Q485: "after completing al-Tahiyyat", does it mean before or after salam?

Question

When it says, “after completing al-Tahiyyat” (for the Qur’an memorisation du’a), does it mean before or after salam?

Answer

The du’a you refer to is from a hadith in Sunan al-Tirmidhi. It has also been cited by al-Mundhiri in al-Targhib wa al-Tarhib, by Ibn Kathir in Fada’il al-Qur’an, by Allamah Sakhawi in al-Qawl al-Badi’, by al-Suyuti in al-Jami al-Saghir, by al-Wadi’i in Ahadith Mu’illah, by Ibn al-Jawzi in Mawdu’at Ibn al-Jawzi. In all of these kitabs it states that the du’a should be read after al-Tahiyyat. This would insinuate that the du’a should be read in the salah. However, in this case al-Tahiyyat actually means the namaz itself as elucidated by Moulana Habibur-Rahman Khairabadi. Therefore, you should read the du’a after completing your salah.