Chapter 77: If a person stands by the left side of the Imam, and the Imam dress him to the right from behind, the Salat (prayer) is correct.
I prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) one night and stood on his left side. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) caught hold of my head from behind and drew me to his right and then offered the prayer and slept. Later the Mu'adh-dhin came and the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up for prayer without performing ablution.
Chapter 81: The night prayer.
The Prophet (ﷺ) had a mat which he used to spread during the day and use as a curtain at night. So a number of people gathered at night facing it and prayed behind him.
Chapter 82: The necessity of saying the Takbir, i.e., Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Most Great) and the commencement of As-Salat (the prayer)
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The Imam is to be followed. Say the Takbir when he says it; bow if he bows; if he says 'Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah', say, ' Rabbana wa laka l-hamd', prostrate if he prostrates and pray sitting altogether if he prays sitting."
Chapter 84: To raise both hands while saying the Takbir [on opening As-Salat (the prayer)], and while bowing and on raising up the head (after bowing)
I saw Malik bin Huwairith saying Takbir and raising both his hands (on starting the prayers and raising his hands on bowing and also on raising his head after bowing. Malik bin Huwairith said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did the same."
Chapter 91: To cast a look at the Imam during As-Salat (the prayer)
We asked Khabbab whether Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to recite (the Qur'an) in the Zuhr and the `Asr prayers. He replied in the affirmative. We said, "How did you come to know about it?" He said, "By the movement of his beard."
(And Al-Bara was not a liar) Whenever we offered prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he raised his head from the bowing, we used to remain standing till we saw him prostrating .
Chapter 95: Recitation of the Qur'an (Surat Al-Fatiha) is compulsory for the Imam and the followers, at the home and on journey, in all As-Salat (the prayers) whether the recitation is done silently or aloud.
The People of Kufa complained against Sa`d to `Umar and the latter dismissed him and appointed `Ammar as their chief . They lodged many complaints against Sa`d and even they alleged that he did not pray properly. `Umar sent for him and said, "O Aba 'Is-haq! These people claim that you do not pray properly." Abu 'Is-haq said, "By Allah, I used to pray with them a prayer similar to that of Allah's Apostle and I never reduced anything of it. I used to prolong the first two rak`at of `Isha prayer and shorten the last two rak`at." `Umar said, "O Aba 'Is-haq, this was what I thought about you." And then he sent one or more persons with him to Kufa so as to ask the people about him. So they went there and did not leave any mosque without asking about him. All the people praised him till they came to the mosque of the tribe of Bani `Abs; one of the men called Usama bin Qatada with a surname of Aba Sa`da stood up and said, "As you have put us under an oath; I am bound to tell you that Sa`d never went himself with the army and never distributed (the war booty) equally and never did justice in legal verdicts." (On hearing it) Sa`d said, "I pray to Allah for three things: O Allah! If this slave of yours is a liar and got up for showing off, give him a long life, increase his poverty and put him to trials." (And so it happened). Later on when that person was asked how he was, he used to reply that he was an old man in trial as the result of Sa`d's curse. `Abdul Malik, the sub narrator, said that he had seen him afterwards and his eyebrows were overhanging his eyes owing to old age and he used to tease and assault the small girls in the way.
Chapter 98: The recitation of the Qur'an in the Magrib prayer
(My mother) Umu-l-Fadl heard me reciting "Wal Mursalati `Urfan" (77) and said, "O my son! By Allah, your recitation made me remember that it was the last Sura I heard from Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). He recited it in the Maghrib prayer. "
Chapter 102: Recitation in the 'Isha prayer
I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) reciting wa t-teeni wa z-zaitun" (95) in the `Isha' prayer, and I never heard a sweeter voice or a better way of recitation than that of the Prophet.
Chapter 103: Prolonging the first two Rak'a and shortening the last two
`Umar said to Sa`d, "The people complained against you in everything, even in prayer." Sa`d replied, "Really I used to prolong the first two rak`at and shorten the last two and I will never shorten the prayer in which I follow Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." `Umar said, "You are telling the truth and that is what I think a tout you."
Chapter 115: Itmam At-Takbir (i.e., to end the number of Takbir or to say the Takbir perfectly) on bowing. [See Fath Al-Bari]
I offered the prayer with `Ali in Basra and he made us remember the prayer which we used to pray with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). `Ali said Takbir on each rising and bowing.
Chapter 116: Itmam At-Takbir (i.e., to end the number of Takbir, or to say the Takbir perfectly) on prostrating. [See Fath Al-Bari]
`Imran bin Husain and I offered the prayer behind `Ali bin Abi Talib. When `Ali prostrated, he said the Takbir, when he raised his head, he said the Takbir and when he got up for the third rak`a he said the Takbir. On completion of the prayer `Imran took my hand and said, "This (i.e. `Ali) made me remember the prayer of Muhammad" Or he said, "He led us in a prayer like that of Muhammad."
Chapter 124: What the Imam and the followers say on raising their heads from bowing.
When the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah," (Allah heard those who sent praises to Him), he would say, "Rabbana wa laka l-hamd." On bowing and raising his head from it the Prophet (ﷺ) used to say Takbir. He also used to say Takbir on rising after the two prostrations. (See Hadith No. 656).
Chapter 127: To stand Straight with calmness on raising the head from bowing
Anas used to demonstrate to us the prayer of the Prophet (ﷺ) and while demonstrating, he used to raise his head from bowing and stand so long that we would say that he had forgotten (the prostration).
The bowing, the prostrations, the period of standing after bowing and the interval between the two prostrations of the Prophet (ﷺ) used to be equal in duration .
Abu Qilaba said, "Malik bin Huwairith used to demonstrate to us the prayer of the Prophet (ﷺ) at times other than that of the compulsory prayers. So (once) he stood up for prayer and performed a perfect Qiyam (standing and reciting from the Holy Qur'an) and then bowed and performed bowing perfectly; then he raised his head and stood straight for a while." Abu Qilaba added, "Malik bin Huwairith in that demonstration prayed like this Sheikh of ours, Abu Yazid." Abu, Yazid used to sit (for a while) on raising his head from the second prostration before getting up.
Chapter 130: During the prostrations one should keep one's arms away from one's sides and the abdomen should be kept away from the thighs.
Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) used to offer prayer he used to keep arms away (from the body) so that the whiteness of his armpits was visible.
Chapter 133: To prostrate on seven bones
(He was not a liar) We used to pray behind the Prophet (ﷺ) and when he said, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah", none of us would bend his back (to go for prostration) till the Prophet (ﷺ) had placed his, forehead on the ground.
Chapter 135: To prostrate on the nose and in the mud
Once I went to Abu- Sa`id Al-Khudri and asked him, "Won't you come with us to the date-palm trees to have a talk?" So Abu Sa`id went out and I asked him, "Tell me what you heard from the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Night of Qadr." Abu Sa`id replied, "Once Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) performed I`tikaf (seclusion) on the first ten days of the month of Ramadan and we did the same with him. Gabriel came to him and said, 'The night you are looking for is ahead of you.' So the Prophet (ﷺ) performed the I`tikaf in the middle (second) ten days of the month of Ramadan and we too performed I`tikaf with him. Gabriel came to him and said, 'The night which you are looking for is ahead of you.' In the morning of the 20th of Ramadan the Prophet (ﷺ) delivered a sermon saying, 'Whoever has performed I`tikaf with me should continue it. I have been shown the Night of "Qadr", but have forgotten its date, but it is in the odd nights of the last ten nights. I saw in my dream that I was prostrating in mud and water.' In those days the roof of the mosque was made of branches of date-palm trees. At that time the sky was clear and no cloud was visible, but suddenly a cloud came and it rained. The Prophet (ﷺ) led us in the prayer and I saw the traces of mud on the forehead and on the nose of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). So it was the confirmation of that dream."
Chapter 140: To sit for a while between the two prostrations
Once Malik bin Huwairith said to his friends, "Shall I show you how Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to offer his prayers?" And it was not the time for any of the compulsory congregational prayers. So he stood up (for the prayer) bowed and said the Takbir, then he raised his head and remained standing for a while and then prostrated and raised his head for a while (sat up for a while). He prayed like our Sheikh `Amr Ibn Salama. (Aiyub said, "The latter used to do a thing which I did not see the people doing i.e. he used to sit between the third and the fourth rak`a). Malik bin Huwairith said, "We came to the Prophet (after embracing Islam) and stayed with him. He said to us, 'When you go back to your families, pray such and such a prayer at such and such a time, pray such and such a prayer at such and such a time, and when there is the time for the prayer then only of you should pronounce the Adhan for the prayer and the oldest of you should lead the prayer."