A paternal uncle of his who was present at Badr told him, that a man entered the masjid and prayed, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was watching, but we did not realize. When he had finished, he came and greeted the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with salam. He said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." So he went back and prayed, then he came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." (This happened) two or three times. Then the man said to him: "By the One who has honored you , O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I have tried my best; teach me." He said: "When you get up to pray, perform wudu and do it well, then turn to face the Qiblah and say the takbir. Then recite the Quran, then bow until you are at ease in bowing. Then stand up until you are standing straight, then prostrate until you are at ease prostrating, then sit up until you are at ease sitting, then prostrate until you are at ease prostrating, then get up, and continue doing that until you have finished your prayer."
The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer)
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1313
Hadith Commentary
This profound narration demonstrates the importance of performing prayer correctly with proper tranquility and reverence. The Prophet's repeated instruction to repeat the prayer indicates that mere physical movements without proper spiritual presence and calm deliberation are insufficient.
The man's admission of having "tried his best" shows his sincerity, yet he lacked proper understanding of prayer's essential components. The Prophet's detailed instruction emphasizes: proper purification (wudu), correct direction (Qiblah), opening takbir, Quranic recitation, and most importantly, performing each posture with tranquility (tuma'ninah).
Tuma'ninah refers to remaining calmly in each position long enough to properly fulfill its requirements - not rushing through movements. This is the foundation of valid prayer according to all four schools of jurisprudence. The Prophet's teaching method here shows his perfect pedagogy - allowing the student to recognize his need before providing guidance.
Scholarly Insights
Classical scholars explain that prayer without proper tranquility is invalid, as the Prophet rejected this man's prayer multiple times despite his physical completion of movements. This establishes that rushing through prayer nullifies it.
The sequence taught - standing, bowing, standing, prostrating, sitting, prostrating - constitutes one complete rak'ah. The emphasis on ease and calmness in each position ensures both physical correctness and spiritual presence of heart.
This hadith serves as fundamental guidance for all Muslims regarding the proper performance of salah, making it essential knowledge for every worshipper seeking to fulfill this pillar of Islam correctly.