There is a famous belief and it is thus quoted in many talks and lectures that the Tashahhud originated on the night of Miʿraj during a conversation between Allah ﷻ, the Prophet ﷺ and Jibreel AS. The question is, is this really true?

The alleged incident has been written in many books. The shortest version is that of ʿAbd al-Laṭif bin al-Malak, also known as Ibn Firishtah, in his Mabariq al-Azhar. This is the same text quoted by Mulla ʿAli al-Qari in his Mirqat al-Mafatiḥ.

روي: أنه ﷺ لما عرج به أثنى على الله تعالى بهذه الكلمات، فقال الله تعالى: «السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته»، فقال ﷺ: «السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين»، فقال جبريل: أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله، وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله
“It has been narrated that when he ﷺ was raised above [for the Miʿraj], he praised Allah Most High with these words [i.e. al-Taḥiyyat], whereupon Allah Most High remarked: ‘Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s Mercy and His Blessings.’ He [i.e. the Prophet] responded: ‘Peace be upon us and Allah’s righteous servants.’ Thereafter, Jibreel (AS) said: ‘I testify that there is no deity but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’”

This has also been quoted by Imam al-Qurṭubi in his Tafsir from Ibn ʿAbbas RA with only a partial chain.
Although this story has been written by a few scholars and is still told by many in public lectures, it holds no academic basis in Sharīʿah. This is for three reasons:

1. There is no chain of transmission recorded for the incident – neither authentic nor weak.

2. The hadith of Miʿraj has been authentically narrated with overwhelming details, and in no narration is the above incident related.

3. The origin of Tashahhud has explicitly been mentioned in authentic narrations.

One ought to not be deceived by names of great scholars when the story is circulated on social media or related in a lecture. Although the likes of al-Qurṭubī ؒ, Ibn al-Malak (Ibn Firishtah) ؒ, ʿAlī al-Qārī ؒ and others have written it, none have provided a chain of transmission in their works.

Secondly, the details of Miʿraj are recorded in numerous authentic narrations of a very lengthy hadith, which would take up several pages should it be typed in a contemporary style. These narrations entail nuanced intricacies with regard to exactly what happened in the Night Journey and illustrate quite a picture. However, two things are not mentioned therein: the date of its occurrence and the incident in question. The narrations can be read in the Ṣaḥiḥayn and other works of Ḥadith.

Also, the Tashahhud itself has been authentically narrated in the books of Hadith. The great companion, Abdullah b. Masʿud RA is on record as saying:

كنا إذا صلينا خلف النبي ﷺ، قلنا: السلام على جبريل وميكائيل؛ السلام على فلان وفلان، فالتفت إلينا رسول الله ﷺ، فقال: إن الله هو السلام، فإذا صلى أحدكم، فليقل: التحيات لله والصلوات والطيبات، السلام عليك أيها النبي ورحمة الله وبركاته؛ السلام علينا وعلى عباد الله الصالحين، فإنكم إذا قلتموها أصابت كل عبد لله صالح في السماء والأرض، أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله
“When we used to pray behind the Prophet ﷺ, we used to say: ‘Peace be upon Jibreel and Mikaʾeel; peace be upon so-and-so.’ Allah’s Messenger ﷺ looked towards us and said:

“Indeed, Allah is the Peace. Whenever one of you prays, let him say: ‘All verbal, physical and monetary deeds are for Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s Mercy and His Blessings. Peace be upon us and Allah’s righteous servants.’ When you say this, it will reach every righteous servant of Allah. [Then, continue:] ‘I testify that there is no deity but Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.’”

To conclude, although this incident has been widely quoted, however, several senior Muhadditheen (Hadith masters) of the recent past were unable to locate its chain. These seniors include Shaykh Anwar Shah Al-Kashmiri, Al-Muhaddith Shabbir Ahmad ‘Uthmani and Shaykh Muhammad Yusuf Binnori (rahimahumullah).

One should avoid quoting such narrations until their chains are located and their authenticity is verified.
When reciting the tashahhud, the Fuqaha (Jurists) state that one should not have the intention of following the above incident.