´It was narrated from Hittan bin Abdullah that:` They prayed with Abu Musa and he said: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'When you are sitting then let the first words that any of you says be: At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat, as-salamu 'alaika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu 'alaina wa 'ala 'ibad illahis-salihin, ashahdu an la illaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluhu (Allah compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah (SWT) and his blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah (SWT). I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger)."
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The actions and supplications of prayer should be performed in the order in which they have been prescribed. However, in those places where there is evidence that order is not necessary, then maintaining the order is not obligatory.
➋ The reason for mentioning seven sentences is that "al-tahiyyat," "al-salawat," and "al-tayyibat" are all important matters, so they are counted as three separate sentences instead of one. After that, the supplication for the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is the fourth sentence, and the supplication for all the believers is the fifth sentence. The two testimonies—"the testimony of the oneness of Allah and the testimony of the Messengership"—comprise the sixth and seventh sentences. And Allah knows best.
➌ For correct faith in tawhid (the oneness of Allah), it is necessary to have faith in both the servitude (‘ubudiyyah) and the messengership (risalah) of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). One should neither deny the messengership of the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) like the disbelievers, nor should one elevate him to the rank of divinity, as the Christians did regarding ‘Isa (alayhis salam), saying that the Messiah is Allah Himself. As the Noble Qur’an states:
“Indeed, they have disbelieved who say, ‘Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’”
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 901