Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

Abu al-Waddak said: A young Qurashi man passed in front of Abu Saʿid al-Khudri while he was praying. Abu Saʿid pushed him away, but he came back, and Abu Saʿid pushed him away three times. When he finished, Abu Saʿid said: ‘Nothing interrupts the prayer, but the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Repel whoever passes in front of you as much as you can, for he is a devil.”’ Abu Dawud said: ‘When two reports from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) conflict, one should consider what his Companions practiced after him.’

Salim reported from his father, ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raise his hands to shoulder level when beginning prayer, when about to bow, and after raising his head from bowing. Sufyan once said simply, ‘when he raised his head’; most often he said, ‘after raising his head from bowing.’ He did not raise his hands between the two prostrations.

ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood for prayer, he raised his hands to shoulder level, then said the takbir while they were still raised, and bowed. When he was about to straighten up, he raised his hands to shoulder level and said: ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him.’ He did not raise his hands during prostration. He raised them with each takbir before bowing until his prayer was complete.

ʿAbd al-Jabbar ibn Wa’il ibn Hujr said: I was a boy and did not understand my father’s prayer. Wa’il ibn ʿAlqamah related to me from my father, Wa’il ibn Hujr, who said: I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When he said the takbir, he raised his hands, then wrapped his garment around himself, placed his left hand in his right, and tucked both hands inside his garment. When he was about to bow, he took his hands out and raised them. When he was about to raise his head from bowing, he raised his hands. Then he prostrated, placing his face between his palms. When he raised his head from prostration, he also raised his hands, and continued thus until he finished the prayer.

Muhammad said: I mentioned this to al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan, who said: ‘This is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed; some did it and some left it.’ Abu Dawud said: Hammam also narrated this from Ibn Juhadah, but did not mention raising the hands when rising from prostration.

ʿAbd al-Jabbar ibn Wa’il reported from his father that he saw the Prophet (ﷺ), when standing for prayer, raise his hands to shoulder level, with his thumbs opposite his ears, then say the takbir.

ʿAbd al-Jabbar ibn Wa’il said: Members of my household told me from my father that he saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raise his hands with the takbir.

Wa’il ibn Hujr said: I said, ‘I shall watch the Messenger of Allah’s prayer and see how he prays.’ The Messenger of Allah stood, faced the qiblah, and said the takbir, then raised his hands until they were level with his ears. He then took his left hand with his right. When he was about to bow, he raised them in the same way, then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head from bowing, he raised them in the same way. When he prostrated, he placed his head at that position in front of him. Then he sat, resting on his left leg, and placed his left hand on his left thigh. He set his right elbow against his right thigh, held two fingers closed, and formed a ring. I saw him gesturing like this. Bishr formed the ring with his thumb and middle finger and pointed with his index finger.

The same report has been transmitted by Zā’idah, through ʿĀṣim ibn Kulayb, with his chain and in its meaning. This version says: ‘Then he placed his right hand on the back of his left hand, wrist, and forearm.’ It also says: ‘Then I came back later, at a time of severe cold, and saw the people, wearing their outer garments, moving their hands beneath their clothes.’

Wa’il ibn Hujr said: I saw the Prophet, when he began the prayer, raise his hands level with his ears. Then I came to them and saw them raising their hands to their chests at the beginning of the prayer, wearing hooded cloaks and wraps.

Wa’il ibn Hujr said: I came to the Prophet in winter and saw his Companions raising their hands beneath their garments during the prayer.

Muhammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAṭāʾ said: I heard Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī, among ten of the Messenger of Allah’s Companions, one of whom was Abū Qatādah. Abū Ḥumayd said, ‘I know best among you how the Messenger of Allah prayed.’ They said, ‘Why? By Allah, you were neither the most frequent follower of his among us nor the earliest of us in companionship with him.’ He replied, ‘Indeed.’ They said, ‘Then describe it.’ He said: ‘When the Messenger of Allah stood for prayer, he raised his hands until they were level with his shoulders, then said the takbīr and stood upright until every bone settled in its place. Then he recited, said the takbīr, and raised his hands until they were level with his shoulders. Then he bowed and placed his palms on his knees, keeping himself straight without raising or lowering his head. Then he raised his head and said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” He raised his hands until they were level with his shoulders, standing upright, then said, “Allah is greatest.” He descended to the ground, keeping his arms away from his sides. Then he raised his head, folded his left leg, and sat on it. When prostrating, he spread the toes of his feet, and he prostrated. Then he said, “Allah is greatest,” raised his head, folded his left leg, and sat on it until every bone returned to its place. He did the same in the next rakʿah. When he rose after two rakʿahs, he said the takbīr and raised his hands until they were level with his shoulders, just as he had said the takbīr at the start of the prayer. He did likewise for the remainder of his prayer. When it was the prostration in which he would say the salām, he moved his left leg back and sat on his left side in a tawarruk posture.’ They said, ‘You have spoken truly; this is how he used to pray.’

Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr al-ʿĀmirī said: I was in a gathering of the Messenger of Allah’s Companions, and they discussed how the Messenger of Allah prayed. Abū Ḥumayd mentioned part of this report and said: ‘When he bowed, he firmly placed his palms on his knees and spread his fingers. Then he bent his back, neither raising his head nor turning his face sideways. When he sat after two rakʿahs, he sat on the underside of his left foot and held his right foot upright. In the fourth rakʿah, he placed his left hip on the ground and brought both feet out to one side.’

The same report is narrated through ʿĪsā ibn Ibrāhīm al-Miṣrī, through a different chain, from Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAṭāʾ. It says: ‘When he prostrated, he placed his hands without spreading them flat or clasping them, and pointed the tips of his fingers toward the qiblah.’

ʿAbbās—or ʿAyyāsh—ibn Sahl al-Sāʿidī said that he was in a gathering with his father, who was one of the Prophet’s Companions, and Abū Hurayrah, Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī, and Abū Usayd. He related this report, with some additions or omissions. It says: ‘Then he raised his head from bowing and said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.” He raised his hands, then said, “Allah is greatest,” and prostrated, supporting himself on his palms, knees, and the balls of his feet. While prostrating, he said the takbīr, sat in the tawarruk posture, and held his other foot upright. Then he said the takbīr and prostrated; then he said the takbīr and stood without sitting in tawarruk. The narrator then continued the report. He said: He sat after the two rakʿahs, and when he was about to rise, he stood with a takbīr, then performed the remaining two rakʿahs. He did not mention tawarruk in the sitting for the tashahhud.’

ʿAbbās ibn Sahl said: Abū Ḥumayd, Abū Usayd, Sahl ibn Saʿd, and Muḥammad ibn Maslamah gathered and discussed the prayer of the Messenger of Allah. Abū Ḥumayd said, ‘I know best among you how the Messenger of Allah prayed,’ and mentioned part of this report: ‘Then he bowed, placed his hands on his knees as though grasping them, angled his hands, and held his arms away from his sides. Then he prostrated, setting his nose and forehead down, moved his arms away from his sides, and placed his palms level with his shoulders. Then he raised his head until every bone returned to its place. He continued until he had finished. Then he sat, resting on his left leg, turned the front of his right foot toward the qiblah, placed his right palm on his right knee and his left palm on his left knee, and pointed with his finger.’ Abū Dāwūd said: ʿUtbah ibn Abī Ḥakīm narrated this report from ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĪsā, from al-ʿAbbās ibn Sahl, without mentioning tawarruk; he related something like Fulayḥ’s report. Al-Ḥasan ibn al-Ḥurr related a sitting posture like that in the reports of Fulayḥ and ʿUtbah.

This report is transmitted from Abū Ḥumayd through ʿAbbās ibn Sahl. It says: ‘When he prostrated, he held his thighs apart and did not rest his belly on any part of them.’ Abū Dāwūd said: Ibn al-Mubārak related it to us from Fulayḥ, who said, ‘I heard ʿAbbās ibn Sahl narrating it,’ but I did not retain it. I think he mentioned ʿĪsā ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who heard it from ʿAbbās ibn Sahl, who said, ‘I attended Abū Ḥumayd al-Sāʿidī with this report.’

Wa’il ibn Hujr reported from the Prophet: ‘When he prostrated, his knees reached the ground before his palms.’ He said: ‘When he prostrated, he placed his forehead between his palms and held his arms away from his armpits.’ Ḥajjāj said: Hammām also reported to us; Shaqīq reported to me from ʿĀṣim ibn Kulayb, from his father, from the Prophet, something similar. In one of their reports—and I believe it was Muḥammad ibn Juḥādah’s—there is this: ‘When he rose, he rose onto his knees and supported himself on his thighs.’

Wa’il ibn Hujr said: I saw the Messenger of Allah raise his thumbs in prayer up to his earlobes.

Abū Hurayrah reported that when the Messenger of Allah said the takbīr for prayer, he placed his hands level with his shoulders. When he bowed, he did the same; when he rose for prostration, he did the same; and when he stood after two rakʿahs, he did the same.

Maymūn al-Makkī said that he saw ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr leading them in prayer and gesturing with his hands when he stood, bowed, prostrated, and rose to stand again. He went to Ibn ʿAbbās and said, ‘I saw Ibn al-Zubayr pray in a way I have never seen anyone else pray.’ He described these gestures. Ibn ʿAbbās said, ‘If you wish to see the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, follow the prayer of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr.’