Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar used to offer the Eid prayers before delivering the sermon.

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When anyone of you prays towards an object that acts as a barrier between him and the people and then someone tries to pass in front of him, he should push him away; and if he insists, he should fight him, for indeed he is a devil."

Busr ibn Sa‘īd reported that Zayd ibn Khālid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) sent him to Abu Juhaym (may Allah be pleased with him) to ask him about what he heard from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about the one who passes in front of the praying person. Abu Juhaym said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If the person passing in front of someone praying knew the extent of the guilt he is incurring, he would prefer to stand for forty rather than pass in front him." Abu an-Nadr said: I am not sure if he said forty days, months, or years.

Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When one of you stands up to pray, he should put a screen in front of him as tall as the height of the back of a saddle. If he does not have something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him, his prayer would be invalidated if a donkey, a woman, or a black dog passed in front of him." I asked: “O Abu Dharr, what is the difference between a black dog and a red or a yellow dog?” He said: “O nephew, I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the same question and he answered: "A black dog is a devil.” According to a narration by Ibn ‘Abbās: "Prayer is invalidated by [the passing of] a menstruating woman and a dog."

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I used to sleep in front of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with my legs in his prayer direction. When he wanted to prostrate, he would prod me so that I withdraw my feet, and when he stood up, I would stretch them. In those days, houses had no lamps.

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Once I came riding a female donkey when I had almost attained the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was leading people in prayer at Mina with no wall in front of him, and I passed in front of part of the row. I dismounted and let the female donkey loose to graze and I joined the row and none objected to that.

Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn ‘Atā reported: While Abu Humayd As-Sā‘idi was sitting among ten of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) including Abu Qatādah, he said: "I am the most knowledgeable among you about the (manner of the) prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." They said: "Why? By Allah, you did not follow him more than we did, nor did you accompany him before us." He said: "Indeed, I am." They said: "Then show us." He said: "When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for prayer, he would raise his hands parallel to his shoulders, say Takbīr, and then wait until every bone of his body would settle properly in its place. Then he would recite (the Qur’an), then he would raise his hands parallel to his shoulders and say Takbīr, and then bow, placing his palms on his knees. Then he would stand up straight, and he would neither lower his head nor raise it much. Then he would say: ‘Allah hears those who praise Him'; and he would then raise his hands to the level of his shoulders while standing straight. Then he would say Takbīr and prostrate himself on the ground, keeping his arms away from his sides. Then he would raise his head and tuck his left foot and sit on it, and he would spread out his toes while prostrating. Then he would prostrate, then say Takbīr, raise his head, tuck his left foot, and sit on it until every bone returned to its place. Then he would stand up and do the same in the next Rak‘ah. Then, when he stood up after two Rak‘ahs, he would raise his hands up to the level of his shoulders as he did at the beginning of the prayer. Then he would offer the rest of his prayer in the same manner, and when he came to the prostration that is followed by Taslīm, he would draw his left foot backward and sit, placing his left posterior on the ground." They said: "You have spoken the truth; this is how the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the prayer."

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf reported: I asked ‘Ā'ishah, the Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) about the words with which the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to commence his voluntary night prayer. She said that when he got up at night, he would commence his prayer with these words: "O Allah, Lord of Jibrīl, Mikha'īl, and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that in which they used to differ. Guide me, by Your permission, to the truth about which people differ. Verily, You guide whom You will to the straight path!"

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered voluntary prayer during the night, he would say: "O Allah, our Lord! All praise belongs to You. You are the Custodian of the heavens and the earth, all praise belongs to You. You are the Lord of the heavens and the earth and all what is in them, all praise belongs to You. You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. You are the Truth, Your speech is the Truth, Your promise is the Truth, Your meeting is the Truth, Paradise is true, Hell-fire is true, and the Hour is true. O Allah, to You I submit, in You I believe, upon You I rely, By Your help I contend with my foes, and to You I refer for judgment. So, forgive me the sins I committed in the past and those I may commit in the future, those I did secretly and those I did openly, and all that which You know of better than I do. There is no god but You.”

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up to pray at night, he would make Takbīr and then say: "Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your greatness, and there is nothing worthy of worship but You," three times. Thereafter, he would say: "Allah is the absolute Greatest," three times, and: "I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing and All-Knowing, from the accursed Devil, from his evil suggestions, blowing, and spitting." After that, he would recite.

‘Ā’ishah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to start the prayer with Takbīr and then recite: {All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds}. When he bowed, he neither raised his head nor lowered it, but kept it level. When he raised his head from bowing, he would not prostrate until he had fully stood upright. When he raised his head from prostration, he would not prostrate (again) until he had sat upright. After each two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer), he would recite the Tahiyyah (greeting). He would spread his left foot out and erect his right foot. He would forbid sitting in the manner of the devil and resting the forearms on the ground, as a wild beast (i.e., lion) does. He would conclude the prayer with Taslīm (a salutation of peace that ends the prayer).

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) did not know where Surahs were to be separated until "In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful" was revealed to him.

Abu Qatādah and Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, I would stand up for (congregational) prayer intending to prolong it, but I hear the crying of an infant, so I shorten my prayer lest I make it burdensome for his mother."