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

Al-Husayn ibn ‘Isa al-Qumasi al-Bastami reported to us; he said: Yazid—namely, Ibn Harun—narrated to us; Sharik informed us, from ‘Asim ibn Kulayb, from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), when he prostrated, place his knees before his hands; and when he rose, he raised his hands before his knees.

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: ‘Abdullah ibn Nafi‘ narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Hasan, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Does one of you, while praying, deliberately kneel down as a camel kneels?’

Harun ibn Muhammad ibn Bakkar ibn Bilal reported to us from his book; he said: Marwan ibn Muhammad narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn Muhammad narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Hasan narrated to us, from Abu al-Zinad, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurairah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When one of you prostrates, let him place his hands before his knees, and let him not kneel as a camel kneels.’

Ziyad ibn Ayyub, Dalawayh, reported to us; he said: Ibn ‘Ulayyah narrated to us; he said: Ayyub narrated to us, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, who traced it to the Prophet (ﷺ), saying: ‘The hands prostrate just as the face prostrates. When one of you places his face down, let him place his hands down; and when he raises it, let him raise them.’

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Hammad narrated to us, from ‘Amr, from Tawus, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: The Prophet (ﷺ) was commanded to prostrate on seven body parts and not to gather up his hair or his clothes.

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Bakr narrated to us, from Ibn al-Had, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim, from ‘Amir ibn Sa‘d, from al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘When a servant prostrates, seven parts of him prostrate: his face, his two palms, his two knees, and his two feet.’

Muhammad ibn Salamah and al-Harith ibn Miskin reported to us—the latter’s wording—by recitation to him while I listened; from Ibn al-Qasim, who said: Malik narrated to me, from Yazid ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Had, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith, from Abu Salamah, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, who said: My eyes saw traces of water and mud on the forehead and nose of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), at dawn following the night of the twenty-first. (Abridged.)

Ahmad ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Sarh, Yunus ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la, and al-Harith ibn Miskin reported to us—the latter’s wording—by recitation to him while I listened; from Ibn Wahb, from Ibn Jurayj, from ‘Abdullah ibn Tawus, from his father, from Ibn ‘Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘I have been commanded to prostrate on seven [parts], without gathering up the hair or clothes: the forehead and nose, the hands, the knees, and the feet.’

‘Amr ibn Mansur al-Nasa’i reported to us; he said: al-Mu‘alla ibn Asad narrated to us; he said: Wuhaib narrated to us, from ‘Abdullah ibn Tawus, from his father, from Ibn ‘Abbas, from the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: ‘I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones, without gathering up the hair or clothes: the forehead’—and he pointed with his hand to the nose—‘the hands, the knees, and the tips of the feet.’

Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Makki and ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Zuhri reported to us; both said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibn Tawus, from his father, from Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) was commanded to prostrate on seven [points]—and was forbidden to gather up the hair or clothes—on his hands, knees, and the tips of his toes. Sufyan said: Ibn Tawus told us, placing his hands on his forehead and moving them over his nose. He said, ‘These are one [point],’ and the wording is Muhammad’s.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam reported to us, from Shu‘ayb, from al-Layth, who said: Ibn al-Had informed us, from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith, from ‘Amir ibn Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqas, from ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘When a servant prostrates, seven parts of his body prostrate with him: his face, his two palms, his two knees, and his two feet.’

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us; he said: ‘Abdah informed us; he said: ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Umar narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban, from al-A‘raj, from Abu Hurairah, from ‘Aishah, who said: One night I could not find the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). I came upon him while he was prostrating, with his feet held upright, and he was saying: ‘O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, in Your pardon from Your punishment, and in You from You. I cannot fully enumerate praise of You; You are as You have praised Yourself.’

Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Hamid ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn ‘Ata’ narrated to me, from Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi, who said: When the Prophet (ﷺ) lowered himself toward the ground to prostrate, he held his upper arms away from his sides and spread the toes of his feet. (Abridged.)

Ahmad ibn Nasih informed me; he said: Ibn Idris narrated to us; he said: I heard ‘Asim ibn Kulayb mention, from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr, who said: I came to Madinah and said, ‘I will surely observe the Messenger of Allah’s (ﷺ) prayer.’ He said the takbir and raised his hands until I saw his thumbs near his ears. When he intended to bow, he said the takbir and raised his hands. Then he raised his head and said, ‘Allah hears whoever praises Him.’ Then he said the takbir and prostrated; his hands were positioned in relation to his ears as they had been when he began the prayer.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us; he said: Yazid—namely, Ibn Harun—narrated to us; he said: Abu al-‘Ala’—whose name was Ayyub ibn Abi Miskin—narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas, from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: ‘None of you should spread his forearms on the ground in prostration as a dog spreads them.’

‘Ali ibn Hujr al-Marwazi reported to us; he said: Sharik informed us, from Abu Ishaq, who said: Al-Bara described the prostration to us: he placed his hands on the ground, raised his hips, and said, ‘This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) act.’

‘Abdah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahim al-Marwazi reported to us; he said: Ibn Shumayl—namely, al-Nadr—informed us; he said: Yunus ibn Abi Ishaq informed us, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Bara’, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), when he prayed, would jakhkha.

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Bakr narrated to us, from Ja‘far ibn Rabi‘ah, from al-A‘raj, from ‘Abdullah ibn Malik ibn Buhainah, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), when he prayed, spread his arms apart until the whiteness of his armpits became visible.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Bazi‘ reported to us; he said: Mu‘tamir ibn Sulayman narrated to us, from ‘Imran, from Abu Mijlaz, from Bashir ibn Nahik, from Abu Hurairah, who said: ‘If I were in front of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I would see his armpits.’ Abu Mijlaz said: ‘It seems he said that because he was praying.’

‘Ali ibn Hujr reported to us; he said: Isma‘il informed us; he said: Dawud ibn Qays narrated to us, from ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Aqram, from his father, who said: I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and when he prostrated I could see the whiteness of his armpits.