The Book of The At-Tatbiq (Clasping One's Hands Together)

ʿAmr ibn Mansur—the Nasai—informed us: Adam ibn Abi Iyas narrated to us: al-Layth narrated to us, from Muʿawiyah—meaning Ibn Salih—from Abu Qays al-Kindi, who is ʿAmr ibn Qays. He said: I heard ʿAsim ibn Humayd say: I heard ʿAwf ibn Malik say: “I stood with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) one night. When he bowed, he remained bowing for as long as it takes to recite Surat al-Baqarah, saying in his bowing: ‘Glory be to the Possessor of might, dominion, grandeur, and majesty.’”

ʿAmr ibn ʿAli informed us: ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us: ʿAbd al-ʿAziz ibn Abi Salamah narrated to us: My paternal uncle, al-Majishun ibn Abi Salamah, narrated to us, from ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Aʿraj, from ʿUbaydullah ibn Abi Rafiʿ, from ʿAli ibn Abi Talib, that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, he said: “O Allah, to You I have bowed, to You I have submitted, and in You I have believed. My hearing, sight, bones, marrow, and sinews are humbled before You.”

Yahya ibn ʿUthman al-Himsi informed us: Abu Haywah narrated to us: Shuʿayb narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir ibn ʿAbdullah, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who would say when bowing: “O Allah, to You I have bowed, in You I have believed, to You I have submitted, and in You I have placed my trust. You are my Lord. My hearing, sight, blood, flesh, bones, and sinews are humbled before Allah, Lord of the worlds.”

Yahya ibn ‘Uthman informed us, saying: Ibn Humayr narrated to us, saying: Shu‘ayb narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir—and he mentioned another narrator before him—from ‘Abd al-Rahman al-A‘raj, from Muhammad ibn Maslamah: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood to offer a voluntary prayer, he would say when bowing: ‘O Allah, to You I bow, in You I believe, to You I submit, and in You I put my trust. You are my Lord. My hearing, sight, flesh, blood, brain, and sinews are humbled before Allah, Lord of the worlds.’

Qutaybah informed us: Bakr ibn Mudar narrated to us, from Ibn ʿAjlan, from ʿAli ibn Yahya al-Zuraqi, from his father, from his uncle Rifaʿah ibn Rafiʿ—who had been at Badr—who said: “We were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when a man entered the mosque and prayed. The Messenger watched him without the man noticing. Then the man left, came to the Messenger, and greeted him. He returned the greeting and said, ‘Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.’ The narrator said, ‘I do not know whether this was the second or third time.’ The man said, ‘By the One who sent down the Book to you, I have tried my utmost. Teach me and show me.’ He said: ‘When you intend to pray, perform ablution and do it well; then stand and face the qiblah; say the takbir; recite; then bow until you are at ease in bowing. Then rise until you are standing upright. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration. Then raise your head until you are at ease sitting. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration. If you do that, you will have completed your prayer; whatever you omit from these steps, you will have left out from your prayer.’”

Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla informed us: Khalid narrated to us: Shuʿbah narrated to us, from Qatadah, who said: I heard Anas relate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Complete the bowing and prostration when you bow and prostrate.”

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us: ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Qays ibn Sulaym al-ʿAnbari, who said: ʿAlqamah ibn Waʾil narrated to me, from my father. He said: I prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and I saw him raise his hands when he began the prayer, when he bowed, and when he said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” Qays gestured toward the area of the ears.

Ismaʿil ibn Masʿud informed us: Yazid—meaning Ibn Zurayʿ—informed us; Saʿid narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Nasr ibn ʿAsim, who reported to them from Malik ibn al-Huwairith, that he saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raise his hands when he bowed and when he raised his head from bowing, until they were level with the upper parts of his ears.

ʿAmr ibn ʿAli informed us: Yahya ibn Saʿid narrated to us: Malik ibn Anas narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Salim, from his father (ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar), that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to raise his hands to shoulder level when beginning the prayer. When he raised his head from bowing, he did likewise, and when he said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him,” he said, “Our Lord, to You is all praise.” He did not raise his hands between the two prostrations.

Mahmud ibn Ghaylan al-Marwazi informed us: Wakiʿ narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from ʿAsim ibn Kulayb, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from ʿAlqamah, from ʿAbdullah, who said: “Shall I not pray for you as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed?” Then he prayed and did not raise his hands except once.

Suwayd ibn Nasr informed us: ʿAbdullah ibn al-Mubarak informed us, from Malik, from Ibn Shihab, from Salim, from Ibn ʿUmar, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), when beginning the prayer, would raise his hands to shoulder level. When he said the takbir for bowing, and when he raised his head from bowing, he raised them in the same way. He said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him; our Lord, to You is all praise.” He did not do this during prostration.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us: ʿAbd al-Razzaq narrated to us: Maʿmar narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurairah, who said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his head from bowing, he would say, “O Allah, our Lord, to You is all praise.”

Hannad ibn al-Sari informed us: from Ibn ʿUyaynah, from al-Zuhri, from Anas: The Prophet (ﷺ) fell from a horse onto his right side, and they came in to visit him. The time for prayer arrived; when he had finished the prayer, he said: “The imam has only been appointed to be followed. When he bows, bow; when he rises, rise; and when he says, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ say, ‘Our Lord, to You is all praise.’”

Muhammad ibn Salamah informed us: Ibn al-Qasim informed us, from Malik, who said: Nuʿaym ibn ʿAbdullah narrated to me, from ʿAli ibn Yahya al-Zuraqi, from his father, from Rifaʿah ibn Rafiʿ, who said: One day we were praying behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When he raised his head from bowing, he said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” A man behind him said, “Our Lord, to You is all praise—abundant, good, blessed praise.” When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had finished, he asked, “Who spoke just now?” The man replied, “I did, O Messenger of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “I saw thirty-odd angels hastening to see which of them would write it down first.”

Qutaibah informed us: from Malik, from Sumayy, from Abu Salih, from Abu Hurairah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When the imam says, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ say, ‘Our Lord, to You is all praise.’ Whoever’s words coincide with those of the angels will have his past sins forgiven.”

Ismaʿil ibn Masʿud informed us: Khalid narrated to us: Saʿid narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Yunus ibn Jubair, from Hittan ibn ʿAbdullah, who reported that he heard Abu Musa say: The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us, explained our Sunnah to us, and taught us our prayer. He said: “When you pray, straighten your rows, then let one of you lead you. When the imam says the opening takbir, say the takbir. When he recites, ‘Not those who have incurred anger, nor those who have gone astray,’ say, ‘Amin,’ and Allah will answer you. When he says the takbir and bows, say the takbir and bow, for the imam bows before you and rises before you.” The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said, “That makes up for that. When he says, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him,’ say, ‘O Allah, our Lord, to You is all praise’; Allah will hear you, for Allah has spoken through the tongue of His Prophet (ﷺ), ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him.’ When he says the takbir and prostrates, say the takbir and prostrate, for the imam prostrates before you and rises before you.” The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) said, “That makes up for that. When you sit, let the first words one of you says be: ‘All greetings, pure words, and prayers belong to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and Allah’s righteous servants. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger’—seven phrases, and this is the greeting of the prayer.”

Yaʿqub ibn Ibrahim informed us: Ibn ʿUlayyah narrated to us: Shuʿbah informed us, from al-Hakam, from ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from al-Baraʾ ibn ʿAzib, that the Messenger of Allah’s bowing, his standing after raising his head from bowing, his prostration, and the sitting between the two prostrations were nearly equal in duration.

Abu Dawud (Sulayman ibn Sayf al-Harrani) informed us: Saʿid ibn ʿAmir narrated to us: Hisham ibn Hassan narrated to us, from Qays ibn Saʿd, from ʿAtaʾ, from Ibn ʿAbbas, that when the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him,” he would say, “O Allah, our Lord, to You belongs all praise, filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You will beyond that.”

Muhammad ibn Ismaʿil ibn Ibrahim informed me: Yahya ibn Abi Bukayr narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Nafiʿ narrated to us, from Wahb ibn Minas al-ʿAdani, from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, that when the Prophet (ﷺ) was about to prostrate after the rakʿah, he would say: “O Allah, our Lord, to You belongs all praise, filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You will beyond that.”

ʿAmr ibn Hisham, Abu Umayyah al-Harrani, informed me: Makhlad narrated to us, from Saʿid ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAziz, from ʿAtiyyah ibn Qays, from Qazaʿah ibn Yahya, from Abu Saʿid, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would say: “Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, to You belongs all praise, filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You will beyond that. O Possessor of praise and glory, the best words a servant has said—and we are all Your servants—are: None can withhold what You give, and no person of wealth or standing can benefit from his wealth against You.”