Umm Salama said the Prophet used to pray two rak'as after the witr. Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Ibn Majah added that they were short ones which he prayed while sitting.

I said to my father, “Father, you have prayed behind God’s Messenger, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, and behind Ali here in al-Kufa for about five years. Did they stand in humble supplication?” He replied, “Sonny, it is an innovation.” Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Al-Hasan said that ‘Umar b. al-Khattab congregated the people with Ubayy b. Ka‘b as imam and he led them in prayer for twenty nights, but led them in humble supplication only in the second half. When the last ten days came he withdrew and prayed in his house, and the people were saying, “Ubayy has run away.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Zaid b. Thabit said that God’s Messenger made an apartment of reed mats in the mosque and prayed in it for some nights until people gathered round him. One night when they missed his voice and thought he had gone to sleep, some of them began to clear their throats in order that he might come out to them, so he said, “What I have seen you doing has continued to be your practice, so that I have been afraid that it might be prescribed for you, and if it were prescribed for you you would not fulfil it. You people should therefore pray in your houses, for, with the exception of the prescribed prayer, the most excellent prayer a man observes is that which he observes in his house.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Zaid b. Thabit reported God s Messenger as saying, “A man’s prayer in his house is more excellent than his prayer in this mosque of mine, except for the prescribed prayer." Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

I never came upon the people without hearing them cursing the infidels during Ramadan. The reader recited sura al-Baqara (Al-Qur’an; 2) in the course of eight rak'as, and when he made it serve for twelve rak'as the people thought he had shortened the prayer. Malik transmitted it.

‘Ali reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When the middle night of Sha'ban comes, spend the night in prayer and fast during the day, for in it God most high comes down at sunset to the lowest heaven and says, ‘Is there no one who asks forgiveness so that I may forgive him ? Is there no one who asks provision so that I may provide him? Is there no one afflicted so that I may relieve him? Is there not such and such? Is there not such and such?’ till the dawn comes.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Mu'adha said she asked ‘A’isha how many rak'as God’s Messenger prayed at the forenoon prayer, and she replied, “Four rak'as, but sometimes more, as God pleased.” Muslim transmitted it.

Buraida said that he heard God’s Messenger say, “A human being has three hundred and sixty joints for each of which he must give alms.” On being asked who was capable of doing that he replied, “It may be mucus in the mosque which you bury, and something which you remove from the road; but if you do not find such, two rak'as in the forenoon will suffice you.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘A’isha used to pray eight rak'as in the forenoon, then say, “If my parents were brought back to life for me I would not give up praying them.” Malik transmitted it.

God’s Messenger used to pray in the forenoon so often that we felt he would never stop doing so; then he would leave off doing so for so long that we felt he would never resume prayer at that time. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

I asked Ibn ‘Umar whether he prayed in the forenoon and he said he did not. I asked whether ‘Umar did and he said he did not. I asked whether Abu Bakr did and he said he did not. I asked whether the Prophet did and he said, “I don’t think so.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Bakr told me, and Abu Bakr spoke the truth, that he heard God’s Messenger say, “No man will commit a sin, then get up and purify himself, then pray, then ask God’s foigiveness without God forgiving him.” Then he recited, "And those who, when they do something to be ashamed of, or who wrong themselves, remember God and ask forgiveness for their sins” (Al-Qur’an; 3:135).Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, but Ibn Majah did not mention the verse.

‘Abbas my uncle, shall I not give you, shall I not present you, shall I not tell you, shall I not produce in you ten things, by your doing which God will forgive you your sin, first and last, old and new, involuntary and voluntary, small and great, secret and open? You should pray four rak'as reciting in each one Fatihat al-Kitab (Al-Qur’an; 1) and a sura and when you finish the recitation in the first rak'a you should say fifteen times while standing, “Glory be to God. Praise be to God. There is no god but God. God is most great.” Then you should bow and say it ten times while bowing. Then you should raise your head after bowing and say it ten times. Then you should get down in prostration and say it ten times while prostrating yourself. Then you should raise your head after prostrating yourself and say it ten times. ’ Then you should prostrate yourself and say it ten times, then raise your head and say it ten times. That is, seventy-five times in every rak'a. You should do that in four rak'as. If you can observe it once daily do so; if not, then once weekly; if not, then once a month; if not, then once a year; if not, then once in your lifetime. Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah and Baihaqi, in [Kitab] ad-Da'awat al-kabir, transmitted it, and Tirmidhi transmitted something similar from Abu Rafi'.

Abu Huraira told of hearing God’s Messenger say, “The first of his deeds for which a man will be taken into account on the day of resurrection will be his prayer. If it is sound he will be saved and successful, but if it is unsound he will be unfortunate and miserable. If any deficiency is found in his obligatory prayer the Lord who is blessed and exalted will issue instructions to consider whether His servant has said any voluntary prayers so that what is lacking in the obligatory prayer may be made up by it. Then the rest of his actions will be treated in the same fashion.” In a version it says, “Then zakat will be dealt with like that, and all his actions will be treated on the same principle.” Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ahmad transmitted it from “a man”.

Anas said that God’s Messenger prayed four rak'as at the noon prayer in Medina and two rak'as at the afternoon prayer in Dhul Hulaifa. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

if the sun set before he moved off he combined the sunset and the evening prayer, but if he moved off before sunset he delayed the sunset prayer till he halted for the evening prayer and then combined them. *In 19 AH.Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Hudhaifa said he saw the Prophet praying at night, and he was saying, “God is most great (three times), Possessor of the kingdom, might, pomp and greatness.” Thereafter he began and recited al-Baqara (Al-Qur’an; 2) then bowed, his bowing lasting about the same length of time as his standing, and he was saying while bowing, “Glory be to my mighty Lord.” He then raised his head after bowing and stood about the same length of time as he bad spent in bowing, saying, “To my Lord be the praise.” Then he prostrated himself for about the same length of time as he had stood, and he was saying while prostrating himself, “Glory be to my Lord most high.” He then raised his head after the prostration and sat between the two prostrations about the same length of time as he had spent in his prostration, and he was saying, “My Lord, forgive me; my Lord, forgive me.” He then prayed four rak'as in which he recited al-Baqara, Al 'Imran, an-Nisa’, and al-Ma'idaor al-An‘am (Al-Qur’an; 2, 3, 4 and 5 and 6) Shu‘ba was doubtful which it was. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told how the Prophet said when he got up during the night to pray, “O God, to Thee be the praise; Thou art supreme over the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the Light of the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the King of the heavens and the earth and their inhabitants. To Thee be the praise; Thou art the Truth, Thy promise is truth, the meeting with Thee is true, Thy word is true, paradise is true, hell is true, the prophets are true, Muhammad is true, the last hour is true. O God, to Thee I submit, in Thee I believe upon Thee I trust, to Thee I repent, by Thy help I have disputed, and to Thee I have come for decision, so forgive me my former and my latter sins, my secret and my open sins, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He who brings forward, and Thou art He who defers. There is no god but Thee, and there is no other god than Thee.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Mu'adh b. Jabal reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If any Muslim goes to bed in a state of purity making mention of God, then is disturbed [from sleep] during the night and asks God for good, God will give it to him.” Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.