Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger returned from the expedition to Khaibar,¹ he travelled one night and stopped for rest only when he became sleepy. He told Bilal to remain on guard during the night, and he prayed as much as he could while God’s Messenger and his companions slept. When the time for dawn approached Bilal leaned on his camel facing in the direction from which the dawn should appear; but he was overcome by sleep while he was leaning on his camel, and neither God’s Messenger nor Bilal awoke, nor did any of his companions till the sun shone on them. God's Messenger was the first of them to awake, and being startled he called to Bilal, who said "He who took away my soul is the One who took away yours."² He said, "Lead the beasts on,” and when they had done so for some distance, God’s Messenger performed ablution, gave orders to Bilal who pronounced the iqama, and then led them in the Morning Prayer. When he finished the prayer he said, "If anyone forgets prayer he should say it when he remembers it, for God has said, ‘And observe the prayer for remembrance of me.’”³ 1. In 7 AH. 2. This is probably to be connected with the thought in the Qur’an, 39:42, which speaks of God taking the souls of people during their sleep. 3. Al-Qur’an; 20:14 Muslim transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger used to begin prayer with the takbir¹ and the recitation of “Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe.”² When he bowed he neither kept his head up nor bent it down, but kept it between these extremes; when he raised his head after bowing he did not prostrate himself till he had stood erect; when he raised head after a prostration he did not prostrate himself again till he had sat up. At the end of every two rak'as he said the tahiya;³ and he used to bend his left foot and raise up the right; he prohibited the devil’s way of sitting on the heels, and he forbade people to spread out their arms like a wild beast. And he used to finish the prayer with the taslim⁴. Muslim transmitted it. 1. i.e. saying Allahu Akbar (God is most great). 2. Al-Qur’an; 1. 3. This is a part of the prayers which comes at the end of every two rak'as, beginning with at-tahiyat lillah and ending with the testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Tahiyat is the plural of tahiya and the phrase quoted above is variously explained as meaning that endless existence, or dominion, or kingship, or freedom from all evils, or freedom from all causes of cessation of existence belong to God. Alternatively it is taken in its usual meaning of salutations. 4. Saying, “The peace and mercy of God be upon you,” first with the head turned to the right and then with the head turned to the left. This is said at the end of the prayers.

God's Messenger used to go out on the day of sacrifice and the day of the breaking of the fast, first of all pray, and when he had prayed stand up facing the people while they were seated in their place of prayer. If he had cause to send out an expedition he mentioned it to the people, or if he required anything else he gave them commands about it, and he would say, “Give alms, give alms, give alms." Those who gave most were the women. Then he would go away. This practice went on till the time of Marwan b. al-Hakam.* I went out hand in hand with Marwan, and when we came to the place of prayer we saw that Kathir b. as Salt had built a pulpit of clay and brick. Marwan began to tug me with his hand as though he were pulling me towards the pulpit, while I was pulling him towards the prayer. When I saw what he was doing I said, “What has happened to the practice of beginning with prayer?" He replied, “No, Abu Sa'id, what you are familiar with has been abandoned." I thereupon said three times, “By no means, by Him in whose hand my soul is, you are not doing something better than what I am familiar with." Then he went away. *Ummayyad Caliph, 64-65 A.H. Muslim transmitted it.

“I came to the Prophet (saw) with a friend of mine, and when we wanted to leave, he said to us: ‘When the time for prayer comes, say the Adhan and Iqamah, then let the older of you lead the prayer.’”

“The prayer of one who sits down is equivalent to half of the prayer of one who stands.”

“When anyone of you has finished his prayer, let him give his house a share of that, for Allah will put something good in his house because of that prayer.”

"We said: 'O Messenger of Allah! We have learned about saying the Salam to you, but how about As-Salat upon you?' He said: 'Say: (Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin Wa Ala ali Muhammadin kama sallaita Ala Ibrahim, Innaka hamidan MAjid, Wa barik Ala Muhammadin wa Ala ali Muhammadin kamma barakta Ala Ibrahim Innaka Hamidan Majid)" O Allah! Send Salat upon Muhammad and upon Muhammad's family just as You have sent Salat upon Ibrahim, indeed You are the Praise and Majestic. And send blessings upon Muhammad and Muhammad's family just as You have sent blessing upon Ibrahim, indeed You are the Praised and Majestic.'Mahmud said: "Abu Usamah said: Za'idah added something for me, from Al-Amash, from Al-Hakam, from Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Laila, that he said: "We would say 'And upon us along with them.'"

"Abu Humaid, Abu Usaid, Sahl bin Sa'd, and Muhammad bin Maslamah were once together and they were mentioning the Salat of Allah's Messenger. Abu Humaid said: "I am the most knowledgeable among you of the Salat of Allah's Messenger: Indeed Allah's Messenger sat - meaning for Tashah-hud - he spread his left foot, and made the top of his right (foot) face the Qiblah, and he placed his right hand on his right knee, and his left hand on his left knee, and indicated with his finger - meaning the index finge.'"

that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) halted between Dajnan and 'Usfan, and the idolaters aid: "These people have a prayer which is more loved to them than their fathers and their children." That is, 'Asr. They gathered their forces and advanced altogether. And Jibra'il came to the Prophet (SAW) and told him to divide his Companions into two lines and lead them in prayer, and another group stood behind them on guard with their weapons. Then the other group came and prayed one Rak'ah with him. Then these people stood guard with their weapons, so each of them performed one Rak'ah while the Messenger of Allah (SAW) performed two Rak'ahs.

from Ibn 'Abbas, regarding: 'And offer your Salat neither aloud nor in a low voice (17:110)." He said: "It was revealed in Makkah. When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) would raise his voice with the Qur'an, the idolaters would insult him, the One Who revealed it, and the one who came with it. So Allah revealed: And offer your Salat neither aloud so that they would not insult the Qur'an and the One who revealed it, and the one who came with it, nor in a low voice (too low) such that you can let your Companions hear it, and learn it from you."

It was narrated from ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) that when the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up to offer the prescribed prayer, he would say Allahu Akbar and raise his hands to shoulder height; he did the same when he finished reciting and wanted to bow, and he did it when he raised his head from bowing. He did not raise his hands when sitting in any part of his prayer, but when he stood up following the two prostrations, he raised his hands in the same manner and said Allahu Akbar.

‘Abd al-‘AzIz b. Rufai' said he asked Anas b. Malik to tell him something he knew about God's messenger, viz. where he prayed the noon prayer on yaum at-tarwiya, and he replied that it was in Mina. He asked where he had prayed the afternoon prayer on yaum an-nafr,( There are two days with this name, the first being the 12th of Dhul Hijja and the second the following day. The second of these is said to be the one referred to here) and he replied that it was in al-Abtah.(The part of the wadi of Mecca with small pebbles) He then said, “Do as your commanders do.” Bukhari and Muslim.

He also reported God’s Messenger as saying, “If one goes out from his house to a stated prayer in a state of purity, his reward will be like that of the pilgrim in the sacred state; if one goes out to devotions in the forenoon, nothing else causing him to go out, his reward will be like that of him who performs the ‘umra;1 and a prayer following another with no idle talk between them will be a deed recorded in llliyun,”2 1. The little pilgrimage, consisting of the rites at the Ka'ba and the running between al-Safa and al-Marwa. 2. See Al-Qur’an, 83:18 ff. Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger had finished a prayer in which he had recited aloud, he asked, “Did any of you recite along with me just now?” When a man replied that he had, he said, “I am wondering what is the matter with me that I should be contended with regarding the Qur’an.” He said that when the people heard that from God’s Messenger they ceased reciting along with him the passages which he recited aloud in the prayers. Malik, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, and Nasa'i transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted something similar.

I accompanied Ibn ‘Umar on the road to Mecca and he led us in two rak'as at the noon prayer, then went to the place where he had alighted and sat down. Seeing some people standing he asked what they were doing, and I replied that they were engaged in glorifying God. He said, “If I had done so I would have perfected my prayer. I accompanied God's Messenger, and he prayed two rak'as and nothing more while on a journey. I also accompanied Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, and they did the same." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Urwah ibn az-Zubayr said that Fatimah daughter of AbuHubaysh narrated to him that she asked the Messenger of Allah (saws) and complained to him about the flowing of (her) blood. The Messenger of Allah (saws) said to her: That is only (due to) a vein: look, when your menstruation comes, do not pray; and when your menstruation ends, wash yourself and then offer prayer during the period from one menstruation to another.

I heard the apostle of Allah (saws) say: If anyone makes (his wife) wash and he washes himself on Friday, goes out early (for Friday prayer), attends the sermon from the beginning, walking, not riding, takes his seat near the imam, listens attentively, and does not indulge in idle talk, he will get the reward of a year's fasting and praying at night for every step he takes.

I remember from the Messenger of Allah (saws) two periods of silence. Sa'id said: We asked Qatadah: What are those two periods of silence? He said: (one) when he began his prayer, and (one) when he finished the recitation. Then he added: When he finished reciting (the closing verse of the Fatihah): "Not of those with whom Thou art angry, nor of who go astray."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to prolong the recitation of the Qur'an in the two rak'ahs after the sunset prayer until the people praying in the mosque dispersed.

Abu Dawud said: This has been reported by Nasr al-Mujaddir from Ya'qub al-Qummi with the same chain of narrators.

Abu Dawud said: Muhammad b. 'Isa b. al-tabba' transmitted from Nasr al-Mujaddir from Ya'qub in like manner.

When the Prophet (May peace be upon him) heard ‘Umar’s voice, Ibn Zam’ah said: The Prophet (May peace be upon him) came out until he took out his head of his apartment. He then said : No, no, no; the son of Abu Quhafah should lead the people in prayer. He said it angrily.

One day while the Messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him)was giving sermon he suddenly saw phlegm on the wall towards the qiblah(the direction to which Muslims turn in prayer) of the mosque. So he became angry at people. He then scraped it and sent for saffron and stained with it. He then said: When any one of you prays, Allah, the Exalted, faces him: he, therefore, should not spit before him.

The IMAM is appointed only to be followed; so when he prays standing. Pray standing ; and when he raises himself, raise yourself: and when he prays sitting. Pray sitting.

The Prophet (saws) made a speech one day and mentioned a man from among his Companions who died and was shrouded in a shroud of bad quality, and was buried at night. The Prophet (saws) rebuked that man be buried at night until prayer was offered over him, except that a man was forced to do that. The Prophet (saws) said: When one of you shrouds his brother, he should use a shroud of good quality.

On the authority of a man from the Companions of the Prophet (saws): People differed among themselves on the last day of Ramadan (about the appearance of the moon of Shawwal). Then two bedouins came and witnessed before the Prophet (saws) swearing by Allah that they had sighted moon the previous evening. So the Messenger of Allah (saws) commanded the people to break the fast. The narrator Khalaf has added in his version: "and that they should proceed to the place of prayer (for 'Id)".

Abu Sulaiman Malik b. al-Huwairth came to our mosque, and said: By Allah, I Shall offer prayer, though I do not intend to pray; I only intend to show you how I saw the Messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him) praying. The narrator said: ( He then prayed and ) he sat at the end of the first rak’ah when he raised his head after the last prostration.

Anyone who loses his 'Asr prayer is like a person whose family has perished and whose property has been plundered.

Abu Dawud said: 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar narrated the word utira (instead of wutira, meaning perished). The dispute on this point goes back to Ayyub. Al-Zuhri reported from Salim on the authority of this father from the Prophet (saws) the word 'wutira'.

Anas said “Eighty Meccans came down from the mountain of Al Tan’im against the Prophet(saws) and his Companions at the (time of the) dawn prayer to kill them. The Apostle of Allaah(saws) took them captive without fighting and the Apostle of Allaah(saws) set them free. Thereupon Allaah Most High sent down “He it is Who averted their hands from you and your hands from them in the valley of Makkah,” till the end of the verse.

"Ammar bin Yasir led the people in prayer and he made the prayer short. It was as if they disliked that, so he said: 'Did I not do bowing and prostration properly?' They said: 'Yes.' He said: 'And I said a supplication that the Prophet (SAW) used to say:Allahumma bi 'ilmikal-ghaiba wa qudratika 'alal-khalqi ahini ma 'alimtal-hayata khairan li, wa tawaffani idha 'alimtal-wafata khairan li. Allahumma as'aluka khashyataka fil-ghaibi wash-shahadati wa as'aluka kalimatul-aqua fir-rida'i wal ghadab, wa as'alukal-qasda fil faqr wal-ghina, wa as'aluka na'iman la yanfadu wa as'aluka qurrata ainan la tanqati'u wa as'alukar-rida'i ba'dal-qada'i wa as'aluka bardal 'aishi ba'dal-mawti, wa as'aluka ladhatan-nazari ila wajhika wash-shawqa ila liqa'ika fi fitnatin mudillatin, Allahumma zayyina dizinatil-imani waj'alna hudatan muhtadin (O Allah, by Your knowledge of the unseen and Your power over creation, keep me alive so long as You know that living is good for me and cause me to die when You know that death is better for me. O Allah, cause me to fear You in secret and in public. I ask You to make me true in speech in times of pleasure and of anger. I ask You to make me moderate in times of wealth and poverty. And I ask You for everlasting delight and joy that will never cease. I ask You to make me pleased with that which You have decreed and for an easy life after death. I ask You for the sweetness of looking upon Your face and a longing to meet You in a manner that does not entail a calamity that will bring about harm or a trial that will cause deviation. O Allah, beautify us with the adornment of faith and make us among those who guide and are rightly guided."

“When the Messenger of Allah (saw) fell ill with the sickness that would be his last” – (One of the narrators) Abu Mu’awiyah said: “When he was overcome by sickness” – “Bilal came to tell him that it was time for prayer. He said, ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is a tender-hearted man, and when he takes your place he will weep and not be able to do it. Why do you not tell ‘Umar to lead the people in prayer?’ He said: ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer; you are (like) the female companions of Yusuf.’” She said: “So we sent word to Abu Bakr, and he led the people in prayer. Then the Messenger of Allah (saw) began to feel a little better, so he came out to the prayer, supported by two men with his feet making lines along the ground. When Abu Bakr realized that he was there, he wanted to step back, but the Prophet (saw) gestured to him to stay where he was. Then (the two men) brought him to sit beside Abu Bakr, and Abu Bakr was following the lead of the Prophet (saw) and the people were following Abu Bakr.”

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yazid ibn Ruman said, "The people used to watch the night in prayer during Ramadan for twenty- three rakas in the time of Umar ibn al-Khattab."

"When Allah's Messenger (S) prayed the two Rak'ah (before) Fajr if he needed something from me he would talk to me, if not, he would go to Salat."

"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 Messenger of Allah said: "When the Iqamah is called for the prayer, then do not stand until you see that I have come out."

The Prophet said: "When those who are not fasting eat in the presence of the fasting person, the angels send Salat upon him."

"Ibn Umar prayed at Jam (Muzdalifah), so he combined two prayers with the Iqamah, and he said: 'I saw the Messenger of Allah doing the same as this at the place.'"

"Nothing is placed on the Scale that is heavier than good character. Indeed the person with good character will have attained the rank of the person of fasting and prayer."

that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "The covenant between us and them is the Salat, so whoever abandons it he has committed disbelief."

Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "He who observes the Fajr and 'Asr (prayers) will enter Jannah."

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "If anyone of you performs the Friday prayer, he should perform four Rak'ah (Sunnah) after it."

[Muslim].

It was narrated from ‘Ali (رضي الله عنه) that The Prophet (ﷺ) said on the day of al-Ahzab. `May Allah fill their houses and graves with fire, they distracted us from prayer until the sunset.`

She reported God’s messenger as saying, “The prayer before which the tooth-stick is used is seventy times more excellent than that before which it is not used.” Baihaqi transmitted it in the Shu'ab al-iman.

Rafi‘ b. Khadij said, “We used to observe the sunset prayer with God’s Messenger, then one of us would go away when it was still possible to see the distance of a bowshot.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

She also said that God’s Messenger would pray the Morning Prayer, and the women would depart wrapped up in their woolen garments, being unrecognizable because of the darkness before dawn. (Bukhari and Muslim)

Abu Sa'id reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Nothing interrupts prayer, but repulse, as much as you can anyone who passes in front of you, for he is just a devil.” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Al-Bara’ said that he heard the Prophet recite at the evening prayer, “By the fig and the olive”* and that he had never heard anyone with a more beautiful voice. *Al-Qur’an; 95. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger as saying, “Kill the two black things during prayer, the snake and the scorpion.” Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Nasa’i has something to the same effect.

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.

Nafi‘ said that Ibn ‘Umar used to say, “If anyone prays the sunset or the morning prayer and then comes when the imam is praying them, he must not say them over again.” Malik transmitted it.

Anas told that when the Prophet was ill he came out leaning on Usama, wearing a striped garment with an end over his left shoulder, and led them in the prayer. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

"Shall I not show you how I saw the Messenger of Allah (SAW) pray?" We said: "Yes." So he stood up and when he bowed, he placed his palms on his knees and put his fingers behind his knees, and held his arms out from his sides, until every part of him settled. Then he raised his head and stood up until every part of him settled. Then he prostrated and held his arms out from his sides, until every part of him settled. Then he sat up until every part of him settled. Then he prostrated again until every part of him settled. Then he did four rak'ahs like that. Then he said: "This is how I saw the Messenger of Allah (SAW) pray, and this is how he used to lead us in prayer."