A man entered the mosque and started praying while Allah's Apostle was sitting somewhere in the mosque. Then (after finishing the prayer) the man came to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man went back, and having prayed, he came and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet after returning his greetings said, "Go back and pray, for you did not pray." On the third time the man said, "(O Allah's Apostle!) teach me (how to pray)." The Prophet said, "When you get up for the prayer, perform the ablution properly and then face the Qibla and say Takbir (Allahu Akbar), and then recite of what you know of the Qur'an, and then bow, and remain in this state till you feel at rest in bowing, and then raise your head and stand straight; and then prostrate till you feel at rest in prostration, and then sit up till you feel at rest while sitting; and then prostrate again till you feel at rest in prostration; and then get up and stand straight, and do all this in all your prayers."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Yazid, the mawla of al Aswad ibn Sufyan, from Abu Salama ibn Abd ar Rahman that Abu Hurayra recited al-Inshiqaq (Sura 84) to them and prostrated in it. When he had finished he told them that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had prostrated in it.

Allah's Apostle said: "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah and they do not eclipse because of the death of someone but Allah frightens His devotees with them."

The Prophet (saws) named the two prostrations of forgetfulness disgraceful for the devil.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi', the mawla of Abdullah ibn Umar, that Umar ibn al-Khattab wrote to his governors saying, "The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever protects it and observes it carefully is protecting his deen, while whoever is negligent about it will be even more negligent about other things." Then he added, "Pray dhuhr any time from when the afternoon shade is the length of your forearm until the length of your shadow matches your height. Pray asr when the sun is still pure white, so that a rider can travel two or three farsakhs before the sun sets. Pray maghrib when the sun has set. Pray isha any time from when the redness in the western sky has disappeared until a third of the night has passed - and a person who sleeps, may he have no rest, a person who sleeps, may he have no rest. And pray subh when all the stars are visible and like a haze in the sky."

Abu Barza said, "The Prophet used to offer the Fajr (prayer) when one could recognize the person sitting by him (after the prayer) and he used to recite between 60 to 100 Ayat (verses) of the Qur'an. He used to offer the Zuhr prayer as soon as the sun declined (at noon) and the `Asr at a time when a man might go and return from the farthest place in Medina and find the sun still hot. (The sub-narrator forgot what was said about the Maghrib). He did not mind delaying the `Isha prayer to one third of the night or the middle of the night."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to recite the Qur'an to us. When he came upon the verse containing prostration, he would utter the takbir (Allah is most great) and we would prostrate ourselves along with him.

The narrator 'Abd al-Razzaq said: Al-Thawri liked this tradition very much.

Abu Dawud said: This was liked by him for this contains the uttering of takbir.

I asked Az-Zuhri, "Did the Prophet ever offer the Fear Prayer?" Az-Zuhri said, "I was told by Salim that `Abdullah bin `Umar I had said, 'I took part in a holy battle with Allah's Apostle I in Najd. We faced the enemy and arranged ourselves in rows. Then Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) stood up to lead the prayer and one party stood to pray with him while the other faced the enemy. Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) and the former party bowed and performed two prostrations. Then that party left and took the place of those who had not prayed. Allah's Apostle prayed one rak`a (with the latter) and performed two prostrations and finished his prayer with Taslim. Then everyone of them bowed once and performed two prostrations individually.' "

Hajjaj reported from Hammam and Shaqiq narrated a similar tradition to us from ‘Asim b. Kulaib on the authority of his father from the Prophet(saws).

And another version narrated by one of them has-and I think in all probability that this version has been narrated by Muhammad b. Juhadah-when he got up (after prostration), he got up with his knees and gave his weight on his thighs.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "The jamras should not be stoned during the three days until after the sun has passed the meridian."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to send ahead the weak members of his family in darkness (to Mina), and command them not to throw pebbles at jamrahs until the sun rose.

Qais quoted his father as saying that he (his father) came when the Messenger of Allah (saws) was addressing. He stood in the sun. He ordered him (to shift) and he shifted to the shade.

The qunut [supplication before going down for prostration] used to be recited in the Maghrib and the Fajr prayers.

Allah's Apostle used to visit Um Haram bint Milhan she was the wife of 'Ubada bin As-Samit. One day the Prophet visited her and she provided him with food and started looking for lice in his head. Then Allah's Apostle slept and afterwards woke up smiling. Um Haram asked, "What makes you smile, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "Some of my followers were presented before me in my dream as fighters in Allah's Cause, sailing in the middle of the seas like kings on the thrones or like kings sitting on their thrones." (The narrator 'Is-haq is not sure as to which expression was correct). Um Haram added, 'I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah, to make me one of them;" So Allah's Apostle invoked Allah for her and then laid his head down (and slept). Then he woke up smiling (again). (Um Haram added): I said, "What makes you smile, O Allah's Apostle?" He said, "Some people of my followers were presented before me (in a dream) as fighters in Allah's Cause." He said the same as he had said before. I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to make me from them." He said, "You are among the first ones." Then Um Haram sailed over the sea during the Caliphate of Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan, and she fell down from her riding animal after coming ashore, and died.

Allah's Apostle used to visit Umm Haram bint Milhan, who would offer him meals. Umm Haram was the wife of Ubada bin As-Samit. Allah's Apostle, once visited her and she provided him with food and started looking for lice in his head. Then Allah's Apostle slept, and afterwards woke up smiling. Umm Haram asked, "What causes you to smile, O Allah's Apostle?" He said. "Some of my followers who (in a dream) were presented before me as fighters in Allah's cause (on board a ship) amidst this sea caused me to smile; they were as kings on the thrones (or like kings on the thrones)." (Ishaq, a sub-narrator is not sure as to which expression the Prophet used.) Umm Haram said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah that he makes me one of them. Allah's Apostle invoked Allah for her and slept again and woke up smiling. Once again Umm Haram asked, "What makes you smile, O Allah's Apostle?" He replied, "Some of my followers were presented to me as fighters in Allah's Cause," repeating the same dream. Umm Haram said, "O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah that He makes me one of them." He said, "You are amongst the first ones." It happened that she sailed on the sea during the Caliphate of Mu'awiya bin Abi Sufyan, and after she disembarked, she fell down from her riding animal and died.

Allah's Apostle said, "When night falls from this side and the day vanishes from this side and the sun sets, then the fasting person should break his fast."

Simak narrated on the authority of Jabir b. Samura that when the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed the dawn prayer, he sat at the place of worship till the sun had risen enough.

I said: Messenger of Allah, should we not build a house or a building which shades you from the sun? He replied: No, it is a place for the one who reaches there earlier.

The Prophet was ordered to prostrate on seven bony parts and not to tuck up his clothes or hair.

I recited An-Najm before the Prophet, yet he did not perform a prostration.

Malik said that he meant someone who, when he prostrated, kept his body close to the ground.

"The Prophet (saws) was met by some affair that made him happy, so he prostrated to Allah."

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Gharib, we do not know of it except from this route, as a narration of Bakkar bin 'Abdul-'Aziz.

This is acted upon according to most of the people of knowledge, they held the view that one could perform the prostration of gratitude. And Bakkar bin 'Adbul-'Aziz bin Abi Bakrah is Muqarib (average) in Hadith.

I asked: Messenger of Allah, in which part of night the supplication is more likely to be accepted?

He replied: In the last part: Pray as much as you like, for the prayer is attended by the angels and it is recorded till you offer the dawn prayer; then stop praying when the sun is rising till it has reached the height of one or two lances, for it rises between the two horns of the Devil, and the infidels offer prayer for it (at that time). Then pray as much as you like, because the prayer is witnessed and recorded till the shadow of a lance be- comes equal to it. Then cease prayer, for at that time the Hell-fire is heated up and doors of Hell are opened.

When the sun declines, pray as much as you like, for the prayer is witnessed till you pray the afternoon prayer; then cease prayer till the sun sets, for it sets between the horns of the Devil, and (at that time) the infidels offer prayer for it. He narrated a lengthy tradition.

Abbas said: AbuSalam narrated this tradition in a similar manner from AbuUmamah. If I have made a mistake unintentionally, I beg pardon of Allah and repent to Him.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Anas ibn Malik said, "We would pray asr and anyone who then went to Quba would arrive there while the sun was still high."

The Prophet stood up beside the pulpit (and pointed with his finger towards the East) and said, "Afflictions are there! Afflictions are there, from where the side of the head of Satan comes out," or said, "..the side of the sun.."

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

Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of someone's death or life but they are two signs amongst the signs of Allah, so pray whenever you see them."

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