Where Should One Look in the Prayer during the Final Salam?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

I would like clarification on where you should look during taslim in salah. I was taught initially to look gently at the shoulders and give salaam to the angel there but recently heard in a lecture that there are reported hadith that the prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) extended his neck to the sides so much that one could see the white parts.

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

Turning the Head in the Final Salam

During the final salam of the prayer, it is sunna to turn one’s head toward the right for the first salam and to the left for the second.

‘Adi ibn ‘Amira (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) “gave salam to the right, He turned His face to the right until the whiteness of His (right) cheek could be seen and when He gave salam to the left He turned His face to the left until His left cheek could be seen.” [Ahmad]

Placement of One’s Gaze

As for where one should look when saying the salam, it is recommended to look at one’s shoulder.

“From amongst the etiquettes of prayer is for the one praying, whether male or female,….. to look at their shoulders when saying the salam.” [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

What Should One Intend When Making the Final Salam

One should intend when giving the first salam to all in the prayer on one’s right. The same should be done with the second salam to the left. One should include in their intention all those in the congregation, including the Angels.

In one situated directly behind the Imam, one should intend the Imam when saying the salam to the right and the left.  [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.