Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

Hazrat Azhar bin Ishaq narrates that he described to me about the Tashahhud of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in the middle and at the end of the prayer. Janab Abdur Rahman bin Al-Aswad bin Yazid Nakhai narrates from his father that he said: We used to memorize the words of Tashahhud from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) with the same care as we used to learn and memorize the words of the Holy Qur'an, when he told us that these words were taught to him by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) himself. He says that thus, when he (Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him) would sit on his left buttock in the middle and at the end of the prayer, he would recite these words, «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلّٰہِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ، السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ ّٰاللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ َّاللهِ الصَّالِحِينَ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلَّا َّاللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» "All verbal, physical, and financial worship is for Allah. O Prophet, peace be upon you 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 deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His servant and Messenger." He says that then, if he was in the middle of the prayer, after finishing the Tashahhud, he would stand up, and if he was at the end of the prayer, after the Tashahhud, he would supplicate whatever Allah willed, then he would say the Salam. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that his statement, "and at the end of the prayer he would sit on his left buttock," means that he would sit like this at the end of the prayer, not during the middle (at the time of Tashahhud).