The meaning of At-Tahiyyaatu lillaahi was-Salawaatu wat-Tayyibaat
12-1-2014 | IslamWeb
Question:
In the Tashahhud which we proclaim in prayer, we say: At-tahiyyaatu lillaah was-salawaatu wat-tayyibaat… What does this mean?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
Some scholars explained the meaning of the words of the Tashahhud. Ibn Daqeeq Al-‘Eed 
said:
“The Tahiyyaat is a plural of 'Tahiyyah' which is interpreted as sovereign, greeting, greatness or eternity, according to the different opinions of scholars in this regard. If it is interpreted as greeting, then it means that all greetings due to kings are due to Allaah The Almighty. If it is interpreted as eternity, there is no doubt that it is exclusively specific to Allaah The Almighty. If it is interpreted as sovereignty and greatness, it means that real, perfect sovereignty and complete greatness are due to Allaah The Almighty while others forms of sovereignty or greatness are imperfect and incomplete.
The Salawaat could refer to the known daily prayers and the meaning in this case will be that the prayers are exclusively due to Allaah The Almighty and it is impermissible to perform them for anyone else. It could also refer to sincerity and the meaning in this case will be that all our prayers must be dedicated to Allaah The Almighty Alone. It could also refer to mercy and the meaning in this case will be that complete and perfect mercy belongs to Allaah The Almighty as He Alone Bestows and Gives it to whomever He Wills.
The Tayyibaat is interpreted as good sayings. However, it is better to give it a general interpretation to include all good actions, sayings and descriptions. Good descriptions are those which are perfect and free of all defects."