"When my people came back from the Prophet (saws)they said that he had said: 'Let the one who recites the Quran most lead you in prayer.' So they called me and taught me how to bow and prostrate, and I used to lead them in prayer, wearing a torn cloak, and they used to say to my father: 'Will you not conceal your son's backside from us?"'

I am more informed than any of you regarding the manner in which the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) offered his prayer. They said: Present it. The narrator then reported the tradition, saying: he bent the toes of his feet turning them towards the Qiblah when he prostrated, then he uttered “ Allah is most great,” and raised (his head), and bent his left foot and sat on it, and he did the same in the second Rakah. The narrator then transmitted the tradition, and added: In the prostration (i.e., the Rakah) which ended at the salutation, he sat on the hips at the left side. ahmad (b. Hanbal) added: they said : You are right. This is how he used to pray. They (Ahmed and Musaddad) did not mention in their versions how he sat after offering two rak’ahs of prayer.

Yes. He then raised his head. The version does not mention the words “he uttered the takbir. He then uttered the takbir and made the prostration as usual or prolonged it. He then raised his head”. The narrator then prostration as usual or prolonged it. He then raised his head”. The narrator then finished the tradition and did not mention the words that follow it. He did not mention the words “they made a sign”, but Hammad b. Zaid mentioned them in his version.

Abu dawud said: Anyone who narrated this tradition did not mention the words “ then he uttered the takbir”, nor the words “he returned”

Al-Bara’ b. ‘Azib reported God's Messenger as saying, “When you prostrate yourself, place the palms of your hands on the ground and raise your elbows.” Muslim transmitted it.

The Prophet saw a servant of ours called Aflah blowing when he prostrated himself, and said, “Throw dust on your face, Aflah.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

I recited to God’s Messenger “By the star” (Al-Qur’an; 53) but he did not prostrate himself when I did so. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Ibn ‘Abbas said that when an eclipse of the sun took place, God’s Messenger prayed performing eight bowings and four prostrations. There is a similar tradition from 'Ali. Muslim transmitted it.

Sa’d reported that he heard his father or his uncle say ; I witnessed the Prophet (may peace be upon him) while offering prayer. He used to stay in his bowing and his prostration as long as one uttera the words “Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him” three times.

He said, "O people! We pass (in our recitation) verses to be prostrated at, so whoever prostrates has done the right thing, and there is no sin upon the one who does not prostrate." [al-Bukhari reported it]. It also contains the words: 'Allah the Most High has not made the prostration (of recitation) compulsory, unless one wishes (to do so).' [This Hadith is in the Muwatta' of Imam Malik).

I am one among you who is more informed of the way the Messenger of Allah (saws) prayed. They said: Why, By Allah, you did not follow him more than us, nor did you remain in his company longer than us? He said: Yes. They said: Then describe (how the Prophet prayed). He said: When the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up to pray, he raised his hands so as to bring them opposite his shoulders, and uttered the takbir (Allah is the most great), until every bone rested in its place properly: then re recited (some verses from the Quran); then he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), raising his hands so as to bring them opposite his shoulders; then he bowed; placing the palms of his hands on his knees and keeping himself straight, neither raising nor lowering his head; then raised his head saying: “Allah listens to him who praise Him”; then raised his hands so as to bring them exactly opposite to his shoulders; then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then lowered himself to the ground (in prostration), keeping his arms away from his sides; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it, and opened the toes when he prostrated: then he uttered: “Allah is most great”; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it so that every bone returned to its place properly; then he did the same in the second (rak’ah). At the end of the two Rak’ahs he stood up and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), raising his hands so as to bring them opposite to his shoulders; then he bowed, placing the palms of his hands on his knees and keeping himself straight, neither raising or lowering his head: then raised his head saying: “Allah listens to him who praises Him”; then raised his hands so as to bring them exactly opposite his shoulders; then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then lowered himself to the ground (in prostration), keeping his arms away from his sides; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it, and opened the toes when he prostrated himself; then he prostrated; then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it so that every bone returned to its place properly; then he did the same in the second (rak’ah). At the end of two rak’ahs he stood up and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), raising his hands so as to bring them opposite to his shoulders in the way he had uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great) at the beginning of the prayer; then he did that in the remainder of his prayer; and after prostration which if followed by the taslim (salutation) he out his left foot and sat on his left hip. They said: You have spoken the truth. This is how he(peace be upon him) used to pray.

"My beloved, the Messenger of Allah [SAW], forbade me three things but I do not say that he forbade them to the people. He forbade me from wearing rings of gold, from wearing Al-Qassi, and Al-Mu'asfar Al-Mufaddam (garments that are deeply dyed with safflower), and (he forbade me) from reciting Qur'an when prostrating or bowing." He was followed (in that narration) by Ad-Dahhak bin 'Uthman.

"I said to Al-Bara bin Azib: 'Where would the Prophet place his face when he prostrated?' He said: 'Between his hands.'"

Allah's Messenger Saying: "When the worshipper prostrates with him: His face, his hands, his knees, and his feet."

"[Some of] the Companions of the Prophet complained [to the Prophet] about the hardship of the prostration on them, when they were so spread out, so he said: 'Use your knees.'"

"The Prophet (S) saw a boy of ours - called Aflah - blowing when he prostrated. So he said: 'O Aflah! Put your face in the dirt.'"

Anas said, “When we prayed behind the Prophet at midday in summer we prostrated ourselves on our clothing to protect ourselves from the heat.” (Bukhari and Muslim, the wording being Bukhari’s.)

Anas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Adopt a moderate position when prostrating yourselves, and see that none of you stretches out his forearms [on the ground] like a dog.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir said there was an eclipse of the sun in the time of God’s Messenger on the day his son Ibrahim died. He led the people in prayer, performing six bowings and four prostrations. Muslim transmitted it.

“When he prostrated himself he neither placed his arms on the ground nor closed them; putting forward his fingers towards the qiblah.”

I went on an expedition with God’s Messenger to Najd, and when we came in front of the enemy we drew up in line facing them. God’s Messenger then stood up and led us in prayer, and one section stood up along with him while another faced the enemy. He prayed a rak'a with those who were with him and made two prostrations, and then they changed places with those who had not prayed. When they came God’s Messenger prayed a rak'a with them and made two prostrations, then he uttered the salutation and each of them got up and left, after which he prayed a rak'a alone and made two prostrations. Nafi‘ transmitted something similar, adding that when there was greater cause for fear than on that occasion they prayed standing on their feet or mounted, without considering whether or not they were facing the qibla. Nafi‘ said he thought God’s Messenger was the one on whose authority Ibn ‘Umar mentioned that. Bukhari transmitted it.

I turn my face in complete devotion to One Who is the Originator of the heaven and the earth and I am not of the polytheists. Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds; There is no partner with Him and this is what I have been commanded (to profess and believe) and I am of the believers. O Allah, Thou art the King, there is no god but Thee, Thou art my Lord, and I am Thy bondman. I wronged myself and make a confession of my Sin. Forgive all my sins, for no one forgives the sins but Thee, and guide me in the best of conduct for none but Thee guideth anyone (in) good conduct. Remove sins from me, for none else but Thou can remove sins from me. Here I am at Thy service, and Grace is to Thee and the whole of good is in Thine hand, and one cannot get nearneststo Thee through evil. My (power as well as existence) is due to Thee (Thine grace) and I turn to Thee (for supplication). Thou art blessed and Thou art exalted. I seek forgiveness from Thee and turn to Thee in repentance: and when he would bow, he would say: O Allah, it is for Thee that I bowed. I affirm my faith in Thee and I submit to Thee, and submit humbly before Thee my hearing, my eyesight, my marrow, my bone, my sinew; and when he would raise his head, he would say: O Allah, our Lord, praise is due to Thee, (the praise) with which is filled the heavens and the earth, and with which is filled that (space) which exists between them, and filled with anything that Thou desireth afterward. And when he prostrated himself, he (the Holy Prophet) would say: O Allah, it is to Thee that I prostrate myself and it is in Thee that I affirm my faith, and I submit to Thee. My face is submitted before One Who created it, and shaped it, and opened his faculties of hearing and seeing. Blessed is Allah, the best of Creators; and he would then say between Tashahhud and the pronouncing of salutation: Forgive me of the earlier and later open and secret (sins) and that where I made transgression and that Thou knowest better than I. Thou art the First and the Last. There is no god, but Thee.

‘Ali marched to an-Nahrawan and killed the Khawarij. Then he said: Look, for the Prophet (ﷺ) said: `There will come a people who will speak the word of truth but it will not go any further than their throats; they will pass out of Islam as the arrow passes out of the prey. Their sign - or among them - will be a black man with a deformed arm, on which there are black hairs. If he is among them, then you will have killed the worst of people; if he is not among them, then you will have killed the best of people.” Then we found the one with the deformity, and we fell down in prostration and ‘Ali fell down in prostration with us. .

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) addressed us and taught us our Sunnahs and our prayer. He said: 'Make your rows straight, then let one of you lead the others. When he says the takbir, then say the takbir; when he says: "Wa lad-dallin" then say "Amin" and Allah (SWT) will answer you. When the Imam says the takbir and bows, then say the takbir and bow, for the Imam bows before you and stands up before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: 'This makes up for that. When he says: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him), say: "Rabbana wa lakal-hamd (Our Lord, to You be praise)," Allah (SWT) will hear you, for indeed Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has said on the tongue of His Prophet (SAW): "Allah hears the one who praises Him." Then when the Imam says the takbir and prostrates, say the takbir and prostrate, for the Imam prostrates before you and rises before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: 'This makes up for that. Then when you are sitting, let the first thing that any one of you says be: At-tahiyyatu lillahi was-salawatu wat-tayyibat, as-salamu 'alaika ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu 'alaina wa 'ala 'ibad illahis-salihin, ashahdu an la illaha ill-Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluhu (Allah compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah (SWT) and his blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah (SWT). I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger)."

"The Messenger of Allah (SAW) addressed us and taught us our Sunnahs and our prayer. He said: 'When you stand for the prayer, make your rows straight, then let one of you lead the others. When he says the takbir, then say the takbir; when he says : "Wa lad-dallin" then say "Amin" and Allah (SWT) will answer you. Then when he says the takbir and bows, then say the takbir and bow, for the Imam bows before you and stands up before you.' The Prophet of Allah (SAW) said: "This makes up for that. When he says: 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him),' say: 'Allahumma, Rabbana wa lakal-hamd (O Allah, our Lord, to You be praise),' Allah will hear you, for indeed Allah (SWT), the Mighty and Sublime, has said on the tongue of His Prophet: "Allah hears the one who praises Him." Then 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 (SAW) said: 'This makes up for that. Then when you are sitting, let the following be among what one of you says: At-tahiyyatu lillahi wasalawatu wat-tayibaat, as-salamu 'alaika ayah-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu 'alaina a 'ala ibad illahis-salihin, ashadu an la ilaha ill Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluhu. (All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.)"

"There was an eclipse of the sun and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) ordered a man to call out: As-salatu jami'ah (prayer is about to begin in congregation). The people gathered and the Messenger of Allah (SAW) led them in prayer. He said the takbir, then he recited at length. Then he said the takbir and bowed for a long time, as long as he had recited or longer. Then he raised his head and said: Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him) Then he recited at length, but it was shorter than the first time, then he said the takbir and bowed for a long time, but it was shorter than the first time. Then he raised his head and said: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him). Then he said the takbir and prostrated for a long time, as long as he had bowed or longer. Then he said the takbir and raised his head, then he said the takbir and prostrated. Then he said the takbir and stood up, and recited for a long time that was shorter than the first time. Then he said the takbir and bowed for a long time that was shorter than the first time. Then he raised his head and said: Sami' Allahu liman hamidah. (Allah hears those who praise Him). Then he recited for a long time that was shorter than the first recitation in the second standing. Then he said the takbir and bowed for a long time that was shorter than the first time. Then he raised his head and said: Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him). Then he said the takbir and prostrated for a long time that was shorter than the first time. Then he recited the tashahhud, then he said the taslim. Then he stood before them and praised and glorified Allah, then he said: 'The sun and the moon do not become eclipsed for the death or birth of anyone, but they are two of the signs of Allah (SWT). Whichever of them becomes eclipsed, turn to Allah (SWT), the Mighty and Sublime, and pray.'"

"I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (SAW) one night. He started reciting Surat Al-Baqarah and he recited one hundred verses, then did not bow, rather he continued. I thought: 'He will complete it in two rak'ahs, but he continued.' I thought: 'He will complete it and then bow,' but he continued until he recited Surat An-Nisa', then Al Imran. Then he bowed for almost as long as he had stood, saying while bowing: 'Subhan Rabbial-azim, Subhan Rabbial-azim, Subhan Rabbial-azim ( Glory be to my Lord Almighty, Glory be to my Lord Almighty, Glory be to my Lord Almighty).' Then he raised his head and said: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears the one who praises Him). Then he prostrated and made his prostration lengthy, saying: "Subhan Rabbial-A'la, Subhan Rabbial-A'la, Subhan Rabbial-A'la (Glory be to my Lord Most High, Glory be to my Lord Most High, Glory be to my Lord Most High). And he did not come to any verse that spoke of fear or glorifying Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, but he said something appropriate."

"Abu Hurairah said: 'The Prophet (SAW) led us in one of the nighttime prayers.'" He said: "Abu Hurairah said: 'But I forgot (which one).' He said: 'He led us in praying two rak'ahs, then he said the taslim and went to a piece of wood that was lying in the masjid and leaned his hand on it as if he was angry. Those who were in a hurry left the masjid, and said: "The prayer has been shortened." Among the people were Abu Bakr and 'Umar but they hesitated to ask him for they revere him. Also among the people was a man with long hands who was known as Dhul-Yadain. He said: O Messenger of Allah (SAW), did you forget or has the prayer been shortened? He said: I did not forget and the prayer has not been shortened. He said: Is it as Dhul-Yadain says? They said: yes. So he came and prayed what he had missed, then he said the salam, then he said the takbir and prostrated as usual or longer than that. Then he raised his head and said the takbir, and prostrated as usual or longer than that. Then he raised his head and said the takbir.'"

"I prayed with the Prophet (SAW) one night. He started to recite Al-Baqarah and I thought, 'he will bow when he reaches one hundred,' but he carried on. I thought, 'he is going to recite the whole surah in one rak'ah,' but he carried on. He started to recite An-Nisa' and recited (the whole surah), then he started to recite Al Imran and recited (the whole surah), reciting slowly. When he reached a verse that spoke of glorifying Allah (SWT), he glorified Him. When he reached a verse that spoke of supplication, he made supplication. When he reached a verse that spoke of seeking refuge with Allah, he sought refuge with Him. Then he bowed and said: 'Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim.(Glory be to my Lord Almighty)', and he bowed for almost as long as he had stood. Then he raised his head and said: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him)', and he stood for almost as long as he had bowed. Then he prostrated and started to say: Subhana Rabbiyal-'Ala (Glory be to my Lord Most High),' and he prostrated for almost as long as he had bowed.'"

May Allah grant pardon to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) that he bestowed (these camels) upon the people of Quraish, and he ignored us, whereas our swords are still dripping blood. Anas b. Malik said: Their statement was conveyed to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he sent (someone) to the Ansar and gathered them under a tent of leather. When they had assembled, the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came to them and said: What is this news that has reached me from you? The wise people of the Ansar said: Messenger of Allah, so far as the sagacious amongst us are concerned they have said nothing, but we have amongst us persons of immature age; they said: May Allah grant pardon to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) that he gave to the Quraish and ignored us (despite the fact) that our swords are besmeared with their blood. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I give (at times material gifts) to persons who were quite recently in the state of unbelief, so that I may incline them to truth Don't you feel delighted that people should go with riches, and you should go back to your places with the Apostle of Allah? By Allah, that with which you would return is better than that with which they would return. They said: Yes, Messenger of Allah, we are pleased. The Holy Prophet said too: You would find marked preference (in conferring of the material gifts) in future, so you should show patience till you meet Allah and His Messenger and I would he at the Haud Kauthar. They said: We would show patience.

"When he prayed the Friday prayer, he left and prayed two prostrations (Rak'ah) in his house. Then he said: 'Allah's Messenger would do this.'"

"The Prophet prayed during the eclipse. He recited, then bowed, then recited, then bowed, then recited, then bowed. (three times), then he performed two prostrations, and the next one (Rak'ah) was the same."

that the Prophet (SAW) said: "And at the setting of the stars (52:49) (about) the two Rak'ah before Fajr. And after the prostrations (50:40) 'The two Rak'at after Al-Maghrib.'"

Abu Huraira said that the Prophet used to say when prostrating himself, “O God, forgive me all my sins, small and great, first and last, open and secret.” Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said that the Prophet made a prostration in the noon prayer, then stood up and bowed; and they thought he recite Tanzil, i.e. sura as-Sajda (Al-Qur’an; 32). Abu Dawud transmitted it.

The Prophet (SAW) used to recite the Qur'an to us, and when he came to a place where a prostration should be made, he uttered the Takbir and prostrated and we prostrated with him. [Reported by Abu Dawud through a chain containing some weakness].

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘Do not bow or prostrate before me. No matter how far ahead of you I bow, you will catch up with me when I stand up, and no matter how far ahead of you I prostrate, you will catch up with me when I raise my head. I have become bulky.’”

“The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘The Imam is appointed to be followed. When he says Allahu Akbar, then say Allahu Akbar; when he bows, then bow; when he says Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah, then say Rabbana wa lakal-hamd; when he prostrates then prostrate; if he prays standing, then pray standing, and if he prays sitting down then pray sitting down.”

"I saw the Messenger of Allah (SAW), when he stood to pray, raise his hands until they were in level with his shoulders, then he said the takbir. He did that when he said the Takbir before bowing, and he did that when he raised his head from bowing and said: 'Sami Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him).' Bu he did not do that during the prostration."

that when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) started to pray, he would raise his hands in level with his shoulders, and when he bowed and when he raised his head from bowing, he would raise them likewise and say "Sami Allahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa lakal-hamd (Allah hears those who praise Him, our Lord, to You be praise." And he did not do that when he prostrated.

He prayed beside the Prophet (SAW) one night. He recited, and when he came to a verse that mentioned punishment, he would pause and seek refuge with Allah; if he came to a verse that mentioned mercy, he would pause for mercy. In his bowing he would say: 'Subhana Rabbil-Azim (Glory be to my Lord Almighty)' and in his prostration he would say: 'Subhan Rabbil-A'la (Glory be to my Lord the Most High).'"

He saw a man praying (And his bowing and prostration) were lacking. Hudhaifah said to him: 'For how long have you been praying like this?' He said: "For forty years.' He said: 'You have not been praying for forty years and if you die praying like this, you will have died following a path other than the path of Muhammad (SAW). Then he said: 'It is possible for a man to pray briefly, but still do it properly."

"While I was (practicing) shooting some arrows in Al-Madinah, the sun became eclipsed. I gathered up my arrows and said: 'I want to see what the Messenger of Allah (SAW) will say about the eclipse of the sun.' So I came to him from behind when he was in the masjid, and he started to say the tasbih and takbir and to supplicate until the eclipse was over. Then he stood up and prayed two rak'ahs with four prostrations."

He prayed with the Messenger of Allah during Ramadan. He bowed and said: "Subhana Rabbiyal-Azim while bowing, for as long as he had stood. Then he sat down and said: "Rabbighfirli, Rabbighfirli (Lord forgive me, Lord forgive me)," for as long as he had stood. Then he prostrated and said: "Subhana Rabbiyal-'Ala for as long as he had stood And he prayed no more than four rak'ahs when Bilal came for Al-Ghadah.

He asked Aishah about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) at night. She said: "He used to pray thirteen rak'ahs: nine rak'ahs standing, one of which was witr, and two rak'ahs sitting. When he wanted to bow he would stand up, and bow and prostrate, and he did that after witr. Then when he heard the call for Subh, he stood up and prayed two brief rak'ahs.

"I noticed that the Messenger of Allah was not there one night, and I thought that he had gone to one of his other wives. I looked for him then I came back, and there he was, bowing or prostrating and saying: 'Subhanaka wa bi hamdika la ilaha illa anta (Glory and praise be to You, there is none worthy of worship but You).' I said: 'May my father and mother be sacrificed for you; you were doing one thing and I was thinking of something else.'"

"I noticed the Prophet (PBUH) was not there one night, so I started looking for him with my hand. My hand touched his feet and they were held upright, and he was prostrating and saying: 'I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your anger, in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I cannot praise You enough, You are as You have praised yourself.'"

We went to Anas b. Malik through Thabit and reached there (his house) while he was offering the forenoon prayer. Thabit sought permission for us and we entered, and he seated Thabit with him on his bedstead. He (Thabit) said to him (Anas b. Malik): O Abu Hamza (kunya of Anas b. Malik), your brothers from among the inhabitants of Basra ask you to narrate to them the hadith of intercession. He said: Muhammad (may peace be upon him) narrated to us: When it would be the Day of Resurrection, some of the people would rush to one another in bewilderment. They would come to Adam and say: Intercede (with your Lord) for your progeny. He would say: I am not fit to do this, but go to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) for he is the Friend of Allah. They would come to Ibrahim, but he would say: I am not fit to do this, but go to Moses, for he is Allah's Interlocutor. They would come to Moses, but he would say: I am not fit to do this, but you should go to Jesus, for he is the Spirit of Allah and His word. They would come to Jesus, and he would say, I am not fit to do this; you better go to Muhammad (may peace be upon him). They would come to me, and I would say: I am in a position to do that, I would go and ask the permission of my Lord and it would be granted to me. I would then stand before Him and would extol Him with praises which I am not able to do now, but with which Allah would inspire me, then I would fall in prostration and it would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise thy head, and say and it would be listened to; ask and it would be granted, intercede and it would be accepted. I shall say: My Lord, my people, my people It would be said: Go, and bring forth from it (Hell) him who has in his heart faith equal to the weight of a wheat grain or a barley seed. I would go and do that; then I would return to my Lord and extol Him with those praises (taught to me by Allah), then I would fall in prostration. It would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise your head, and say and it would be heard; ask and it would be granted; intercede and intercession would be accepted. So I would say: My people. my people. It would be said to me: Go and take out from it (Hell) him who has in his heart faith equal to the weight of a mustard seed. I would go and do that. I would again return to my Lord and extol Him with those praises. I would then fall in prostration. It would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise your head: say, and you would be listened to; ask and it would be granted; intercede and intercession would be accepted. I would say: My Lord, my people, my people. It would be said to me: Go, and bring out of the Fire him who has in his heart as much faith as the smallest, smallest, smallest grain of mustard seed. I would go and do that. This is the hadith which Anas narrated to us. We went out of his (house) and when we reached the upper part of Jabban (graveyard) we said: Would that we meet Hasan and salute him and he was hiding in the house of Abu Khalifa. He (Ma'bad b. Hilal, the narrator) said: We went to him and greeted him and we said: O Abu Sa'id, we come from your brother Abu Hamza (kunya of Anas), and we have never heard a hadith like this relating to intercession, which he has narrated to us. He said: Narrate it, we narrated the hadith. He said: Narrate it (still further). We said: He did not (narrate it) before us more than this. He said: He (Anas) had narrated it to us twenty years back, when he was strong and healthy. He has in fact missed something. I cannot make out whether the old man has forgotten or he has (intentionally) avoided to narrate it to you lest you should rely (absolutely) upon it (and abandon doing good deeds). We said to him: Relate that to us, and he laughed and said: There is haste in the nature of man. I did not make mention of it to you but for the fact that I wanted to narrate that to you (and added that the Holy Prophet said): I would then return to my Lord for the fourth time and extol Him with these praises. I would then fall in prostration. It would be said to me: O Muhammad, raise your head: say and it will be listened to; ask and it will be granted; intercede and intercession would be accepted. I would say: O my Lord, permit me regarding him who professed: There is no god but Allah. He (the Lord) would say: That is not for thee or that is not what lies with thee, but by My Honour, Glory, Greatness and Might, I would certainly take him out who professed it: There is no god but Allah. He (the narrator, Ma'bad) said: I hear testimony to the fact that the hadith transmitted to us-by Hasan was heard by him from Anas b. Malik and I can see that he reported it twenty years back, when he was hale and hearty.

I never saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) reciting the Quraan in his prayer at night in sitting condition until he became old. Then he used to sit in it (the prayer) and recite the Quran until forty or thirty verses remained, then he stood and recited them and prostrated himself.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said to me: “Do not squat between the two prostrations.”