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

Qutaybah reported to us; he said: Abu al-Ahwas narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Aswad, from al-Aswad and ‘Alqamah, from ‘Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would proclaim the takbir at every rising and lowering, while standing and sitting. Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them) did the same.

Muhammad ibn Rafi‘ reported to us; he said: Hujayn—Ibn al-Muthanna—narrated to us; he said: Layth narrated to us, from ‘Uqayl, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Harith ibn Hisham informed me that he heard Abu Hurayrah say: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood for prayer, he proclaimed the takbir as he rose, then proclaimed the takbir when bowing. Then, as he straightened from bowing, he said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him.” While standing, he said, “Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.” Then he proclaimed the takbir as he descended into prostration, as he raised his head, as he prostrated again, and as he raised his head again. He did this throughout the prayer until he finished it. He also proclaimed the takbir when standing after sitting following the first two rak‘ahs.

Ziyad ibn Ayyub reported to us; he said: Isma‘il narrated to us; he said: Ayyub narrated to us, from Abu Qilabah, who said: Abu Sulayman Malik ibn al-Huwayrith came to our mosque and said, “I want to show you how I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) pray.” He said: During the first rak‘ah, he sat after raising his head from the final prostration.

‘Ali ibn Hujr reported to us; he said: Hushaym informed us, from Khalid, from Abu Qilabah, from Malik ibn al-Huwayrith, who said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying. When he was in an odd-numbered rak‘ah, he did not rise until he had sat upright.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Wahhab narrated to us; he said: Khalid narrated to us, from Abu Qilabah, who said: Malik ibn al-Huwayrith used to come to us and say, “Shall I tell you how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed?” He would demonstrate by praying outside the time of the prescribed prayer. When he raised his head from the second prostration in the first rak‘ah, he sat upright, then stood, supporting himself on the ground.

Ishaq ibn Mansur reported to us; he said: Yazid ibn Harun informed us; he said: 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 prostrating, place his knees before his hands; and when rising, lift his hands before his knees. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman said: No one besides Yazid ibn Harun narrated this from Sharik. Allah Most High knows best.

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, from Malik, from Ibn Shihab, from Abu Salamah, that Abu Hurairah used to lead them in prayer and say the takbir whenever he went down or rose. When he finished, he would say, “By Allah, among you I am the one whose prayer most closely resembles the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).”

Nasr ibn ‘Ali and Sawwar ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Sawwar reported to us; they said: ‘Abd al-A‘la reported to us, from Ma‘mar, from al-Zuhri, from Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman and Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, that they prayed behind Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him). When he bowed, he said the takbir; when he raised his head, he said, “Allah hears whoever praises Him. Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.” Then he prostrated and said the takbir, raised his head and said the takbir, and said the takbir when he stood up after the rak‘ah. Then he said, “By the One in whose hand is my soul, among you I am the one whose prayer most closely resembles the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). This was how he prayed until he departed this world.” The wording is Sawwar’s.

Qutaybah ibn Sa‘id reported to us, saying: al-Layth reported to us, from Yahya, from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, from his father, who said: “Part of the Sunnah of prayer is to lay your left foot down beneath you and keep your right foot upright.”

Al-Rabi‘ ibn Sulayman ibn Dawud reported to us, saying: Ishaq ibn Bakr ibn Mudar reported to us, saying: my father narrated to me, from ‘Amr ibn al-Harith, from Yahya, that al-Qasim narrated to him from ‘Abd Allah—namely, ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar—from his father, who said: “Part of the Sunnah of prayer is to keep the right foot upright, with its toes facing the qiblah, and to sit on the left foot.”

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Yazid al-Muqri’ reported to us, saying: Sufyan reported to us, saying: ‘Asim ibn Kulayb narrated to us, from his father, from Wa’il ibn Hujr, who said: “I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and saw him raise his hands when beginning the prayer until they were level with his shoulders, and when he intended to bow. When he sat after the first two rak‘ahs, he tucked his left foot beneath him and held his right foot upright. He placed his right hand on his right thigh, raised his finger for supplication, and placed his left hand on his left thigh.” He said: “Then I came to them the following year and saw them raising their hands in their cloaks.”

‘Ali ibn Hujr reported to us, saying: Isma‘il—namely, Ibn Ja‘far—reported to us, from Muslim ibn Abi Maryam, from ‘Ali ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Ma‘afiri, from ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar, that he saw a man moving pebbles with his hand during prayer. When he finished, ‘Abd Allah said to him, “Do not move pebbles while you are praying, for that is from Satan. Rather, do as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do.” The man asked, “What did he used to do?” He replied, “He placed his right hand on his right thigh and pointed toward the qiblah with the finger next to the thumb, directing his gaze toward it or thereabouts.” Then he said, “This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do it.”

Zakariyya ibn Yahya al-Sijzi—known as “the tailor of the Sunnah,” he settled in Damascus and was one of the reliable narrators—reported to us. He said: al-Hasan ibn ‘Isa reported to us; Ibn al-Mubarak informed us; Makhramah ibn Bukayr narrated to us; ‘Amir ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr informed us, from his father, who said: “When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat after two or four rak‘ahs, he placed his hands on his knees and then pointed with his finger.”

Ya‘qub ibn Ibrahim al-Dawraqi reported to us, from al-Ashja‘i, from Sufyan, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Aswad, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us to say, when we sat after two rak‘ahs: “All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. 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 worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.”

Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna reported to us, saying: Muhammad reported to us, saying: Shu‘bah reported to us; he said: I heard Abu Ishaq narrating from Abu al-Ahwas, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: “We did not know what to say after every two rak‘ahs except to glorify, magnify, and praise our Lord. Muhammad (ﷺ) was taught the openings and completions of goodness. He said: ‘When you sit after every two rak‘ahs, say: All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. 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 worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Then let each of you choose whichever supplication he likes best and call upon Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, with it.’”

Qutaybah reported to us, saying: ‘Abthar narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Abu Ishaq, from Abu al-Ahwas, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us the tashahhud for prayer and the tashahhud for times of need. As for the tashahhud in prayer, it is: ‘All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. 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 worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger’”—to the end of the tashahhud.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim reported to us, saying: Yahya—namely, Ibn Adam—reported to us. He said: I heard Sufyan reciting this tashahhud in the obligatory and voluntary prayers. He said: Abu Ishaq narrated to us, from Abu al-Ahwas, from ‘Abd Allah, from the Prophet (ﷺ). And Mansur and Hammad narrated to us, from Abu Wa’il, from ‘Abd Allah, from the Prophet (ﷺ).

Ahmad ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Sarh reported to us, saying: Ibn Wahb reported to us; ‘Amr ibn al-Harith informed me that Zayd ibn Abi Unaysah al-Jazari narrated to him that Abu Ishaq narrated to him, from al-Aswad and ‘Alqamah, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud, who said: “We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), knowing nothing. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) then said to us: ‘At every sitting, say: All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. 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 worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.’”

Muhammad ibn Jablah al-Rafiqi reported to me, saying: al-‘Ala’ ibn Hilal reported to us, saying: ‘Ubayd Allah—namely, Ibn ‘Amr—from Zayd ibn Abi Unaysah, from Hammad, from Ibrahim, from ‘Alqamah ibn Qays, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: “We did not know what to say when we prayed, so the Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) taught us concise, comprehensive words. He said to us: ‘Say: All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. 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 worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.’” ‘Ubayd Allah said: Zayd related from Hammad, from Ibrahim, from ‘Alqamah, who said: “I saw Ibn Mas‘ud teaching us these words just as he taught us the Qur’an.”

‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Khalid al-Raqqi reported to me, saying: al-Harith ibn ‘Atiyyah—one of the most devout of people—reported to us, from Hisham, from Hammad, from Ibrahim, from ‘Alqamah, from Ibn Mas‘ud, who said: “When we prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), we used to say, ‘Peace be upon Allah; peace be upon Jibril; peace be upon Mika’il.’ The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Do not say, “Peace be upon Allah,” for Allah is Peace. Rather, say: All greetings, prayers, and good things belong to Allah. 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 worthy of worship except Allah alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.’”