The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer)

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, saying: Abu ‘Awanah reported to us, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Asamm, who said: Anas ibn Malik was asked about the takbir in prayer. He said: “One says the takbir when bowing, when prostrating, when raising one’s head from prostration, and when standing up after the two rak‘ahs.” Hutaym asked, “From whom did you learn this?” He replied, “From the Prophet (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).” Then he fell silent. Hutaym asked him, “And ‘Uthman?” He replied, “And ‘Uthman.”

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali reported to us, saying: Yahya ibn Sa‘id reported to us; Hammad ibn Zayd reported to us; Ghaylan ibn Jarir reported to us, from Mutarrif ibn ‘Abd Allah, who said: ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib led the prayer and said the takbir with every lowering and rising, pronouncing it fully. ‘Imran ibn Husayn said, “This has reminded me of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).”

Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi and Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us—the wording is his. They said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja‘far reported to us; Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Ata’ narrated to me, from Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi, who said: I heard him narrate that the Prophet (ﷺ), when rising after the two prostrations, would say the takbir and raise his hands until they were level with his shoulders, just as he did when beginning the prayer.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la al-San‘ani reported to us, saying: al-Mu‘tamir reported to us; he said: I heard ‘Ubayd Allah—namely, Ibn ‘Umar—from Ibn Shihab, from Salim, from Ibn ‘Umar, from the Prophet (ﷺ), that he used to raise his hands when beginning the prayer, when intending to bow, when raising his head from bowing, and when standing up after the two rak‘ahs. He would raise them in the same way, level with his shoulders.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Bazi‘ reported to us, saying: ‘Abd al-A‘la ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la reported to us, saying: ‘Ubayd Allah—namely, Ibn ‘Umar—from Abu Hazim, from Sahl ibn Sa‘d, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out to reconcile the people of Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf. Prayer time came, and the caller to prayer went to Abu Bakr and asked him to gather the people and lead them in prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) arrived, making his way through the rows until he stood in the front row. The people clapped to alert Abu Bakr to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Abu Bakr did not turn around during prayer, but when they clapped repeatedly, he realized that something had happened in their prayer. He turned and saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who gestured to him, “Stay where you are.” Abu Bakr raised his hands, praised Allah, and extolled Him in response to the Messenger of Allah’s (ﷺ) instruction. Then he stepped backward, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) moved forward and led the prayer. After finishing, he said to Abu Bakr, “What prevented you, when I gestured to you, from continuing to lead the prayer?” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “It would not be fitting for the son of Abu Quhafah to lead the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).” Then he said to the people, “Why did you clap? Clapping is for women. If something happens to you during prayer, glorify Allah.”

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, saying: ‘Abthar reported to us, from al-A‘mash, from al-Musayyab ibn Rafi‘, from Tamim ibn Tarafah, from Jabir ibn Samurah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us while we were raising our hands during the prayer. He said, “Why are they raising their hands in prayer as though they were the tails of unruly horses? Be still during the prayer.”

Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us, saying: Yahya ibn Adam reported to us, from Mis‘ar, from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn al-Qibtiyyah, from Jabir ibn Samurah, who said: We used to pray behind the Prophet (ﷺ) and greet with our hands. He said: “Why do these people greet with their hands as though they were the tails of unruly horses? Is it not enough for each of them to place his hand on his thigh and say, ‘Peace be upon you, peace be upon you’?”

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, saying: al-Layth reported to us, from Bukayr, from Nabil, the man with the cloak, from Ibn ‘Umar, from Suhayb, a Companion of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: I passed by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was praying and greeted him. He returned my greeting with a gesture; as far as I know, he gestured with his finger.

Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Makki reported to us, saying: Sufyan reported to us, from Zayd ibn Aslam, who said: Ibn ‘Umar said: The Prophet (ﷺ) entered the mosque of Quba to pray there. Some men came in and greeted him. I asked Suhayb, who was with him, “What would the Prophet (ﷺ) do when someone greeted him?” He said, “He would gesture with his hand.”

Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us, saying: Wahb—meaning Ibn Jarir—reported to us; he said: my father reported to us, from Qays ibn Sa‘d, from ‘Ata’, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ali, from ‘Ammar ibn Yasir, that he greeted the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was praying, and the Messenger returned his greeting.

Qutaybah reported to us, saying: al-Layth reported to us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me on an errand. Then I caught up with him while he was praying and greeted him. He gestured to me. When he finished, he called me and said, “You greeted me just now while I was praying.” That day, he was facing east.

Muhammad ibn Hashim al-Ba‘labakki reported to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Shu‘ayb ibn Shabur reported to us, from ‘Amr ibn al-Harith, who said: Abu al-Zubayr informed me, from Jabir, who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) sent me on an errand. I came to him while he was traveling eastward or westward, greeted him, and he gestured with his hand. I greeted him again, and he gestured with his hand again. I turned away, but he called me, “O Jabir!” The people called out, “O Jabir!” I came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I greeted you, but you did not return my greeting.” He said, “I was praying.”

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id and al-Husayn ibn Hurayth reported to us—the wording is his—from Sufyan, from al-Zuhri, from Abu al-Ahwas, from Abu Dharr, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When one of you is standing in prayer, let him not brush away the pebbles, for mercy is facing him.”

Suwayd ibn Nasr reported to us, saying: ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from al-Awza‘i, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, who said: Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated to me; he said: Mu‘ayqib narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “If you must do it, then do it once.”

‘Ubayd Allah ibn Sa‘id and Shu‘ayb ibn Yusuf reported to us, from Yahya—namely, Ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan—from Ibn Abi ‘Arubah, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “What is the matter with people who raise their eyes toward the sky while praying?” He spoke sternly about this until he said: “They must stop doing that, or their eyesight will surely be snatched away.”

Suwayd ibn Nasr reported to us; he said: ‘Abd Allah informed us, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, from ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah, that a man among the Companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) told him that he had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “When any one of you is praying, let him not raise his eyes toward the sky, lest his eyesight be snatched away.”

Suwayd ibn Nasr reported to us; he said: ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Yunus, from al-Zuhri, who said: I heard Abu al-Ahwas telling us in a gathering of Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, with Ibn al-Musayyab seated there, that he had heard Abu Dharr say: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, continues to turn toward His servant while he is praying, so long as he does not turn away. When he turns his face away, He turns away from him.”

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Rahman reported to us; he said: Za’idah reported to us, from Ash‘ath ibn Abi al-Sha‘tha’, from his father, from Masruq, from ‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about turning around during prayer. He said: “It is a snatching; Satan snatches it from the prayer.”

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Rahman reported to us; he said: Abu al-Ahwas reported to us, from Ash‘ath, from his father, from Masruq, from ‘A’ishah, from the Prophet (ﷺ), with a report to the same effect.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Rahman reported to us; he said: Isra’il reported to us, from Ash‘ath ibn Abi al-Sha‘tha’, from Abu ‘Atiyyah, from Masruq, from ‘A’ishah, from the Prophet (ﷺ), with a report to the same effect.