What does "السلام عليكم أيها النبي" actually mean?

Question

When I first learnt how to pray *salat*, I was taught as part of the *tashahud* to recite the phrase "`السلام عليكم أيها النبي`."I am hardly fluent in Arabic, but my translation of the above is basically "Peace be upon you, oh prophet." As a native English speaker this has always felt wrong to me, as using the second-person pronoun "you" suggests that I am speaking (and thus praying) directly *to* the prophet, rather than to God Almighty; this brings to me concerns of *shirk*.My question here isn't about whether reciting the *tashahud* itself is required, or exactly what form it should take; I am more concerned about the actual Arabic construction of the sentence itself. Does the use of "`كم`" (or, as I have also seen used, "`ك`") in this case have the same connotations in Arabic? Or can it be reasonably used to refer to a third-party in a manner not seen in English?

Answer 1

Hello!

السلام عليكم ايها النبى Your concern would actually be correct if the words used are

السلام عليك ايها النبى However,the correct tashahhud is to say

which indicates that the prayer itself is dedicated to Allah but this particular sentence is a form of praise for the prophet peace be upon him