Sunan Abi Dawud

Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

كتاب الصلاة

Chapter 101: Straightening The Rows

Sunan Abi Dawud 669
Muhammad b. Muslim b. al-Sa’ib said

one day I prayed by the side of Anas b. Malik. He said ; Do you know why this stick is placed here ? I said : No, by Allah. He said; The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to put his hand upon it and say: Keep straight and straighten your rows.

Sunan Abi Dawud 671
Narrated Anas ibn Malik

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Complete the front row, then the one that comes next, and if there is any incompleteness, let it be in the last row.

Chapter 103: Who Is Encouraged To Pray Behind The Imam, And The Dislike Of Distancing Oneself (From The Imam)

Sunan Abi Dawud 676
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Allah and His angels bless those who are on the right flanks of the rows.

Chapter 104: The Place Of Children In The Rows

Sunan Abi Dawud 677
Narrated AbuMalik al-Ash'ari

Should I not tell you how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led the prayer? He said: He had the iqamah announced, drew the men up in line and drew up the youths behind them, then led them in prayer. He then mentioned how he conducted it. and said: Thus is the prayer of......AbdulA'la said: I think he must have said: My people.

Chapter 109: What May Be Used As A Sutrah By The Praying Person

Sunan Abi Dawud 685
Talhah b. 'Ubaid Allah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying

When you place in front of you something such as the back of a saddle, then there is no harm if someone passes in front of you (i.e. the other side of it).

Sunan Abi Dawud 687
Ibn 'Umar said

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would go out (for prayer) on the day of 'Id, he ordered to bring a lance, it was then setup in front of him and he would pray in its direction, and the people (stood) behind him. He used to do so during journey ; hence the rulers would take it (lance with them).

Chapter 110: Drawing A Line If One Does Not Find A Stick

Sunan Abi Dawud 691
Sufyan b. 'Uyainah said

I saw Sharik who led us in the 'Asr prayer during a funeral ceremony. He placed his cap in front of him, that is, for saying the obligatory prayer the time of which had come.

Chapter 112: If He Prays Towards A Pillar Or Other Object, Where Should It Be In Relation To Him

Sunan Abi Dawud 693
Narrated Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad

I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying in front of a stick, a pillar, or a tree, without having it opposite his right or left eyebrow, and not facing it directly.

Chapter 118: The Sutrah Of The Imam Acts As A Sutrah For Those behind Him

Sunan Abi Dawud 709
Ibn ‘Abbas said

The Prophet (ﷺ) was (once) praying. A kid went passing in front of him and he kept on stopping it.

Chapter 119: Whoever Said That the Woman Does Not Nullify The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 711
‘Urwah reported on the authority of ‘A’ishah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to pray at night and she (‘A’ishah) would lie between him and the qiblah, sleeping on the bed on which he would sleep. When he wanted to offer the witr prayer, he awakened her and she offered the witr prayer.

Sunan Abi Dawud 713
It was reported from Abu An-Nadr, from Abu Salama bin 'Abdur Rahman, from 'Aishah, that she said

"I used to be asleep while my legs would be in the front of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was praying during the night. When he wanted to prostrate, he would prod my feet, so I would pull them up, and he would prostrate.

Chapter 120: Whoever Said That A Donkey Does Not Nullify The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 715
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

I came riding a donkey. Another version has: Ibn Abbas said: When I was near the age of the puberty I came riding a she-ass and found the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) leading the people in prayer at Mina. I passed in front of a part of the row (of worshippers), and dismounting left my she-ass for grazing in the pasture, and I joined the row, and no one objected to that.

Abu Dawud said: These are the words of al-Qa'nabi, and are complete. Malik said: I take it as permissible at the time when the iqamah for prayer is pronounced.

Sunan Abi Dawud 716
Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas

AbusSahba' said: We discussed the things that cut off the prayer according to Ibn Abbas. He said: I and a boy from Banu AbdulMuttalib came riding a donkey, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was leading the people in prayer. He dismounted and I also dismounted. I left the donkey in front of the row (of the worshippers). He (the Prophet) did not pay attention to that. Then two girls from Banu AbdulMuttalib came and joined the row in the middle, but he paid no attention to that.

Chapter 123: Raising The Hands In The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 722
‘Abd Allah b. Umar said

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to raise his hands opposite his shoulders when he began prayer, then he uttered takbir (Allah is most great) in the same condition, and then he bowed. And when he raised his back (head) after bowing he raised them opposite his shoulders, and said: “Allah listens to him who praises Him.” But he did not raise his hand when he prostrated himself; he rather raised them when he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) before bowing until his prayer is finished.

Sunan Abi Dawud 724
Wa’il b.Hujr said

He saw that when the Prophet(ﷺ) stood up to pray he raised his hands till they were in front of his shoulders and placed his thumbs opposite his ears; then he uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great).

Sunan Abi Dawud 726
Narrated Wa'il ibn Hujr

I purposely looked at the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), how he offered it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up, faced the direction of the qiblah and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and then raised his hands in front of his ears, then placed his right hand on his left (catching each other).

When he was about to bow, he raised them in the same manner. He then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head after bowing, he raised them in the like manner. When he prostrated himself he placed his forehead between his hands.

He then sat down and spread his left foot and placed his left hand on his left thigh, and kept his right elbow aloof from his right thigh. He closed his two fingers and made a circle (with the fingers).

I (Asim ibn Kulayb) saw him (Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal) say in this manner. Bishr made the circle with the thumb and the middle finger and pointed with the forefinger.

Chapter 124: The Beginning Of The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 729
Wa’il b. Hujr said

I came to the Prophet(ﷺ) during winter; I saw his companions raise their hands in their clothes in prayer.

Sunan Abi Dawud 731
‘Amr al-Amiri said

I (once) attended the meeting of the companions of the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ). They began to discuss his prayer. Abu Humaid then narrated a part of the same tradition and said: When he bowed he clutched his knees with his palms, and he opened his fingers; then he bent his back without raising his upwards, and did not turn his face (on any side). When he sat at the end of two rak’ahs he sat on the sole of his left foot and raised the right, and after the fourth he placed his left hip on the ground and spread out both his feet one side.

Sunan Abi Dawud 732
The above mentioned tradition has also been reported by Muhammad b. ‘Amr b. ‘Ata’ through a different chain of narrators. This version adds

“When he prostrated himself he neither placed his arms on the ground nor closed them; putting forward his fingers towards the qiblah.”

Sunan Abi Dawud 733
Abbas or ‘Ayyash b. Sahl as-Sa’idi said that he was present in a meeting which was attended by his father who was one of the companions of the Prophet(ﷺ), Abu Hurairah, Abu Humaid al-Sa’idi and Abu Usaid. He narrated the same tradition with a slight addition or deletion. He said

He then raised his head after bowing and uttered:”Allah listens to him who praises Him, to Thee, our Lord, be the praise,” and raised his hands. He then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then he prostrated himself and rested on his palms, knees, and the end of his toes while prostrating: then he uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great), and sat down on his hips and raised his other foot; then he uttered the takbir and prostrated himself; then he uttered takbir and stood up, but did not sit on his hips. He (the narrator) then narrated the rest of the tradition. He further said: Then he sat down at the end of two rak’ahs; when he was about to stand after two rak’ahs, he uttered the takbir; then he offered the last two rak’ahs of the prayer. The narrator did not mention about his sitting on the hips spreading out his feet.