Issue 536: After offering the testimony (Tashahud) of the last Rak'at of prayer, it is obligatory to sit still and offer the salutation, i.e., "Assalaamu Alaykum" and as a recommended precaution, they should add, "warah matullahi wa barakaatuh", or to say, "Assalamu alayna wa ala ibadilla hissalihin", and as a recommended precaution, they should, after the testimony and before salutation, say, "Assalaamu alayka ayyu hannabiyyu wa rah matullahi wa barakatuh".

Issue 537: If a person forgets to pronounce the salutation, but before changing the posture of praying, they remember that, they must pronounce the salutation and their prayer will be valid, provided that they have not, intentionally or unintentionally, done anything which would invalidate the prayer, such as turning one's face away from the Quiblah.

Q538: What is the case of returning one's greeting while offering prayers? What kind of greeting is considered as to not invalidate prayers? For instance, sometimes people say, "salaam Alaykum", or sometimes they say "Salaamun Alaykum". "Alayk" is sometimes pronounced with Arabic "Alif" and not Arabic "Ayn".

A: To return a person's greeting in any of the first two mentioned manners is obligatory, but in the third manner which is incorrect, it is not allowed and will invalidate the prayer.

Issue 539: To return greetings immediately is obligatory, whether one is praying or otherwise, and if intentionally or due to forgetting, one delays the returning such that if they return one's greeting, it will not be accounted as the return to his/her greeting, they must avoid returning the greeting if they are praying and if not, it is not obligatory to return the greeting with delay in such a case.