Sunan Abi Dawud

Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

كتاب الصلاة

Chapter 148: How Should One Place His Knees Before His Hands (While Going Into Prostration)

Sunan Abi Dawud 839
The above-mentioned tradition has also been transmitted by Wa’il b. Hujr through a different chain of narrators. This version has

When he prostrated himself, his knees fell on the ground before his hands had fallen. Hemmam said: This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Asim b. Kulaib through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. And one of these two versions, and probably the version narrated by Muhammad b. Juhadah, has the words: When he stood up (after prostration), he stood up on his knees taking the support of his thighs.

Sunan Abi Dawud 840
Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying

when one of you prostrates himself he must not kneel in the manner of camel, but should put down his hands before his knees.

Chapter 151: What Should Be Said When One Raises His Head From The Ruku'

Sunan Abi Dawud 846
Abd Allah b. Abi Awfa said

Abu Dawud said: Sufyan al-Thawri and Shu’bah b. al-Hajjaj reported on authority of Ubaid b. al-Hasan: There is no mention of the words “after bowing” in this tradition. Sufyan said: we met al-shaikh ‘Ubaid b. al-Hasan; he did not say the words “bowing” in it.

Abu dawud said: Shu’bah narrated this from Abi ‘Ismah, from al-A’mash, on the authority of ‘Ubaid, saying: “after bowing”.

Chapter 153: Women Raising Their Heads From Prostration When They Are (Praying) With Men

Sunan Abi Dawud 851
Narrated Asma' daughter of AbuBakr

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: One of you who believes in Allah and in the Last Day should not raise her head until the men raise their heads (after prostration) lest they should see the private parts of men.

Chapter 155: The Prayer Of One Whose Back Does Not Come To A Complete Rest During Ruku' And Prostration

Sunan Abi Dawud 855
Narrated AbuMas'ud al-Badri

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: A man's prayer does not avail him unless he keeps his back steady when bowing and prostrating.

Sunan Abi Dawud 860
This tradition has also been transmitted by Rifa’ah b Rafi through a different chain of narrators. This version has

When you get up to pray, say the takbir, exalting Allah; then recite the Qur’an as much as it is convenient for you. The version adds: When you sit in the middle of the prayer, do it completely(so that you are at rest) and spread your left thigh; then recite the tashahhud. Then if you get up (again), do in a similar way until you finish your prayer.

Chapter 156: Regarding The Statement Of The Prophet (saws) "Every Prayer That One Does Not Perfect It Will Be Made Complete By The Voluntary Ones"

Sunan Abi Dawud 864
Narrated AbuHurayrah

Anas ibn Hakim ad-Dabbi said that he feared Ziyad or Ibn Ziyad; so he came to Medina and met AbuHurayrah. He attributed his lineage to me and I became a member of his lineage.

AbuHurayrah said (to me): O youth, should I not narrate a tradition to you? I said: Why not, may Allah have mercy on you?

(Yunus (a narrator) said: I think he narrated it (the tradition) from the Prophet (ﷺ):) The first thing about which the people will be called to account out of their actions on the Day of Judgment is prayer. Our Lord, the Exalted, will say to the angels - though He knows better: Look into the prayer of My servant and see whether he has offered it perfectly or imperfectly. If it is perfect, that will be recorded perfect.

If it is defective, He will say: See there are some optional prayers offered by My servant. If there are optional prayer to his credit, He will say: Compensate the obligatory prayer by the optional prayer for My servant. Then all the actions will be considered similarly.

Chapter 157: Placing The Hands On The Knees (During Ruku')

Sunan Abi Dawud 868
‘Abd Allah (b. Masud) said

When any of you bows, he should spread his arms on his thighs and clap both his palms (Placing them between the knees), as if I am seeing the variation of the fingers of the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ).

Chapter 159: The Supplication During The Ruku' And Prostration

Sunan Abi Dawud 876
Ibn ‘Abbas said

The Prophet(ﷺ) lifted the curtain (and saw that) the people were standing in rows(of prayers) behind Abu Bakr. He said: O people, there remained nothing that gives good tidings from prophethood except a true dream which a Muslim has himself or which another Muslim has for him. I have been prohibited to recite the Qur’an while bowing or prostration. As regards owing, exalt the Lord in it, and as to prostration, make supplication with exertion in it, that is worthy of being accepted.

Chapter 160: The Supplication During The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 880
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to make supplication during the prayer saying: "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the punishment of the grave; I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of the Antichrist; I seek refuge in Thee from the trial of life and the trial of death; O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from sin and debt." Someone said to him: How often you seek refuge from debt! He replied: When a man is in debt, he talks and tells lies, makes promises and breaks them.

Sunan Abi Dawud 883
Ibn ‘Abbas reported; when the prophet (ﷺ) recited

Abu Dawud said; In this tradition the other narrators have differed from the narrator Wakl. This has been narrated by Wakl, and Shu’bah from Abu Ishaq, from Sa’ld b. Jubair, from Ibn ‘Abbas as his own statement (and not from the Prophet)

Sunan Abi Dawud 884
Musa b. Abi ‘A'ishah said

Abu Dawud said : Ahmad (b. Hanbal) said: It is pleasing to me that one should recite in the obligatory prayer those supplications which have occurred in the Quran.

Chapter 161: The Length Of The Ruku' And The Prostration

Sunan Abi Dawud 886
Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: When one of you bows, he should say three time,:"Glory be to my mighty Lord," and when he prostrates, he should say: "Glory be to my most high Lord" three times. This is the minimum number.

Abu Dawud said: The chain of this tradition is broken. The narrator 'Awn did not see 'Abd Allah (b. Mas'ud).

Sunan Abi Dawud 888
Narrated Anas ibn Malik

I did not offer behind anyone after the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) a prayer like the prayer offered by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than this youth, i.e. Umar ibn AbdulAziz. We estimated reciting glorification ten times in his bowing, and in his prostration ten times.

Abu Dawud said: Ahmad b. Salih said: I asked him ('Abd Allah) whether the name Manus is correct of Mabus. He replied: 'Abd al-Razzaq used to say Mabus, but I remember Manus (i.e. the narrator Wahb b. Manus). These are the words of Ibn Rafi'. It has also been narrated by Ahmad from Sa'id b. Jubair on the authority of Anas b. Malik.

Chapter 162: The Limbs Upon Which One Should Prostrate

Sunan Abi Dawud 892
Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Both hands prostrate as the face prostrates. When one of you puts his face (on the ground) he should put his hands too (on the ground). And when he raises it, he should raise them too.

Chapter 165: The Manner Of Prostration

Sunan Abi Dawud 900
Narrated Ahmar ibn Jaz'

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prostrated himself, he kept his arms far away from his sides so much so that we took pity on him.

Chapter 168: Crying During The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 904
Narrated Abdullah ibn ash-Shikhkhir

I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying and a sound came from his breast like the rumbling of a mill owing to weeping.

Chapter 170: Correcting The Imam In The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 907
Narrated Al-Miswar ibn Yazid al-Maliki

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited - Yahya (sub narrator) said: Sometimes al-Miswar said: I prayed along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and witnessed that he recited - the Qur'an during the prayer and omitted something (i.e. some verses inadvertently) which he did not recite.

A man said to him: Messenger of Allah, you omitted such-and-such verse. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Why did you not remind me of it?

The narrator Sulayman said in his version: He (the man) said: I thought that it (the verse) was repealed.

Chapter 174: Looking (Up) In The Prayer

Sunan Abi Dawud 914
Aishah said

the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) once prayed with a sheet of cloth upon him. It had prints and paintings. He said: The prints of this (sheet) distracted my attention; take it to Abu Jahm and bring a blanket to me.

Chapter 175: A Concession In This Regard

Sunan Abi Dawud 916
Narrated Sahl ibn al-Hanzaliyyah

The iqamah for the morning prayer was pronounced and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to offer prayer while he was looking at the mountain-pass.

(AbuDawud elaborated that the Prophet had sent a horseman to the mountain-pass at night in order to keep watch.)