I heard the Prophet saying, "Our Lord Allah will lay bare His Shin, and then all the Believers, men and women, will prostrate themselves before Him, but there will remain those who used to prostrate in the world for showing off and for gaining good reputation. Such people will try to prostrate (on the Day of Judgment) but their back swill be as stiff as if it is one bone (a single vertebra).

It was narrated that Masarrah bin Ma`bad said: Yazeed bin Abi Kabshah led us in praying `Asr, then he turned to us after the prayer and said: I prayed with Marwan bin al-Hakam and he did two prostrations like these, then he turned to us and told us that he prayed with ‘Uthman (رضي الله عنه), who narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ) ... and he mentioned a similar report.

The Prophet said, "Perform the bowing and the prostrations properly. By Allah, I see you from behind me (or from behind my back) when you bow or prostrate."

I asked Zaid bin Thabit about prostration on which he said that he had recited An-Najm before the Prophet, yet he (the Prophet) had not performed a prostration.

Anas said, "I will leave no stone unturned in making you offer the prayer as I have seen the Prophet making us offer it." Anas used to do a thing which I have not seen you doing. He used to stand after the bowing for such a long time that one would think that he had forgotten (the prostrations) and he used to sit in-between the prostrations so long that one would think that he had forgotten the second prostration.

Abu Huraira used to say Takbir in all the prayers, compulsory and optional -- in the month of Ramadan or other months. He used to say Takbir on standing for prayer and on bowing; then he would say, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah," and before prostrating he would say "Rabbana wa laka lhamd." Then he would say Takbir on prostrating and on raising his head from the prostration, then another Takbir on prostrating (for the second time), and on raising his head from the prostration. He also would say the Takbir on standing from the second rak`a. He used to do the same in every rak`a till he completed the prayer. On completion of the prayer, he would say, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is! No doubt my prayer is closer to that of Allah's Apostle than yours, and this was His prayer till he left this world."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) prostrated himself at night when reciting the Qur'an. He said repeatedly: My face prostrates itself to Him Who created it and brought forth its hearing and seeing by His might and power.

The Prophet recited Surat-an-Najm and then prostrated himself, and all who were with him prostrated too. But an old man took a handful of dust and touched his forehead with it saying, "This is sufficient for me." Later on I saw him killed as an infidel.

Al-Bara' described to us (the nature of prostration). He placed his hands (palms), reclined on his knees, and raised his hips; he said: This is how the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to prostrate himself.

We accompanied the Messenger of Allah (saws) at Usfan, and Khalid ibn al-Walid was the chief of unbelievers. We offered the noon prayer.

Thereupon, the unbelievers said: We suffered from negligence; we became careless. We should have attacked them while they were praying. Thereupon the verse was revealed, relating to the shortening of the prayer (in time of danger) between the noon and afternoon (prayer).

When the time of the afternoon prayer came, the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood facing the qiblah, and the unbelievers were standing in front of him. The people stood in a row behind the Messenger of Allah (saws) and there was another row behind this row. The Messenger of Allah (saws) bowed and all of them bowed. He then prostrated and also the row near him prostrated. The other people in the second row remained standing and stood guard over them. When they performed two prostrations and stood up, those who were behind them prostrated. The people in the front row near him then stepped backward taking the place of the people in the second row and the second row took the place of the first row.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) then bowed and all of them bowed together. Then he and the row near him prostrated themselves. The other people in the second row remained standing and stood guard over them. When the Messenger of Allah (saws) and the row near him (i.e. the front row) were seated, the people in the second row behind them prostrated themselves. Then all of them were seated. (He (the Prophet) then uttered the salutation upon all of them. He prayed in his manner at Usfan as well as at the territory of Banu Sulaym.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Ayyub and Hisham from Abu al-Zubair on the authority of Jabir to the same effect from the Prophet (saws). Similarly, this has been transmitted by Dawud b. Husain from 'Ikrimah, on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas. This has also been reported by 'Abd al-Malik, from 'Ata' from Jabir in like manner. This has also been narrated by Qatadah from al-Hasan from Hittan on the authority of Abu Musa in a similar way. Similarly, this has been reported by 'Ikrimah b. Khalid from Mujahid from the Prophet (saws). This has also been reported by Hisham b. 'Urwah from his father from the Prophet (saws). This is the opinion of al-Thawri.

Once the Prophet (p.b.u.h) led the fear prayer and the people stood behind him. He said Takbir (Allahu-Akbar) and the people said the same. He bowed and some of them bowed. Then he prostrated and they also prostrated. Then he stood for the second rak`a and those who had prayed the first rak`a left and guarded their brothers. The second party joined him and performed bowing and prostration with him. All the people were in prayer but they were guarding one another during the prayer.

I heard the Prophet saying, "Perform the bowing and the prostration properly (with peace of mind), for, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, I see you from behind my back when you bow and when you prostrate."

Hudhayfah saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) praying at night. He said: Allah is most great" three times, "Possessor of kingdom, grandeur, greatness and majesty."

He then began (his prayer) and recited Surah al-Baqarah; then he bowed and he paused in bowing as long as he stood up; he said while bowing, "Glory be to my mighty Lord," "Glory be to my mighty Lord" ; then he raised his head, after bowing: then he stood up and he paused as long as he paused in bowing and said, "Praise be to my Lord" ; then he prostrated and paused in prostration as long as he paused in the standing position; he said while prostrating: "Glory be to my most high Lord"; then he raised his head after prostration, and sat as long as he prostrated, and said while sitting: "O my Lord forgive me."

He offered four rak'ahs of prayer and recited in them Surah al-Baqarah, Aal Imran, an-Nisa, al-Ma'idah, or al-An'am. The narrator Shu'bah doubted.

The Prophet (saws) said: Both hands prostrate as the face prostrates. When one of you puts his face (on the ground) he should put his hands too (on the ground). And when he raises it, he should raise them too.

Abu Sa`id led us in the prayer and said the Takbir aloud on arising from the prostration, and on prostrating, on rising again, and on getting up from the second rak`a. Abu Sa`id said, "I saw the Prophet doing the same."

I offered the `Isha' prayer behind Abu Huraira and he recited Idhas-Sama' Un-Shaqqat, and prostrated. I said, "What is this?" Abu Huraira said, "I prostrated behind Abul-Qasim and I will do the same till I meet him."

The Prophet recited Surat-an-Najm (53) and prostrated while reciting it and all the people prostrated and a man amongst the people took a handful of stones or earth and raised it to his face and said, "This is sufficient for me. Later on I saw him killed as a non-believer."

I asked Muhajid regarding the prostration in Surat Sa`d. He said, "Ibn `Abbas was asked the same question and he said, 'Those are they (the prophets) whom Allah had Guided. So follow their guidance." (6.90) Ibn `Abbas used to perform a prostration (on reading this Sura).

The Prophet said, "The Imam is to be followed. Say the Takbir when he says it; bow if he bows; if he says 'Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah', say, ' Rabbana wa laka l-hamd', prostrate if he prostrates and pray sitting altogether if he prays sitting."

There was an eclipse of the sun in the time of the Messenger of Allah (saws). The Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up and he was not going to perform bowing till he bowed; and he was not going to raise his head till he raised (after bowing); and he was not going to prostrate himself till he prostrated himself; and he was not going to raise his head till he raised (at the end of prostration); he did similarly in the second rak'ah, he then puffed in the last prostration saying; Fie, Fie! He then said: My Lord, didst Thou not promise me that Thou wouldst not punish them so long as I will remain among them? Didst Thou not promise me that Thou will not punish them so long as they continue to beg pardon of Thee. The Messenger of Allah (saws) finished the prayer, and the sun was clear. The narrator then narrated the tradition (in full).

Maimuna said, "Allah's Apostle was praying while I was in my menses, sitting beside him and sometimes his clothes would touch me during his prostration." Maimuna added, "He prayed on a Khumra (a small mat sufficient just for the face and the hands while prostrating during prayers).

I offered the `Isha' prayer behind Abu Huraira and he recited, "Idha s-samaa'u n-shaqqat" (84) and prostrated. On my inquiring, he said, "I prostrated behind Abul-Qasim (the Prophet) (when he recited that Sura) and I will go on doing it till I meet him."