Nafi' reported that Abdullah (b. 'Umar) informed him that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) turned his face to the two hillocks which intervened between him and the long mountain by the side of the Ka'ba, and the mosque which had been built there was thus on the left of the hillock. Allah's Messenger's (may peace be upon him) place of prayer was lower than the black hillock, at a distance of ten cubits or near it. He (may peace be upon him) would then observe prayer facing these two hillocks of the long mountain that is intervening between you and the Ka'ba.

During the lifetime of Allah's Apostle, the sun eclipsed. Allah's Apostle offered the prayer of (the) eclipse) and so did the people along with him. He performed a long Qiyam (standing posture) during which Surat-al-Baqara could have been recited; then he performed a pro-longed bowing, then raised his head and stood for a long time which was slightly less than that of the first Qiyam (and recited Qur'an). Then he performed a prolonged bowing again but the period was shorter than the period of the first bowing, then he stood up and then prostrated. Again he stood up, but this time the period of standing was less than the first standing. Then he performed a prolonged bowing but of a lesser duration than the first, then he stood up again for a long time but for a lesser duration than the first. Then he performed a prolonged bowing but of lesser duration than the first, and then he again stood up, and then prostrated and then finished his prayer. By then the sun eclipse had cleared. The Prophet then said, "The sun and the moon are two signs among the signs of Allah, and they do not eclipse because of the death or birth of someone, so when you observe the eclipse, remember Allah (offer the eclipse prayer)." They (the people) said, "O Allah's Apostle! We saw you stretching your hand to take something at this place of yours, then we saw you stepping backward." He said, "I saw Paradise (or Paradise was shown to me), and I stretched my hand to pluck a bunch (of grapes), and had I plucked it, you would have eaten of it as long as this world exists. Then I saw the (Hell) Fire, and I have never before, seen such a horrible sight as that, and I saw that the majority of its dwellers were women." The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the reason for that?" He replied, "Because of their ungratefulness." It was said. "Do they disbelieve in Allah (are they ungrateful to Allah)?" He replied, "They are not thankful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors done to them. Even if you do good to one of them all your life, when she seems some harshness from you, she will say, "I have never seen any good from you.' "

I asked `Aisha about the clothes soiled with semen. She replied, "I used to wash it off the clothes of Allah's Apostle and he would go for the prayer while water spots were still visible. "

(the wife of the Prophet) During my menses, I never prayed, but used to sit on the mat beside the mosque of Allah's Apostle. He used to offer the prayer on his sheet and in prostration some of his clothes used to touch me."

The sun eclipsed and Allah's Apostle offered the eclipse prayer and said, "I have been shown the Hellfire (now) and I never saw a worse and horrible sight than the sight I have seen today."

Once I passed the night in the house of my aunt Maimuna. The Prophet stood for the night prayer and I joined him and stood on his left side but he drew me to his right by holding me by the head.

The Prophet prayed two rak`at of Zuhr prayer (instead of four) and he was told that he had prayed two rak`at only. Then he prayed two more rak`at and finished them with the Taslim followed by two prostrations.

The Prophet went out towards the Musalla in order to offer the Istisqa' prayer and when he intended to invoke (Allah) or started invoking, he faced the Qibla and turned his cloak inside out.

Ibn `Umar went on a journey and said, "I accompanied the Prophet and he did not offer optional prayers during the journey, and Allah says: 'Verily! In Allah's Apostle you have a good example to follow.' " (33.21)

had piles, so I asked the Prophet about the prayer. He said, "Pray while standing and if you can't, pray while sitting and if you cannot do even that, then pray Lying on your side."

My friend (the Prophet) advised me to do three things and I shall not leave them till I die, these are: To fast three days every month, to offer the Duha prayer, and to offer witr before sleeping.

Ibn `Abbas (who was at that time a boy) said, "Allah's Apostle came to a grave and the people said, 'He or she was buried yesterday.' " Ibn `Abbas added, "We aligned behind the Prophet and he led the funeral prayer of the deceased."

The Prophet said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone's death or life (i.e. birth), but they are two signs amongst the Signs of Allah. So, if you see them (i.e. eclipse) offer the (eclipse) prayer.

The Prophet used to pray eleven rak`at in the late part of the night, and when dawn appeared, he would offer two rak`at and then lie on his right side till the Muadhdhin came to inform him (that the morning prayer was due).

I prayed behind a Sheikh at Mecca and he said twenty two Takbirs (during the prayer). I told Ibn `Abbas that he (i.e. that Sheikh) was foolish. Ibn `Abbas admonished me and said, "This is the tradition of Abul-Qasim."

It is narrated on the authority of Jabir that he heard the Apostle (may peace and blessings be upon him) saying. Verily between man and between polytheism and unbelief is the negligence of prayer.

'A'isha reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to pray thirteen rak'ahs during the night including the two rak'ahs (Sunan) of the dawn prayer.

'A'isha reported that when the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) stood up at night to pray, he began his prayer with two short rak'ahs.

Abu Huraira reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to recite in the dawn prayer on Friday" Alif-Lam-Mim, Tanzil" and" Surely there came."

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him), Abu Bakr and 'Umar used to observe the two 'Id prayers before the sermon.

Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ordered that the Sadaqat-ul-Fitr should be paid before the people go out for prayer.

Abdullah b 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) ordered the payment of Sadaqat-ul-Fitr before people go out for prayer.

The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to observe two rak'ahs of Sunnah (prayer) when he heard the Adhin and shortened them.

The Prophet was given a silken Farruj [??] as a present. He wore it while praying. When he had finished his prayer, he took it off violently as if with a strong aversion to it and said, "It is not the dress of Allah-fearing pious people."

The Prophet came to my house and said, "Where do you like me to pray?" I pointed to a place. The Prophet then said, "Allahu Akbar", and we aligned behind him and he offered a two-rak`at prayer.

The Prophet said, "Do the prostration properly and do not put your forearms flat with elbows touching the ground like a dog. And if you want to spit, do not spit in front, nor to the right for the person in prayer is speaking in private to his Lord."

I arrived at Medina and was asked whether I found any change since the days of Allah's Apostle. I said, "I have not found any change except that you do not stand in alignment in your prayers."

I asked Khabbab whether the Prophet used to recite the Qur'an in the Zuhr and the `Asr prayers. He replied in the affirmative. We said, "How did you come to know that?" He said, "From the movement of his beard."

We said to Khabbab "Did Allah's Apostle used to recite in Zuhr and `Asr prayers?" He replied in the affirmative. We said, "How did you come to know about it?" He said, "By the movement of his beard."

My father said, "The Prophet used to recite Al-Fatiha along with another Sura in the first two rak`at of the Zuhr and `Asr prayers. A verse or so was audible at times and he used to prolong the first rak`a."

The Prophet said, "Whenever anyone of you is in prayer, he is speaking in private to his Lord and so he should neither spit in front of him nor on his right side but to his left side under his left foot."

I asked `Aisha "What did the Prophet use to do at home?" She said, "He used to work for his family, and when he heard the Adhan (call for the prayer), he would go out."

Allah's Apostle used to perform the `Asr prayer and then one could reach the `Awali (a place in the outskirts of Medina) while the sun was still quite high. Narrated Yunus: The distance of the `Awali (from Medina) was four or three miles.

One night I slept at the house of Maimuna. The Prophet woke up, answered the call of nature, washed his face and hands, and then slept. He got up (late at night), went to a water skin, opened the mouth thereof and performed ablution not using much water, yet he washed all the parts properly and then offered the prayer. I got up and straightened my back in order that the Prophet might not feel that I was watching him, and then I performed the ablution, and when he got up to offer the prayer, I stood on his left. He caught hold of my ear and brought me over to his right side. He offered thirteen rak`at in all and then lay down and slept till he started blowing out his breath as he used to do when he slept. In the meantime Bilal informed the Prophet of the approaching time for the (Fajr) prayer, and the Prophet offered the Fajr (Morning) prayer without performing new ablution. He used to say in his invocation, Allahumma ij`al fi qalbi nuran wa fi basari nuran, wa fi sam`i nuran, wa`an yamini nuran, wa`an yasari nuran, wa fawqi nuran, wa tahti nuran, wa amami nuran, wa khalfi nuran, waj`al li nuran." Kuraib (a sub narrator) said, "I have forgotten seven other words, (which the Prophet mentioned in this invocation). I met a man from the offspring of Al-`Abbas and he narrated those seven things to me, mentioning, '(Let there be light in) my nerves, my flesh, my blood, my hair and my body,' and he also mentioned two other things."

That he stayed overnight in the house of Maimuna the wife of the Prophet, his aunt. He added : I lay on the bed (cushion transversally) while Allah's Apostle and his wife lay in the lengthwise direction of the cushion. Allah's Apostle slept till the middle of the night, either a bit before or a bit after it and then woke up, rubbing the traces of sleep off his face with his hands. He then, recited the last ten verses of Sura Al-`Imran, got up and went to a hanging water-skin. He then Performed the ablution from it and it was a perfect ablution, and then stood up to offer the prayer. I, too, got up and did as the Prophet had done. Then I went and stood by his side. He placed his right hand on my head and caught my right ear and twisted it. He prayed two rak`at then two rak`at and two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at (separately six times), and finally one rak`a (the witr). Then he lay down again in the bed till the Mu'adh-dhin came to him where upon the Prophet got up, offered a two light rak`at prayer and went out and led the Fajr prayer.