tashahhud. I narrated to him the hadith from Abu Nadrah from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), so he adopted the words of the tashahhud that I narrated and abandoned the words of his own tashahhud.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him (to recite these words in the tashahhud): "All forms of worship, physical, verbal and financial, that are blessed are exclusively for Allah Almighty. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty, and I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Hajjaj bin Rishdin, who is da'if (weak).

Al-Bahzi narrates: I asked Sayyiduna Imam Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) about the tashahhud (the words) of Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He replied: "It is the tashahhud of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)." I asked: "Then what about the tashahhud of Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him)?" Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) replied: "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) liked to make things easy for his Ummah." I asked: "How did Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) recite the words of the tashahhud according to the tashahhud of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied: (His words of the tashahhud were:) "All forms of physical worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty, and the financial and the pure (acts of worship), those of the morning, those of the evening, the clean, the blessed and the pure, are exclusively for Allah Almighty."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and he also recorded these words: "those of bounty, those that are abundant." The narrators of al-Tabarani's al-Mu'jam al-Kabir have been declared trustworthy.

Abu al-Ward narrates that he heard Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr say: The words of the tashahhud of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), which he used to recite, are these: "In the name of Allah Almighty, seeking blessing, and seeking help from Allah, the best of names. All forms of verbal, physical and financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty; He is One, He has no partner; and that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger, whom He sent with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner, and that the Hour is coming, there is no doubt about it. Peace be upon you, O noble Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty. O Allah, forgive me and guide me."
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and he added these words: "He is One, He has no partner." At its end he also recorded these words: "This is to be after the first two rak'ahs." This narration revolves around a narrator named Ibn Lahi'ah, about whom there is criticism.

Sayyidah Aishah Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: After two rak'ahs, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited only the words of the tashahhud and nothing more.
Abu Ya'la recorded it as a narration of Abu al-Huwayrith from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her). It appears that he is Khalid bin al-Huwayrith, and he is thiqah (trustworthy); the remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me to recite the tashahhud in the middle of the prayer and at its end. He says: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat on his left hip in the middle of the prayer and at the end of the prayer, he would recite: "All forms of physical, verbal and financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty, and I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger." He says: Then, if he was in the middle of the prayer, he would stand up after reciting the tashahhud; and if he was at the end of the prayer, after the tashahhud he would make whatever supplication Allah willed, and then he would give the salam. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
This narration is recorded in the Sahih in a shorter form than this. Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy.

He recorded it with another chain, in which, after the words "I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger," he then said: "When you have completed this" (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) he said: "When you have done this, you have completed your prayer. Then if you wish to stand, stand; and if you wish to remain seated, remain seated."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and he made clear that these words are the statement of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him): "When you have finished this, you have completed your prayer." Al-Tabarani recorded the wording of the narration thus. The narrators of Ahmad have been declared trustworthy.

Yahya bin Abi Kathir narrates: Abu Ubaydah bin Abdullah wrote to me: "To proceed: I am going to tell you about the way of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) and about his words and his actions in the prayer. He says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was granted comprehensive words. He used to teach us what we should recite when we sit during the prayer. (Those words are:) 'All forms of physical, verbal and financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty, and I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger.' Then, after that, ask for whatever seems fitting to you, and express your longing for His mercy and forgiveness in a few brief words; do not sit for too long." He also used to say: "I like that when one of you is sitting during the prayer and has completed the tahiyyah, your asking of Allah Almighty should be that he says after that: 'Glory be to You, there is no god besides You. Forgive my sins and set my deeds right. Indeed, You forgive the sins of whomever You will, and You are the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful. O Oft-Forgiving, forgive me. O Accepter of repentance, accept my repentance. O Most Merciful, have mercy on me. O Pardoner, pardon me. O Most Kind, be kind to me. O my Lord, enable me to give thanks for Your blessing which You have bestowed upon me, and guide me to worship You in a good way. O my Lord, I ask You for every kind of good, and I seek refuge in You from every kind of evil. O my Lord, open goodness for me and seal my end with goodness, and grant me a longing to be in Your presence, without any harmful affliction and without any misguiding trial. And protect me from evil deeds; whomever You protect from evil deeds, You will have mercy on him, and that is the great success.' After that, whatever supplication you make should be with humble entreaty and sincerity, for Allah Almighty loves the humble entreaty of His servant in His presence." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: This narration will come later in full in the chapter on voluntary prayer.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. The narrator named Abu Ubaydah did not hear from his father (Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him)).

Imam al-Sha'bi narrates: After reciting 'Al-salamu 'alayka ayyuha al-nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh' (Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings), Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) used to recite: 'Al-salamu 'alayna min rabbina' (that is, may peace descend upon us from our Lord).
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: After the tashahhud in the obligatory prayer, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to make this supplication: "O Allah, we ask You for every kind of good, whether immediate or delayed, whether we know of it or do not know of it; and we seek refuge in You from every kind of evil, whether immediate or delayed, whether we know of it or do not know of it. O Allah, we ask You for everything that Your righteous servants have asked of You, and we seek refuge in You from everything from which Your righteous servants have sought refuge in You. Our Lord, grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of Hell. Our Lord, we have believed, so forgive us our sins, remove our evil deeds from us, and grant us death with the righteous. Our Lord, grant us what You promised us through Your messengers, and do not disgrace us on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, You do not break Your promise." And he would give the salam to his right and to his left.
Al-Tabarani recorded it thus in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and something similar in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir.

Abu Rashid narrates: I asked Sayyiduna Salman al-Farisi about the tashahhud. He said: "I will teach it to you just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me its words. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the tashahhud letter by letter. (Its words are:) 'All forms of physical, verbal and financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah Almighty; He alone is God, He has no partner; and I bear witness that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is His servant and His Messenger.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, and al-Bazzar also recorded it. Its chain contains Bishr bin Ubaydullah al-Darisi, whom al-Azdi declared a liar. Ibn Adi says: He is munkar al-hadith (his narrations are rejected). Ibn Hibban mentioned him in the book al-Thiqat.

Abdullah bin Babay narrates: I prayed beside Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar. When he had finished the prayer, he struck my thigh with his hand and said: "Shall I not teach you the tahiyyah of the prayer just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught it to us?" Then he recited these words: "All forms of physical, verbal and financial worship are exclusively for Allah Almighty. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah Almighty and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon all the righteous servants of Allah Almighty." After that the narrator mentioned the full hadith. (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Abu Dawud recorded this narration, but he did not record these words: "and His blessings."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: "I bear witness that Allah Almighty is the Truth, meeting Him is true, Paradise is true and Hell is true. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the trial of the Dajjal, from the trial of life and death, from the punishment of the grave and from the punishment of Hell." The narrator named Abu Khaythamah says: It seems that he narrated this from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Abu Ya'la recorded it, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.