The Farewell Scene
التَّحِيَّا ت لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَ واتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ ، السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكَ أَيهَُّا النَّبِىُّ وَرَحمَْةُ اللهِ وَبرََكَاتُهُ ، السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْنَا
وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالحِِينَ ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُه ‘Words of Praise and Salutations are for Allah, and Prayers and pure words.
Peace and salutations upon you O Prophet and the Mercy of Allah and His
Blessings. And peace be upon us and upon all of Allah's righteous servants. I
testify that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and testify that
Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger.’
If you have just finished the first Rakah [unit] of your Salah, then rise for the
second and rise for a new chance to improve your focus and to ensure that
this time, your heart and mind are fully alive with the humbleness and humility
required of us in Salah. If this is your last Rakah, then we have arrived at the
Farewell Scene… the sweet ending to this beautiful meeting between a servant
and his Merciful Lord. We have arrived at...The Tashahhud.
Our hands are to be placed upon our knees or just above - on the lower
thighs. As is proper when speaking to Our Lord, our farewell address must
also begin first, by sending all praise and glorification to Allah, for His eternal
existence, His perfection, and His sovereignty....Greet Him directly; speak to
Him with these beautiful words: “Attahiyyatu lillahi”. All “Attahiyyat” [greetings/
praises/glorification] is due to Allah alone and no one else. “Wassalawatu”-
and all our duas and prayers are to Him. “Wattayyibat”- and all the good
deeds, in the form of actions or words, are for Him alone. For Allah accepts
only what is good, pure, and sincere.
Now the words you will pronounce next will travel off to another
land...thousands of kilometers away.. to Madinah!.. to where rests the blessed
body of the greatest man who ever lived - our beloved Prophet, “Assalamu alaika ayyuha-nnabiyyu warahmatullahi wabarakatuh”- May the peace, mercy and
blessings of Allah be upon you, O Prophet! Everyday, you send this special
greeting to him and he answers you back! Listen to this hadeeth: The Prophet
said, “There is not one who sends upon me his peace and blessings but Allah returns my
soul to me, so that I can return upon him, my peace and blessings.”
Please glance over at the nearest doorway to you and imagine that the Prophet
has just entered through that door. With his beautiful radiant face touched
with a hint of rose, with his neatly wrapped ‘amama [head cover], in his pure
white sweet-scented clothes.. and with his warm smile that melts your heart.
