I was a small boy and I did not understand the prayer of my father. So Wa’Il b. ‘Alqamah reported Wa’il b. Hujr as saying: I offered prayer along with the Messenger of Allah (saws). He used to raise his hands when he pronounced the takbir (Allah is most great), then pulled his garment around him, then placed his right hand on his left, and entered his hands in his garment. When he was about to bow he took his hands out of his garment, and then raised them. And when he raised his head after bowing, he raised his hands. He then prostrated himself and placed his face (forehead on the ground) between his hands. And when he raised his head after prostration, he also raised his hands until he finished his prayer. Muhammad (a narrator) said: I mentioned it to al-Hasan b. Abu al-Hasan who said: This is how the Messenger of Allah(saws) offered prayer; some did it and others abandoned it.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Hammam from ibn Juhadah, but he did not mention the raising of hands after he raised his head at the end of the prostration.

He then raised his head after bowing and uttered:”Allah listens to him who praises Him, to Thee, our Lord, be the praise,” and raised his hands. He then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then he prostrated himself and rested on his palms, knees, and the end of his toes while prostrating: then he uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great), and sat down on his hips and raised his other foot; then he uttered the takbir and prostrated himself; then he uttered takbir and stood up, but did not sit on his hips. He (the narrator) then narrated the rest of the tradition. He further said: Then he sat down at the end of two rak’ahs; when he was about to stand after two rak’ahs, he uttered the takbir; then he offered the last two rak’ahs of the prayer. The narrator did not mention about his sitting on the hips spreading out his feet.

When the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up for (offering) obligatory prayer, he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and raised his hands opposite to his shoulders, and he did so when he finished the recitation (of the Qur’an) and when he was about to bow; and he did like that when he raised (his head) after bowing. He did not raise his hands in prayer when he was sitting. When he stood at the end of two rak’ahs, he raised his hands in a similar way and uttered the takbir and supplicated in a more or less the same manner as narrated by ‘Abd al-‘Aziz in his version. This version does not mention the words “All good is in Thy Hands and evil does not pertain to Thee.” And this adds: He said when he finished the prayer: “O Allah, forgive me my former and latter sins, my open and secret sins; Thou art my deity; there is no God but Thee.

the Messenger of Allah said: "When one of you comes to the Salat and (finds) the Imam is in a position, then do as the Imam is doing."

I offered Salat (Tahajjud - optional night prayer) with the Prophet (PBUH) one night, and he started reciting (Surat) Al-Baqarah. I thought that he would bow at the end of one hundred Verses, but he continued reciting; I, then, thought that he would perhaps recite the whole (Surah) in a Rak'ah, but he proceeded on, and I thought he would perhaps bow on completing (this Surah); he then started (reciting Surat) An-Nisa'; he then started (Surat) Al-'Imran and his recitation was unhurried. And when he recited the Verses which referred to the Glory of Allah, he glorified Him (by saying Subhan Allah - My Rubb, the Supreme is far removed from every imperfection), the Great, and when he recited the Verses that mention supplication, he supplicated, and when he recited the Verses that mention seeking Refuge of the Rubb, he sought (His) Refuge. Then he bowed and said: "My Rubb, the Supreme is far removed from every imperfection (Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim);" his bowing lasted about the same length of time as his standing (and then on returning to the standing posture after Ruku') he said: "Allah listened to him who praised Him (Sami' Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal hamd)." Then he stood about the same length of time as he had spent in bowing. He then prostrated himself and said: "My Rubb, the Supreme is far removed from every imperfection (Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la)," and his prostration lasted nearly the same length of time as his standing.

[Muslim].