The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer)

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abd Allah informed us, from Abu Bakr al-Nahshali, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from his father, from ‘Abd Allah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed one of the two afternoon prayers for five rak‘ahs. He was asked: “Has something been added to the prayer?” He said: “What is that?” They said: “You prayed five.” He said: “I am only a human being; I forget just as you forget, and I remember just as you remember.” Then he prostrated twice and concluded the prayer.

Al-Rabi‘ ibn Sulayman reported to us; he said: Shu‘ayb ibn al-Layth reported to us; he said: al-Layth reported to us, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ajlan, from Muhammad ibn Yusuf, the freedman of ‘Uthman, from his father Yusuf, that Mu‘awiyah led them in prayer. He stood at a point during the prayer when he should have sat. The people said tasbih, but he continued standing. Then, after completing the prayer, he prostrated twice while seated. He then sat on the minbar and said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: “Whoever forgets something in his prayer, let him prostrate twice like these two prostrations.”

Ahmad ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Sarh reported to us; he said: Ibn Wahb informed us; he said: ‘Amr, Yunus, and al-Layth informed me that Ibn Shihab had informed them, from ‘Abd al-Rahman al-A‘raj, that ‘Abd Allah ibn Buhaynah told him that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood after the second rak‘ah of Zuhr and did not sit. When he had completed the prayer, he prostrated twice, saying the takbir for each prostration while seated, before saying the taslim. The people prostrated with him, in place of the sitting he had forgotten.

Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi and Muhammad ibn Bashshar, Bundar—and the wording here is his—both reported to us; they said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja‘far reported to us; he said: Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Ata’ narrated to me, from Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi, who said: When the Prophet (ﷺ) was in the final two rak‘ahs of the prayer, he drew his left foot back and sat on his left side in the tawarruk posture. Then he said the taslim.

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Sufyan reported to us, from ‘Asim ibn Kulayb, from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raise his hands when beginning the prayer, when bowing, and when raising his head from bowing. When he sat, he laid his left foot down and kept his right foot upright. He placed his left hand on his left thigh and his right hand on his right thigh, joined his middle finger and thumb in a ring, and pointed.

Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Maymun al-Raqqi reported to us; he said: Muhammad—namely, Ibn Yusuf al-Firyabi—reported to us; he said: Sufyan reported to us, from ‘Asim ibn Kulayb, from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr, who saw the Prophet (ﷺ) sitting during the prayer. He spread his left foot on the ground, placed his forearms on his thighs, and pointed with his index finger, supplicating with it.

Isma‘il ibn Mas‘ud reported to us; he said: Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal informed us; he said: ‘Asim ibn Kulayb reported to us, from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr, who said: I said, “I will watch the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to see how he prays.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood and faced the qiblah. He raised his hands until they were level with his ears, then grasped his left hand with his right. When he was about to bow, he raised his hands in the same way, then placed them on his knees. When he raised his head from bowing, he raised them in the same way. When he prostrated, he placed his head down at that level in relation to his hands. Then he sat, spreading his left foot, placed his left hand on his left thigh and his right elbow on his right thigh, and clasped two fingers into a ring. I saw him doing it like this”—and Bishr pointed with the index finger of his right hand and made a ring with his thumb and middle finger.

Muhammad ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Sufyan reported to us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id reported to us, from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam—a shaykh from the people of Medina. Then I met the shaykh, who said: I heard ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman say: I prayed beside Ibn ‘Umar and moved the pebbles around. Ibn ‘Umar said to me: “Do not move the pebbles around, for moving them is from Satan. Do as I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do.” I said: “How did you see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray?” He said: “Like this.” He held his right foot upright and laid his left foot down, placed his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh, and pointed with his index finger.

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, from Malik, from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam, from ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, who said: Ibn ‘Umar saw me playing with pebbles during the prayer. When he had finished, he forbade me and said: “Do as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do.” I said: “What did he used to do?” He said: “When he sat during the prayer, he placed his right palm on his thigh, clenched all his fingers, and pointed with the finger next to the thumb. He placed his left palm on his left thigh.”

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us; he said: ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Za’idah, who said: ‘Asim ibn Kulayb reported to us; he said: My father narrated to me that Wa’il ibn Hujr said: I said, “I will watch the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) to see how he prays.” So I watched him, and he described it: Then he sat, spreading his left foot. He placed his left palm on his left thigh and knee, and rested the point of his right elbow on his right thigh. Then he clasped two of his fingers and formed a ring; then he raised his finger. I saw him moving it and supplicating with it. (Abridged.)

Muhammad ibn Rafi‘ reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Razzaq reported to us; he said: Ma‘mar informed us, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat during prayer, he placed his hands on his knees and raised the finger next to the thumb, supplicating with it. His left hand was on his knee, spread over it.

Ayyub ibn Muhammad al-Wazzan reported to us; he said: Hajjaj reported to us; Ibn Jurayj said: Ziyad informed me, from Muhammad ibn ‘Ajlan, from ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to point with his finger when supplicating, but did not move it. Ibn Jurayj said: ‘Amr added: ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr informed me, from his father, that he saw the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicating in this way and supporting himself with his left hand on his left leg.’

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Ammar al-Mawsili informed me, from al-Mu‘afa, from ‘Isam ibn Qudamah, from Malik—namely, Ibn Numayr al-Khuza‘i—from his father, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) placing his right hand on his right thigh during prayer and pointing with his finger.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; he said: Safwan ibn ‘Isa reported to us; he said: Ibn ‘Ajlan reported to us, from al-Qa‘qa‘, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurayrah, that a man used to supplicate with two fingers. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Make it one, make it one.”

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak al-Mukharrami reported to us; he said: Abu Mu‘awiyah reported to us; he said: al-A‘mash reported to us, from Abu Salih, from Sa‘d, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by me while I was supplicating with my fingers. He said: “Make it one, make it one,” and pointed with his index finger.

Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Sufi informed me; he said: Abu Nu‘aym reported to us; he said: ‘Isam ibn Qudamah al-Jadali reported to us; he said: Malik ibn Numayr al-Khuza‘i, one of the people of Basra, narrated to me that his father told him he saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sitting during prayer, with his right forearm on his right thigh and his index finger raised, bent slightly, while he supplicated.

Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim reported to us; he said: Yahya reported to us, from Ibn ‘Ajlan, from ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, from his father, that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat for the tashahhud, he placed his left palm on his left thigh and pointed with his index finger; his gaze did not go beyond his pointing finger.

Ahmad ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Sarh reported to us, from Ibn Wahb, who said: al-Layth informed me, from Ja‘far ibn Rabi‘ah, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurayrah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “People must stop raising their eyes toward the sky while supplicating during prayer, or their eyesight will surely be snatched away.”

Sa‘id ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, Abu ‘Ubayd Allah al-Makhzumi, reported to us; he said: Sufyan reported to us, from al-A‘mash and Mansur, from Shaqiq ibn Salamah, from Ibn Mas‘ud, who said: Before the tashahhud was prescribed, we used to say during prayer: “Peace be upon Allah; peace be upon Jibril and Mikail.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Do not say this, for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, is Peace. Rather, say: ‘All greetings belong to Allah, and prayers and good words. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and upon Allah’s righteous servants. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.’”

Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us; he said: Yahya ibn Adam reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Humayd reported to us; he said: Abu al-Zubayr reported to us, from Tawus, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to teach us the tashahhud just as he taught us a surah of the Qur’an.