‘Ali b. al-Husain told in mursal form that God’s Messenger said the takbir in prayer as often as he got down1 and got up2 and that this continued to be his method in prayer till he met God.1. i.e. for bowing or prostration.2. i.e. after prostration.Malik transmitted it.

Abu Humaid as-Sa‘idi said that when God’s Messenger stood up to pray, he faced the qibla, raised his hands and said, “God is most great." Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that God’s Messenger used to observe a period of silence between the takbir and the recitation of the Qur an, so he addressed him thus, “Messenger of God, for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom, what do you say during your period of silence between the takbir and the recitation?” He replied that he said, “O God, remove my sins far from me as Thou hast removed the East far from the West. O God, purify me from sins as a white garment is purified from filth. O God, wash away my sins with water, snow and hail.”(Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Ali said that when the Prophet stood up for prayer (a version saying, when he began the prayer) he said the takbir, then said, “I have turned my face as a hanif* towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not a polytheist. My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. That is what I have been commanded, and I am a Muslim. O God, Thou art the King. There is no god but Thee. Thou art my Lord and I am Thy servant. I have wronged myself, but I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me all my sins, Thou who alone canst forgive sins; and guide me to the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and turn me from evil ones, Thou who alone canst turn from evil qualities. I come to serve and please Thee. All good is in Thy hands and evil does not pertain to Thee. I seek refuge in Thee and turn to Thee, who art blessed and exalted. I ask Thy forgiveness and turn to Thee in repentance.” When he bowed he said, “O God, to Thee I bow, in Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My hearing, my sight, my brain, my bone and my sinews humble themselves before Thee.” When he raised his head he said, “O God, to Thee belongs praise in the whole of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and in whatever Thou createst afterwards.” When he prostrated himself he said, “O God, to Thee I prostrate myself, in Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My face has prostrated itself before Him who created it, fashioned it, and brought forth its hearing and seeing. Blessed is God, the best of creators.” Then at the end of what he said between uttering the tahiyat and the taslim was, “O God, forgive me my former and latter sins, my open and my secret sins, my sins of negligence, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He who puts forward and puts back. There is no god but Thee.” * A believer in one God. Cf. Al-Qur’an; 3:95; 22:31; 98:5.Muslim transmitted it. A version by Shafi‘i has, “Evil does not pertain to Thee, and the one who is guided is he whom Thou guidest. I seek refuge in Thee and turn to Thee. There is no shelter from Thee and no place of refuge except by having recourse to Thee who art blessed.”

‘A’isha said that when God’s Messenger began to pray he said, “Glory be to Thee, O God, and with praise of Thee do I begin my worship. Blessed is Thy name, exalted is Thy majesty, and there is no god but Thee.” Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it from Abu Sa'id. Tirmidhi said, “This is a tradition which I know only from Haritha, and critical remarks have been made about his memory.”

Jabir said that when the Prophet began prayer he said the takbir, then said, “My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God, the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. I have been so commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims. O God, guide me to the best deeds and the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and guard me from evil deeds and evil qualities, Thou who alone canst guard from their evil ones.” Nasa’i transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If anyone observes a prayer in which he does not recite Umm al-Qur’an, it is deficient (he said this three times) and incomplete.” When someone asked Abu Huraira [what he should do] if he were led by an imam, he told him to recite it inwardly, for he had heard God’s Messenger declare that God most high had said, “I have divided the prayer into two halves between me and my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks.” When the servant says, “Praise be to God the Lord of the universe,” God most high says, “My servant has praised me.” When he says, “The Compassionate the Merciful,” God most high says, “My servant has lauded me.” When he says, “Possessor of the day of judgment,” He says, “My servant has glorified me.” When he says, “Thee do we worship and of Thee do we ask help,” He says, “This is between me and my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks.” Then when he says, “Guide us in the straight path, the path of those to whom Thou art generous, not of those with whom Thou art angry nor of those who go astray,” He says. “This is for my servant, and my servant will receive what he asks.” Muslim transmitted it.

An-Nu‘man b. Bashir said that God’s Messenger used to recite at the two festivals1 and on Friday, “Glorify the name of your most high Lord", 2 and “Has the story of the overwhelming event reached you?"3 He said that when a festival and a Friday coincided he recited them both at the two prayers. 1. Id al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan, and Id al-Adha on the 10th of Dhul Hijja, when sacrifices are made. The former is called the lesser and latter the greater. 2. Al-Qur’an; 87. 3. Al-Qur'an, 88.Muslim transmitted it.

We were behind the Prophet at the dawn prayer, and he recited a passage, but the recitation became difficult for him. Then when he finished he said, “Perhaps you recite behind your imam?” We replied, “Yes, Messenger of God.” He said, “Do it only when it is Fatihat al-Kitab, for he who does not include it in his recitation is not credited with having prayed.” Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Nasa’i has something to the same effect. In a version by Abu Dawud he said, “I am wondering what is the matter with me that the Qur’an should be at variance with me. So do not recite any of the Qur’an when I recite aloud, except Umm al-Qur'an."

Ibn ‘Umar and al-Bayadi reported God’s Messenger as saying, “He who prays holds intimate converse with his Lord, so he must consider how he does so, and none of you must recite the Qur’an more loudly than others. Ahmad transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Abu Aufa told of a man who came to the Prophet and said, “I am unable to learn any of the Qur’an, so teach me something which will suffice me.” He told him to say, “Glory be to God; Praise be to God; There is no god but God; God is most great; There is no might and no power except in God.” He said, “Messenger of God, this is for God; but what is there for me?” He told him to say, “O God, have mercy on me, heal me, guide me, and provide for me.” He said that the man clenched his hands, whereupon God’s Messenger said, “This man has filled his hands with good.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Nasa’i’s transmission finished with “except in God.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said that when the Prophet recited, “Glorify the name of thy most high Lord,” (Al-Quran; 87) he said, “Glory be to my Lord most high.” Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Urwa said that Abu Bakr as-Siddlq prayed the Morning Prayer and recited Sura al-Baqara (Al-Qur’an; 2) in both the rak'as. Malik transmitted it.

‘Amir b. Rabi'a said that they prayed the morning prayer behind ‘Umar b. al-Khattab and that he recited slowly in both rak'as Sura Yusuf and Sura al-Hajj (Al-Qur’an; 22). When someone remarked that he must have begun the prayer at break of day he replied that that was so. Malik transmitted it.

Al-Bara,’ said that the bowing observed by the Prophet, his prostration, his sitting between the two sajdas, and when he raised his head after bowing, but not the standing [during recitation of the Qur’an] and the sitting [when saying the shahada, were nearly equal. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Wa’il b. Hujr said that he saw the Prophet raise his hands when he began prayer. He said the takbir, then pulled his garment round him, then placed his right hand on his left. When he was about to bow he took his hands out of his garment, and after he had raised (them and said the takbir he bowed. When he said, “God listens to him who praises Him” he raised his hands, and when he prostrated himself he did it between his hands. Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The most excellent prayer consists in long standing in prayer.” Muslim transmitted it.

Wa il b. Hujr said he saw that when the Prophet 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 said the takbir. Abu Dawud transmitted it, and in a version by him it says that he raised his thumbs to the lobes of his ears.

I prayed behind an old man in Mecca and he said the takbir twenty-two times. When I said to Ibn ‘Abbas that the man was a fool, he replied, “I am surprised at you. It was the sunna of Abul Qasim.’’* *This is the Prophet’s kunya.Bukhari transmitted it.

Jubair b. Mut'im said that he saw God’s Messenger observing a prayer in which he said, “God is altogether great; God is altogether great; God is altogether great. Praise be to God in abundance; praise be to God in abundance; praise be to God in abundance. Glory be to God in the morning and afternoon (saying it three times). I seek refuge in God from the accursed devil, from his puffing up (nafkh), his magic (nafth) 1, and his evil suggestion (hamz) 2.”1. Literally ‘sputtering’, but used of working magic by sputtering on knots. Cf. Qur’an, 113:4.2. For this meaning cf. Qur’an, 23:97.Abu Dawud transmitted it, as did Ibn Majah, but he did not mention, “Praise be to God in abundance,” and he mentioned at the end of it “from the accursed devil.” ‘Umar said that his nafkh is pride, his, nafth is poetry, and his hamz is madness.