Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) raise his hands when he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), when he bowed and when he raised his head after bowing until he brought them to the lobes of his ears.

If I were in front of the Prophet (ﷺ), I would see his armpits. Ibn Mu'adh added that Lahiq said: Do you not see, AbuHurayrah could not stand in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was praying. Musa added: When he uttered the takbir, he raised his hands.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us how to pray. He then uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and raised his hands; when he bowed, he joined his hands and placed them between his knees. When this (report) reached Sa'd, he said: My brother said truly. We used to do this; then we were later on commanded to do this, that is, to place the hands on the knees.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: Should I not pray for you the way the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed? So he prayed, raising his hands only once.Abu Dawud said: This is a summarized version of a longer narration and it is not authentic with this wording.

He raised his hands once in the beginning. Some narrated: (raised his hands) once only.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began prayer, he raised his hands up to his ears, then he did not repeat.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Hushaim, Khalid, and Ibn Idris from Yazid. They did not mention the words “then he did not repeat”

I saw that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands when he began prayer, but he did not raise them until he finished (prayer).

Abu Dawud said: This tradition is not sound.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began his prayer, he raised his hands extensively.

I heard Ibn al-Zubair say: Setting the feet right and placing one hand on the other is a sunnah.

AbuUthman an-Nahdi said: When Ibn Mas'ud prayed he placed his left hand on the right. The Prophet (ﷺ) saw him and placed his right hand on his left one.

AbuJuhayfah said: Ali said that it is a sunnah to place one hand on the other in prayer below the navel.

Abu Dawud said: Sa'id b. Jubair narrated the words: "above the navel". Abu Mijlaz reported the words: "below the navel". This has also been narrated by Abu Hurairah. But that is not strong.

(The established way of folding hands is) to hold the hands by the hands in prayer below the navel.

Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal say: The narrator 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ishaq al-Kufi is weak (i.e. not reliable).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to place his right hand on his left hand, then he folded them strictly on his chest in prayer.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for prayer, he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), then said: I have turned my face, breaking with all others, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not a polytheist. My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, Who has no partner. That is what I have been commanded, and I am first of Muslims (those who surrender themselves). O Allah, Thou art the King. There is no God but Thee. Thou art my Lord and I am Thy servant. I have wronged myself, but I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me all my sins; Thou Who alone canst forgive sins; and guide me to the best qualities. Thou Who alone canst guide to the best of them; and turn me from evil ones. Thou who alone canst turn from evil qualities. I come to serve and please Thee. All good is in Thy Hands, and evil does not pertain to Thee. I seek refuge in Thee and turn to Thee, Who art blessed and exalted. I ask Thy forgiveness and turn to thee in repentance. When he bowed, he said: O Allah, to Thee I bow, in Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My hearing, my sight, my brain, my bone and my sinews humble themselves before Thee. When he raised his head, he said: Allah listens to him who praises Him. O our lord, and all praises be to Thee in the whole of the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, and in whatever Thou creates afterwards. When he prostrated himself, he said: O Allah, to Thee I prostrate myself, to Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My face prostrated itself before Him Who created it, fashioned it, and fashioned it in the best shape, and brought forth its hearing and seeing. Blessed is Allah, the best of creators. When he saluted at the end of the prayer, he said: O Allah, forgive me my former and my latter sins, my open and secret sins, my sins in exceeding the limits, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He Who puts forward and puts back. There is deity but Thee.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for (offering) obligatory prayer, he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and raised his hands opposite to his shoulders, and he did so when he finished the recitation (of the Qur’an) and when he was about to bow; and he did like that when he raised (his head) after bowing. He did not raise his hands in prayer when he was sitting. When he stood at the end of two rak’ahs, he raised his hands in a similar way and uttered the takbir and supplicated in a more or less the same manner as narrated by ‘Abd al-‘Aziz in his version. This version does not mention the words “All good is in Thy Hands and evil does not pertain to Thee.” And this adds: He said when he finished the prayer: “O Allah, forgive me my former and latter sins, my open and secret sins; Thou art my deity; there is no God but Thee.

Ibn al-Munkadir, Ibn Abi Farwah and a number of jurists of Madina said to me: When you recite the supplication “I am first of the Muslims,” say instead; “I am one of the Muslims”.

The narrator Humaid added: When any of you comes for praying, he should walk as usual (i.e. he should not hasten and run quickly); then he should pray as much as he finds it (along with the imam), and should offer the part of the prayer himself (when the prayer is finished) which the Imam had offered before him.

Jabir saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observing prayer. (The narrator Amr said: I do not know which prayer he was offering.)

He (the Prophet) said: Allah is altogether great; Allah is altogether great; Allah is altogether great; and praise be to Allah in abundance; and praise be to Allah is abundance; and praise be to Allah in abundance. Glory be to Allah in the morning and after (saying it three times). I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil, from his puffing up (nafkh), his spitting (nafth) and his evil suggestion (hamz).

He (Amr) said: His nafth it poetry, his nafkh is pride, and his hamz is madness.