As-salamu 'alaykum In the Shafi'i school it is considered a Fard according to those scholars who take the opinions of Nawawi and Rafi'i as authorative. For those who take the opinions of Imam ibn Hajr al-Haythami to be authorative, it would be considered Recommended with the possibility of being Fard under certain circumstances. As for our beloved brother London786, we should be careful before we talk. Did you know that many of the early major Maliki Imams considered it Makruh. I have also seen this quoted as the mashhur of the school. However, the ruling would differ in front of non-Muslims.