The Book of Prayers

Qutaybah ibn Sa'id narrated to us: Bakr narrated to us—he is Ibn Mudar—from Ibn al-Had, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from Amir ibn Sa'd, from al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘When a servant prostrates, seven limbs prostrate with him: his face, his two hands, his two knees, and his two feet.’

Amr ibn Sawad al-Amiri narrated to us: Abdullah ibn Wahb informed us: Amr ibn al-Harith informed us that Bukayr related to him that Kurayb, the freedman of Ibn Abbas, related to him from Abdullah ibn Abbas that he saw Abdullah ibn al-Harith praying with his hair tied at the back. He stood and began to undo it. When he had finished praying, he came to Ibn Abbas and said, ‘What is it with my head?’ He replied, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: “The likeness of this is that of one who prays with his hands bound.”’

Yahya ibn Yahya narrated to us. He said: Ubayd Allah ibn Iyad informed us, from Iyad, from al-Bara', who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When you prostrate, place your palms down and raise your elbows.’

Yahya ibn Yahya and Ibn Abi Umar narrated to us, both from Sufyan. Yahya said: Sufyan ibn Uyaynah informed us, from Ubayd Allah ibn Abdullah ibn al-Asamm, from his uncle Yazid ibn al-Asamm, from Maymunah, who said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrated, if an animal had wished to pass in front of him, it could have passed.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Numayr narrated to us: Abu Khalid—meaning al-Ahmar—narrated to us, from Husayn al-Mu'allim. He (the transmitter) said: Ishaq ibn Ibrahim narrated to us—his is the wording. He said: Isa ibn Yunus informed us: Husayn al-Mu'allim narrated to us, from Budayl ibn Maysarah, from Abu al-Jawza', from A'ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to begin the prayer with the takbir and the recitation with ‘Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.’ When he bowed, he did not raise his head or lower it, but kept it between those positions. When he raised his head from bowing, he did not prostrate until he was standing upright; and when he raised his head from prostration, he did not prostrate again until he was sitting upright. At every two rak'ahs he would recite the tashahhud. He would lay his left foot flat and set his right foot upright. He forbade the sitting called ‘the heel posture of Satan,’ and forbade a man to lay his forearms flat on the ground as a beast does. He would conclude the prayer with the salutation of peace. In the narration of Ibn Numayr from Abu Khalid, it says: ‘He forbade the posture called “the heel of Satan.”’