Prayer
كتاب الصلاة
Chapter 29: The Sutra - Section 3
‘A’isha said, “I was sleeping in front of God’s Messenger with my legs between him and the qibla. When he prostrated himself he pinched me and I drew up my legs, and when he stood up I stretched them out.” She added, “At that time there were no lamps in the houses.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Chapter 30: The Nature of Prayer - Section 1
Ibn ‘Umar said that God’s Messenger used to raise his hands opposite his shoulders when he began prayer and when he said the takbir before bowing; and when he raised his head after bowing he raised them in the same way and said, “God listens to him who praises Him. To Thee, our Lord, be the praise!” But he did not do that when he prostrated himself. (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Nafi‘ said that when Ibn ‘Umar began prayer he said the takbir and raised his hands; when he bowed he raised his hands; when he said, “God listens to him who praises Him” he raised his hands; and when he got up at the end of two rak'as he raised his hands. Ibn ‘Umar traced that back to the Prophet. Bukhari transmitted it.
Chapter 21: Mosques and places of Prayer - Section 1
Abu Musa reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The one who will receive the greatest reward for prayer is he who lives farthest away, and he who has farthest to walk and he who waits for the prayer to observe it with the imam will have a greater reward than the one who observes it and then goes to sleep.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Ka'b b. Malik said that the Prophet always came back from a journey by day in the forenoon, and when he arrived he went first to the mosque, and having prayed two rak'as in it he sat down in it. (Bukhari and Muslim.)
Chapter 22: Mosques and places of Prayer - Section 2
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The space between the East and the West is a qibla.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.
I saw my Lord in the most beautiful form, and He said, "What do the angels near My presence dispute about?" I replied," Thou knowest best.” Then He placed the palm of His hand between my shoulder-blades and I felt the coolness of it between my nipples! Then I knew what was in the heavens and the earth. And he recited, "Thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and it was so that he might have certainty (Al-Qur’an; 6:75).’’ Darimi transmitted it in mursal form.
Hakim b. Hizam said that God's Messenger prohibited retaliation being taken in a mosque, the recitation of poems in it, and the infliction of punishment in it. Abu Dawud in his Sunan and the author of Jami‘ al-usul ( Ibn al-Athir) in his work transmitted it from Hakim, but in al-Masabih it is transmitted from Jabir.
Abu Sa'id reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The whole earth is a mosque, with the exception of a graveyard and a bath.” Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Darimi transmitted it.
a dunghill, a slaughterhouse, a graveyard, the middle of the road, a bath, places where camels kneel to drink, and on the roof of God’s House. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.
Ibn ‘Abbas said that God’s Messenger cursed women who visited graves, people who put mosques there and those who lit lamps there. Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted it.
Chapter 23: Mosques and places of Prayer - Section 3
Abu Huraira said that he heard God’s Messenger say, “If anyone comes to this mosque of mine, coming only for some good which he will learn or teach, he ranks a mujahid in God’s path; but if anyone comes for some other purpose, he ranks as a man who looks [enviously] at another’s property.” Ibn Majah and Baihaqi, in Shu'ab al-iman, transmitted it.
God’s Messenger was detained one morning from observing the prayer with us till the sun had almost appeared over the horizon. He then came cut quickly, and when the iqama had been uttered he conducted the prayer in a shortened form; then when he had given the salutation he called out to us saying, “Keep to your rows as you were.” Then turning to us he said, “I shall tell you what detained me from you this morning. I got up during the night, performed ablution, and prayed what I could; but during my prayer I dozed and was overcome, and there and then I saw my Lord in the most beautiful form. He addressed me by name, and when I replied, ‘At Thy service, my Lord,’ He asked, ‘What do the angels near My presence dispute about?’ and I replied that I did not know. He asked it three times. Then I saw Him put the palm of His hand between my shoulder-blades, so that I experienced the coolness of His fingers between my nipples so everything became clear to me and I attained knowledge. He then addressed me by name, and when I replied, ‘At Thy service, my Lord,’ He asked, ‘What do the angels near My presence dispute about?’ I replied, ‘Expiation.’ He asked what they were, and I replied, ‘Walking on foot to the congregational prayers, sitting in the mosques after the prayers are over, and performing complete ablution in difficult circumstances. He asked what next they disputed about, and when I said it was about degrees, He asked what they were and I replied, ‘Providing food, speaking gently, and praying at night when people are asleep.’ He then told me to make a request, and I said, ‘O God, I ask Thee for power to do good things and abandon objectionable things, for love towards the poor, that Thou shouldest forgive me and show mercy to me, and that when Thou intendest to test any people Thou wilt take me to Thyself without being led astray. And I ask for Thy love, the love of those who love Thee, and a love of doing things which will bring me near to Thy love.’” Then God’s Messenger said, “It is true, so study it and learn it.” Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Tirmidhi said, “This is a hasan sahih tradition. I asked Muhammad b. Isma'il (Al-Bukhari) about this tradition, and he said it is a sahih tradition.”
‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As said that God’s Messenger used to say on entering the mosque, “I seek refuge in God the mighty, in His noble being, and in His power which is from everlasting from the accursed devil.” He said that when the devil heard that he said, “He is protected from me for the rest of the day.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.
Chapter 24: Suitable Dress - Section 1
Anas said that ‘A’isha had a figured curtain with which she secluded the side of her house, but the Prophet said to her, “Remove this figured curtain of yours from us, for its pictures keep interfering with my prayer.” Bukhari transmitted it.
Chapter 25: Suitable Dress - Section 2
Salama b. al-Akwa‘said that he told God’s Messenger he was a man who went out hunting, and asked whether he might pray in a single shirt. He replied, “Yes, but fasten it, even if it should be with a thorn.” Abu Dawud transmitted it and Nasa’i transmitted something similar.
While God’s Messenger was leading his companions in prayer he took off his sandals and laid them at his left side; so when the people saw that, they removed their sandals. When he had finished his prayer he asked, "What made you remove your sandals? They replied, “We saw you remove yours, so we removed ours.” God’s Messenger then said, “Gabriel came to me and informed me that there was filth on them. When any of you comes to the mosque he should examine, and if he sees filth on his sandals he should wipe it off and pray in them.” Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it.
Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When any of you prays he should not place his sandals at his right or at his left so as to be at the right of someone else, unless no one is at his left, but should place them between his feet.” A version has, “or pray with them on.” Abu Dawud transmitted it and Ibn Majah transmitted something to the same effect.
Chapter 27: The Sutra - Section 1
Nafi’ said on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet used to make his riding-beast kneel between him and the qibla and pray facing it. (Bukhari and Muslim.) Bukhari added that Nafi' asked Ibn ‘Umar, saying, “Tell me what happened when the camels moved away,” to which he replied, “He used to take the saddle, put it straight, and pray facing the back of it.”
Abu Sa'id reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When one of you prays facing something which conceals him from people and someone wishes to pass in front of him, he should turn away; but if he refuses to go, he should turn him away forcibly, for he is only a devil.” This is Bukhari’s wording, and Muslim has something to the same effect.