Prayer

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Sa'id from Sulaymanibn Yasar that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and granthim peace, used to raise his hands in the prayer.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Abu Salamaibn Abdar-Rahman ibn Awf that Abu Hurayra used to lead them in prayerand would say "Allah is greater" whenever he lowered himself andraised himself. When he had finished he would say, "By Allah, I am theperson whose prayer most resembles the prayer of the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Salim ibnAbdullah that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say "Allah is greater" in theprayer whenever he lowered himself and raised himself.

Yahyarelated to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used toraise his hands to the level of his shoulders when he began the prayerand when he raised his head from the ruku he would raise them lessthan that.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Nuaym Wahb ibn Kaysanthat Jabir ibn Abdullah used to teach them the takbir in the prayer.Abu Nuaym said, "He used to tell us to say 'Allah is greater' wheneverwe lowered or raised ourselves."

Yahya related to me from Malik that Ibn Shihab used to say, "Whena man catches the raka he says, 'Allah is greater' once, and thattakbir is enough for him."

Malik added, "That is if heintended to begin the prayer by that takbir "

Malik was askedabout a man who began with the imam but forgot the opening takbir andthe takbir of the ruku until he had done one raka. Then he rememberedthat he had not said the takbir at the opening nor in the ruku,so hesaid the takbir in the second raka. He said, "I prefer that he starthis prayer again, but if he forgets the opening takbir with the imamand says the takbir in the first ruku, I consider that enough for himif he intends by it the opening takbir."

Malik said, aboutsome one who prayed by himself and forgot the opening takbir, "Hebegins his prayer afresh ."

Malik said, about an imam whoforgot the opening takbir until he had finished his prayer, "I thinkthat he should do the prayer again, and those behind him, even if theyhave said the takbir."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Muhammad ibnJubayr ibn Mutim that his father said, "I heard the Messenger ofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, recite at-Tur (Sura52) in the maghrib prayer."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Ubaydullahibn Abdullah ibn Utba ibn Masud from Abdullah ibn Abbas that Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith heard him reciting al Mursalat (sura 77) and shesaid to him, "My son, you have reminded me by reciting this sura thatit was what I last heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, recite in the maghrib prayer."

26 Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Ubayd, the mawla ofSulayman ibn Abd alMalik, from Ubada ibn Nusayy from Qays ibn alHarith that Abu Abdullah as-Sunabihi said, "I arrived in Madina in thekhalifate of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, and I prayed maghrib behind him. Herecited the umm al Qur'an and two suras from the shorter ones of themufassal in the first two rakas. Then he stood up in the third and Idrew so near to him that my clothes were almost touching his clothes.I heard him reciting the umm al-Qur'an and this ayat, 'Our Lord, donot make our hearts go astray after You have guided us, and give usmercy from Your presence. Surely You are the Giver. ' " (Sura 3 ayat8)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to recite in all four rakas as when he prayed alone - in everyraka the umm al-Qur'an and another sura from the Qur'an. Sometimes hewould recite two or three suras in one raka in the obligatory prayer.Similarly, he recited the umm al-Qur'an and two suras in the first tworakas of maghrib.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Adi ibnThabit al-Ansari that al-Barra ibn Azib said, "I prayed isha with theMessenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and herecited at-Tin (Sura 95) in it."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi from Ibrahim ibnAbdullah ibn Hunayn from hisfatherfromAliibnAbiTalibthattheMessengerofAllah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade wearing theqassi (an Egyptian garment, stripedwithsilk),wearing gold rings, andreciting the Qur'an in ruku.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Muhammadibn Ibrahim ibn al Harith at-Taymi from Abu Hazim at-Tammar from alBayadi that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant himpeace, came out to the people while they were praying and their voiceswere raised in the recitation. He said, "When you pray you are talkingconfidentially to your Lord. So look to what you confide to Him, anddo not say the Qur'an out loud so that others hear it."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Humayd at-Tawil that Anas ibnMalik said, "I stood behind Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman and none ofthem used to recite 'In the name of Allah, the Merciful, theCompassionate' when they began the prayer."

Yahya related to me from Malik from his paternal uncle Abu Suhaylibn Malik that his father said, "We heard the recitation of Umar ibnal-Khattab when we were at the home of Abu Jahmin al-Balat." (Al-Balatwas a place in Madina between the mosque and the market.)

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that when Abdullah ibnUmar missed anything of the prayer in which the imam recited out loud,he would stand up when the imam had said the taslim and recite what heowed out loud to himself.

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Ruman said, "I usedto pray next to Nafi ibn Jubayr ibn Mutim and he would nudge me toprompt him while we were praying."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from hisfather that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq prayed subh and recited suratal-Baqarain the two rak'as.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa that hisfather heard Abdullah ibn Amir ibn Rabia say, "We prayed subh behindUmar ibn al-Khattab and he recited suraYusuf (Sura 12) and surat al-Hajj (Sura 22) slowly." I (Hisham's father) said, "By Allah, then itmust have been his habit to get up at the crack of dawn." He said, "Ofcourse."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said and Rabia ibnAbi Abd arRahman from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad that al Furafisa ibnUmayral-Hanafi said, "I only learnt Sura Yusuf (Sura 12) from therecitation of it by Uthman ibn Affan in the subh prayer because of thegreat number of times he repeated it to us."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umarused to recite the first ten suras of the mufassal in the subh prayer,and on a journey he would recite the ummal-Qur'an and a sura in everyraka.