4.

Statement of Prayer

٤-

بيان الصلاة

Abu Huraira said that a man entered the mosque when God’s Messenger was sitting in it and prayed. He then came and said, “Peace be upon you,” and God’s Messenger replied, “And upon you be peace. Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” He returned and prayed, then came and said, “Peace be upon you,” to which he replied, “And upon you be peace. Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” On the third or fourth occasion he said, “Teach me, Messenger of God,” so he said:“When you get up to pray perform the ablution perfectly, then face theqiblaand say, “God is most great.” Then recite a convenient portion of the Qur’an; then bow and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and stand erect; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and sit quietly; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and sit quietly.” A version has, “Then raise yourself and stand erect; then do that throughout all your prayer.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger used to begin prayer with thetakbir1and the recitation of “Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe.”2When 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 thetahiya;3and 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 thetaslim4. Muslim transmitted it. 1. i.e. sayingAllahu 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 withat-tahiyat lillahand ending with the testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.Tahiyatis the plural oftahiyaand 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.

Abu Humaid as-Sa'idi said among a company of the companions of God’s Messenger, “I am the one among you who is best versed in the way God’s Messenger prayed. I saw that when he uttered thetakbirhe placed his hands opposite his shoulders; when he bowed he rested his hands on his knees, then bent his back; when he raised his head he stood erect with his spine straight; when he prostrated himself he placed his arms so that they were not spread out, and the fingers were not drawn in, and the points of his toes were facing theqibla; when he sat up at the end of two rak'as he sat on his left foot and raised the right; and when he sat up after the lastrak'ahe put forward the left foot, raised the other, and sat on his hips.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said that God’s Messenger used to raise his hands opposite his shoulders when he began prayer and when he said thetakbirbefore bowing; and when he raised his head after bowing he raised them in the same way and said, “God listens to him who praises Him. To Thee, our Lord, be the praise!” But he did not do that when he prostrated himself. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Nafi‘ said that when Ibn ‘Umar began prayer he said thetakbirand raised his hands; when he bowed he raised his hands; when he said, “God listens to him who praises Him” he raised his hands; and when he got up at the end of two rak'as he raised his hands. Ibn ‘Umar traced that back to the Prophet. Bukhari transmitted it.

Malik b. al-Huwairith said that when God’s Messenger said thetakbirhe raised his hands and placed them opposite his ears, and when he raised his head after bowing and said, “God listens to him who praises Him,” he did the same. A version has, “and placed them opposite the tops of his ears.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He said that he saw the Prophet praying, and when he had prayed an odd number of rak'as he did not stand up till after he had adopted a sitting position. Bukhari transmitted it.

Wa’il b. Hujr said that he saw the Prophet raise his hands when he began prayer. He said thetakbir, then pulled his garment round him, then placed his right hand on his left. When he was about to bow he took his hands out of his garment, and after he had raised (them and said thetakbirhe bowed. When he said, “God listens to him who praises Him” he raised his hands, and when he prostrated himself he did it between his hands. Muslim transmitted it.

Sahl b. Sa'd said that the people received command that a man should place the right hand on the left forearm in prayer. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that when God’s Messenger got up to pray he would say thetakbirwhen standing, then say thetakbirwhen bowing, then say, “God listens to him who praises Him” when coming to an erect position after bowing, then say while standing, “To Thee, our Lord, be the praise,” then say thetakbirwhen getting down for prostration, then say thetakbirwhen he raised his head, then say thetakbirwhen he prostrated himself, then say thetakbirwhen he raised his head. He would do that throughout the whole prayer till he finished it, and he would say thetakbirwhen he got up at the end of two rak'as after adopting the sitting posture. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The most excellent prayer consists in long standing in prayer.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Humaid as-Sa‘idi once told a company of ten of the Prophet’s companions that he was more informed than any of them regarding the manner in which God’s Messenger conducted his prayer, and when they asked him to expound it to them, he said:When God’s Messenger stood up to pray he raised his hands so as to bring them opposite his shoulders and said thetakbir; then he recited some verses; then said thetakbir, 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, “God listens to him who praises Him”; then raised his hands placing them exactly opposite his shoulders; then said thetakbir; then lowered himself to the ground in prostration, keeping his arms away from his sides and bending his toes; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it; then he adopted a natural position so that every bone returned properly to its place; then he prostrated himself; then he said thetakbir, raised himself and bent his left foot and sat on it: then he adopted a natural position so that every bone returned to its place; then he got up, and did the same as that in the secondrak'a. At the end of two rak'as he stood up and said thetakbir, raising his hands so as to bring them opposite his shoulders in the way he had said thetakbiron beginning to pray; then he did that in the remainder of his prayer, and after thesajda* which is followed by thetaslimhe put out his left foot and sat on his left hip; then he uttered thetaslim. They said, “You have spoken the truth. This is how he used to pray.” *i.e. prostration Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it. And Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted something to the same effect. Tirmidhi saying that this is ahasan sahihtradition. Then he bowed and placed his hands on his knees as though he were clutching them, and he bent his arms and kept them away from his sides. He (i.e. the narrator) said that he then prostrated himself placing his nose and his forehead on the ground, keeping his arms away from his sides, placing the palms of his hands [on the ground] opposite his shoulders, keeping his thighs separate and not letting his stomach press on any part of his thighs till he finished; then he sat up and spread out his left foot, putting forward the front of his right foot towards hisqibla, placing the palm of his right hand on his right knee and the palm of his left hand on his left knee, and he pointed with his finger, i.e., his forefinger. In another version by him [it says]: When he sat at the end of two rak'as he sat on the sole of his left foot and raised the right, and after the fourth he placed his left hip on the ground and put out both feet on one side. A version by Abu Dawud of the tradition of Abu Humaid.

Wa il b. Hujr said he saw that when the Prophet stood up to pray he raised his hands till they were in front of his shoulders and placed his thumbs opposite his ears, then he said thetakbir. Abu Dawud transmitted it, and in a version by him it says that he raised his thumbs to the lobes of his ears.

Qabisa b. Hulb quoted his father as saying that God’s Messenger would lead them in prayer and hold his left hand in his right. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Rifa'a b. Rafi' said that a man came and prayed in the mosque, after which he went and saluted the Prophet, who replied, “Repeat your prayer, for you have not prayed.” He asked him to teach him how to pray and he said:When you face theqiblasay thetakbir; then reciteUmm al-Qur’an* and what God wishes you to recite; when you bow place the palms of your hands on your knees, bowing completely and stretching out your back; when you raise yourself straighten your spine and raise your head so as to adopt an erect position; when you prostrate yourself do it completely; when you raise yourself sit on your left thigh; do that every time you bow and prostrate yourself till you are at rest, having finished your prayer. This is the wording ofal-Masabih. *The firstsura. Abu Dawud transmitted it with a slight alteration, and Tirmidhi and Nasa’i transmitted something to the same effect. In a version by Tirmidhi he said, “When you get up to pray perform the ablution as God commanded you, then say theshahada(The testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His messenger) and proceed with the prayer. If you know any of the Qur’an recite it, otherwise say, ‘Praise be to God; God is most great; there is no god but God.’ Then bow.”

AI-Fadl b. ‘Abbas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “The prayer is in twos, every two rak'as containing an utterance of thetahiyat, and acts of submission, supplication and humility. Then you should uplift your hands, i.e., raise them to your Lord, with the palms opposite your face, and say, ‘My Lord, my Lord.’ Anyone who does not do that is such and such.”* A version has, “is guilty of imperfection.” *A vague phrase indicating that the prayer is defective. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Sa'id b. al-Harith b. al-Mu‘alla said that Abu Sa'id al-Khudri led them in prayer and said thetakbirloudly when he raised his head after the prostration, when he prostrated himself, and when he rose at the end of two rak'as, and he said, “Thus did I see the Prophet do." Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Ikrima said:I prayed behind an old man in Mecca and he said thetakbirtwenty-two times. When I said to Ibn ‘Abbas that the man was a fool, he replied, “I am surprised at you. It was thesunnaof Abul Qasim.’’* *This is the Prophet’skunya. Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Ali b. al-Husain told inmursalform that God’s Messenger said thetakbirin prayer as often as he got down1 and got up2 and that this continued to be his method in prayer till he met God. 1. i.e. for bowing or prostration. 2. i.e. after prostration. Malik transmitted it.

‘Alqama said that Ibn Mas'ud suggested leading them in prayer in the way God’s Messenger had performed it. He prayed, raising his hands only once, along with thetakbirat the beginning. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it, and Abu Dawud said it is notsahihput this way.

Abu Humaid as-Sa‘idi said that when God’s Messenger stood up to pray, he faced theqibla, raised his hands and said, “God is most great." Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told how on an occasion when God’s Messenger led them in the noon prayer, there was a man at the back of the rows who performed the prayer badly. When he had said thetaslimGod’s Messenger called out to him, “So and so, do you not fear God? Do you not see how you should pray? You people think that part of what you are doing is hidden from me, but I swear by God that I see behind me just as I see in front of me." Ahmad transmitted it.