The Book of Prayers

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Bilāl to pronounce the Adhān in pairs and the Iqāmah in singles.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered Bilāl to pronounce the Adhān in pairs and the Iqāmah in singles.

Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you hear the Adhan (call to prayer), repeat what the Muezzin says."

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: "When you hear the Muezzin, say what he says and then invoke Allah's blessings upon me, for whoever invokes Allah's blessings upon me once, Allah will bestow His blessings upon him ten times. Then, ask Allah to grant me the Wasīlah, a high rank in Paradise that befits only one of Allah's servants, and I hope that I will be him. If anyone asks for Wasīlah for me , intercession will be permitted for him.”

‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the Muezzin (the caller to prayer) says, 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), and one of you says 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar', and then he says, 'Ash'hadu an lā ilāh illa Allah' (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah), and he says, 'Ash'hadu an lā ilāh illa Allah', and then he says, 'Ash'hadu anna Muhammadan rasūl Allah' (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), and he says, 'Ash'hadu anna Muhammadan rasūl Allah', and then he says, 'Hayy ‘ala as-salāh' (Come to prayer), and he says, 'Lā hawla wala quwwata illa billāh' (There is no power or strength except through Allah), and then he says, 'Hayy ‘ala al-falāh' (Come to success), and he says, 'Lā hawla wala quwwata illa billāh', and then he says, 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar', and he says, 'Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar', and then he says, 'lā ilāh illa Allah', and he says 'lā ilāh illa Allah' from his heart, he will enter Paradise."

Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever says upon hearing the muezzin: 'Ash-hadu alla ilāha illallāh wahdahu la sharīka lah wa anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh, radītu billāhi rabban, wa bi Muhammadin rasūlan wa bil Islāmi dīna (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone without any partner and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger. I am pleased with Allah as a Lord, with Muhammad as a messenger, and with Islam as a religion), his sins will be forgiven)."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the call to prayer is announced, the devil takes to his heels and breaks wind with noise so as not to hear the call. When the call to prayer is over, he returns. When the Iqāmah is announced, he takes to his heels, and after it is over, he returns again to distract the attention of the worshiper and make him remember things which were not on his mind before the prayer, saying: 'Remember such-and-such, and remember such-and-such,' until the worshiper forgets how many units of prayer he performed.”

Mālik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) made Takbīr, he would raise his hands up to the level of his ears. When he bowed, he would raise his hands up to the level of his ears, and when he raised his head from bowing and said: "Allah hears those who praise Him," he would do the same.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: 'When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up for prayer, he would say Takbīr when he stands. Then he would say Takbīr when he bows. Then he would say: "Allah hears the one who praised Him" when he raises his back from bowing. Then he would say while standing: "O Lord, to you belongs the praise!" Then he would say Takbīr when he goes down (to prostrate) and would say Takbīr when he raises his head. Then he would say Takbīr when he prostrates himself, then he would say Takbīr on raising his head. He would do that throughout the whole prayer until he completes it. He would also say Takbīr when he gets up at the end of the two Rak‘ahs Abu Hurayrah then said: ''My prayer has the closest resemblance to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).''

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: 'When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up for prayer, he would say Takbīr when he stands. Then he would say Takbīr when he bows. Then he would say: "Allah hears the one who praised Him" when he raises his back from bowing. Then he would say while standing: "O Lord, to you belongs the praise!" Then he would say Takbīr when he goes down (to prostrate) and would say Takbīr when he raises his head. Then he would say Takbīr when he prostrates himself, then he would say Takbīr on raising his head. He would do that throughout the whole prayer until he completes it. He would also say Takbīr when he gets up at the end of the two Rak‘ahs Abu Hurayrah then said: ''My prayer has the closest resemblance to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him).''

Mutarrif ibn ‘Abdullāh reported: I prayed with ‘Imrān ibn Husayn behind ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib. When he prostrated, he made Takbīr, when he raised his head he made Takbīr, and when he stood up after two Rak‘ahs, he made Takbīr. After he had finished praying, ‘Imrān took my hand and said: "This reminded me of the prayer of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." Or he said: "He led us in prayer the same way Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did."

‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer of the one who did not recite the Opening of the Book (Surat al-Fātihah) is invalid."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Allah Almighty said: 'I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.' When the servant says, '{All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds}', Allah Almighty says: 'My servant has praised Me.' And when he says, '{The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful}', Allah Almighty says: 'My servant has extolled Me.' And when he says, '{Master of the Day of Judgment}', Allah Almighty says: 'My servant has glorified Me' - And He also says: 'My servant entrusted his affairs to Me' - And when he says, '{You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help}', He says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.' And when he says, '{Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom You have blessed; not of those who incurred Your Wrath, or of those who went astray}', He says: 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.'"

‘Ubādah ibn as-Sāmit (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer of the one who did not recite the Opening of the Book (Surat al-Fātihah) is invalid."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, and then a man came in and prayed. He greeted the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who responded and said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." He went back and prayed as he had prayed, then, he came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and greeted him. He said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed," three times. So, he said: By the One Who sent you with the truth, I cannot do better than that. So teach me. He said: "When you stand to pray, say Takbīr (Allāhu Akbar), then recite whatever you can of the Qur’an; then bow until you are at ease in bowing; then rise until you are standing up straight; then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration; and then sit up until you are at ease in sitting. Do that throughout your prayer."

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the Tashahhud, with my hand between his two hands, as he would teach me a Surah from the Qur’an: "At-tahiyyātu lillāhi was-salawātu wat-tayyibātu as-Salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha an-nabiyyu wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh, as-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibādillāhi as-sālihīn, ash-hadu alla ilāha illallāh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh (Greetings, prayers, and good things are due to Allah. May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, O Prophet. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger)." Another wording reads: "Verily, Allah is the Giver of Peace, so when any of you sits in prayer, let him say: 'At-tahiyyātu lillāhi was-salawātu wat-tayyibātu as-salāmu ‘alayka ayyuha an-nabiyyu wa rahmatullāhi wa barakātuh, as-salāmu ‘alayna wa ‘ala ‘ibādillāhi as-sālihīn (Greetings, prayers, and good things are due to Allah. May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you, O Prophet. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah).' If you say this, it will benefit every righteous slave of Allah in heaven and on earth. (Then, say:) 'Ash-hadu alla ilāha illallāh wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh (I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger).' Then, let him choose whatever supplication he would like."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us the Tashahhud just as he used to teach us a Sūrah from the Qur’an. He used to say: "All blessed greetings and good prayers are due to Allah; peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings; peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger)." In another narration by Ibn Rumh: “As he used to teach us the Qur’an.”

Hittān ibn' Abdullāh ar-Raqāshi reported: I observed prayer with Abu Mūsa al-Ash'ari, and when he was in the tashahhud, someone among the people said: "The prayer has been made obligatory along with benevolence and Zakah." When Abu Mūsa finished the prayer and made taslīm, he turned to the people and said: "Who amongst you said such and such thing?" A hush fell on the people. He again said: "Who amongst you has said such and such thing?" A hush fell on the people. He said, "O Hittān, perhaps you have uttered it." Hittān said: "No, I have not uttered it. I feared you might be annoyed with me because of this." A person amongst the people said: "It was I who said it, and I intended nothing but good with it." Abu Mūsa said: "Do you not know what you have to say in your prayers? Verily, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) addressed us, explaining to us our Sunnah and teaching us our prayer, and said: 'When you pray, straighten your rows and let one of you lead in prayer, and when he says takbīr, say takbīr; when he recites {Not of those who incurred Your Wrath, or of those who went astray} [Surat al-Fātihah: 7], say 'amen'; and Allah will respond to you. And when he says takbīr, you also say takbīr, for the Imām bows and rises before you.' Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'This is equivalent to that. And when he says, 'Sami'a Allāhu liman hamidah' (Allah hears he who praises Him), you should say: 'Allahumma rabbanā laka al-hamd' (O Allah, our Lord, praise be to You), and Allah will hear you, for Allah Almighty said through the tongue of His Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): Allah hears he who praises Him. And when he says takbīr and prostrates, you should also say takbīr and prostrate, for the Imām prostrates before you and rises before you.' Then, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'This is equivalent to that. And when he sits for tashahhud, the first words of everyone amongst you should be: 'Attaḥiyyāt at-ṭayyibāt aṣ-ṣalawātu lillāhi, assalāmu 'alayka 'ayyuh an-nabiyyu wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh, assalāmu' alayna wa 'alā 'ibadillāhi aṣ-ṣāliḥīn. Ash'hadu an lā 'ilāha illā Allah wa ash'hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasūluh.' (All greetings, good things, and prayers are due to Allah. Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings. Peace be upon us and the righteous servants of Allah. I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger)."

‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abi Layla reported: I came across Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah who said: Shall I offer you a present? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us, and we said: O Messenger of Allah, we have learned how to greet you, but how should we invoke the blessings of Allah upon you? He said: "Say: Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama sallayta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm innaka hamīdun majīd. Allāhumma bārik' ala Muhammad wa' ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta' ala āli Ibrāhīm innaka hamīdun majīd (O Allah, bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You bestowed Your grace upon the family of Abraham. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You blessed the family of Abraham. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious)."

‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abi Layla reported: I came across Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah who said: Shall I offer you a present? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us, and we said: O Messenger of Allah, we have learned how to greet you, but how should we invoke the blessings of Allah upon you? He said: "Say: Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama sallayta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm innaka hamīdun majīd. Allāhumma bārik' ala Muhammad wa' ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta' ala āli Ibrāhīm innaka hamīdun majīd (O Allah, bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You bestowed Your grace upon the family of Abraham. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You blessed the family of Abraham. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious)."

Sohaib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the dwellers of Paradise enter Paradise, he said: Allah Almighty will say: Do you want Me to give you anything more? They will say: Have You not brightened our faces? Have You not made us enter Paradise and saved us from Hellfire? He said: He will then lift the veil, and out of all the things they are given, nothing will be dearer to them than looking at their Almighty Lord."

‘Abdur-Rahmān ibn Abi Layla reported: I came across Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah who said: Shall I offer you a present? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us, and we said: O Messenger of Allah, we have learned how to greet you, but how should we invoke the blessings of Allah upon you? He said: "Say: Allāhumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala āli Muhammad kama sallayta ‘ala āli Ibrāhīm innaka hamīdun majīd. Allāhumma bārik' ala Muhammad wa' ala āli Muhammad kama bārakta' ala āli Ibrāhīm innaka hamīdun majīd (O Allah, bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You bestowed Your grace upon the family of Abraham. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad just as You blessed the family of Abraham. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, All-Glorious)."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When the Imām says amen, you too say amen, for whoever says amen at the same time the angels say amen will have his previous sins forgiven."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Imām is appointed so that he should be followed; so, do not act differently from him. When he makes Takbīr all of you should say it after him; bow when he bows; say 'O our Lord, all praise be to You' when he says: Allah hears the one who praises Him; prostrate when he prostates; and all of you should pray sitting when he prays sitting."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The Imām is appointed so that he should be followed; so, do not act differently from him. When he makes Takbīr all of you should say it after him; bow when he bows; say 'O our Lord, all praise be to You' when he says: Allah hears the one who praises Him; prostrate when he prostates; and all of you should pray sitting when he prays sitting."

‘Ubaydullāh ibn ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Utbah reported: I went to ‘Ā’ishah and asked her to describe to me the Messenger's illness. ‘Ā’ishah said: "Yes. The Prophet became seriously ill and asked whether the people had prayed. We replied: 'No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you.' He added: 'Put water for me in a trough.'" ‘Ā’ishah added: "We did so. He took a bath and tried to get up but fainted. When he recovered, he again asked whether the people had prayed. We said: 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah!' He again said: 'Put water in a trough for me.' He sat down and took a bath and tried to get up but fainted again. Then he recovered and said: 'Have the people prayed?' We replied: 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah!' He said: 'Put water for me in the trough.' Then he sat down and washed himself and tried to get up but he fainted. When he recovered, he asked: 'Have the people prayed?' We said: 'No, they are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah! The people were in the mosque waiting for the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) for the ‘Ishā' prayer. The Prophet sent for Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer. The Prophet's messenger went to Abu Bakr and said: 'The Messenger orders you to lead the people in the prayer.' Abu Bakr was a softhearted man, so he asked ‘Umar to lead the prayer but ‘Umar replied: 'You are more rightful.' So Abu Bakr led the prayer in those days. When the Prophet felt a bit better, he came out for the Zhuhr prayer with the help of two persons one of whom was Al-‘Abbās, while Abu Bakr was leading the people in the prayer. When Abu Bakr saw him, he wanted to retreat but the Prophet beckoned him not to do so and asked them to make him sit beside Abu Bakr and they did so. Abu Bakr was following the Prophet (in the prayer) and the people were following Abu Bakr. The Prophet (prayed) sitting." ‘Ubaydullāh added: "I went to ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās and said: 'Shall I tell you what ‘Ā’ishah has told me about the fatal illness of the Prophet?' Ibn ‘Abbās said: 'Go ahead.' I told him her narration and he did not deny anything of it but asked whether ‘Ā’ishah told me the name of the second person (who helped the Prophet along with Al-‘Abbās. I said. 'No.' He said: 'He was ‘Ali (ibn Abi Tālib).'"