Concluding Salah with Taslim: A Sunnah Practice

❀ Hadith Reference​

Narrated by Wā'il ibn Ḥujr (رضي الله عنه):
"I performed prayer with the Prophet ﷺ. When he concluded his Salah, he would say:

'السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ' to his right, until the whiteness of his right cheek was visible.

Then he would say:
'السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ' to his left, until the whiteness of his left cheek was visible."
(Reported by Abū Dāwūd, Hadith 997. Also recorded in Tirmidhī 294 – ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ, Nasā'ī 3/62, Ibn Mājah 914, and Ibn Ḥibbān 516)

❀ Key Benefits & Rulings​

① Taslim Marks the Conclusion of Salah
The final act in Salah is the Taslim (salutation), beginning with turning to the right and saying "السلام عليكم ورحمة الله" followed by turning to the left with the same words. This is a mandatory act according to the consensus of the Companions, Tābi'īn, and scholars.

② Inclusion of 'وبركاته' is Authentic
The inclusion of "وبركاته" is authentically proven and is a permissible extension to the salutation.

③ Following the Imam in Taslim
For followers behind the Imam, it is obligatory to wait until the Imam has turned to the left before initiating their Taslim. Preceding the Imam in Taslim is against the Sunnah.

④ Visible Turning of the Head
It is a Sunnah that both the Imam and the followers turn their heads sufficiently during the Taslim so that the whiteness of their cheeks becomes visible to others, following the practice of the Prophet ﷺ.

Note:
This article is derived from "Ḍiyā' al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Ilmām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām" by Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Abī al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Maḥmūd Aḥmad Ghaznfar.