The Book of The At-Tatbiq (Clasping One's Hands Together)

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) drew the curtain (of his chamber) aside to see the people standing in rows behind Abu Bakr in prayer. He then said: "O people, there is nothing remaining of the glad tidings of prophet-hood except a good vision that a Muslim sees or someone else sees it for him. Verily, I have been forbidden to recite the Qur'an while bowing or prostrating. So, while bowing, glorify the Lord, and while prostrating, engage in supplication diligently, for it is most likely that your supplications would be answered."

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not offer a prayer after the revelation of {When there comes Allah’s help and the conquest} [Surat an-Nasr: 1] except that he would say therein: "Subhānaka Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allāhumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me)". She also reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say frequently in his Rukū‘ and Sujūd: "Subhānak Allāhumma Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allāhumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me)" in compliance with the command in the Qur’an.

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite in his bowing and prostration: "You are the Most Glorious, the Most Holy, and the lord of the angels and of the Spirit."

‘Awf ibn Mālik al-Ashja‘i (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I stood in prayer one night with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). He stood up and recited Sūrat al-Baqarah. Whenever he came across a verse mentioning mercy, he stopped and asked (Allah for mercy); and whenever he came across a verse mentioning punishment, he stopped and sought refuge (with Allah from it). Then he bowed and paused as long as he stood, and said while bowing: "Glory be to the Possessor of greatness, dominion, grandeur, and majesty." Then he prostrated himself and paused as long as he stood and said while prostrating the same thing he said while bowing. He then stood up and recited Sūrat Āl-‘Imrān, and then recited other Sūrahs, one after another.

‘Abdullah ibn Yazīd al-Khatmi reported: Al-Barā’—and he is not a liar—said to me: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ''Sami‘allāhu liman hamidah (Allah hears whoever praises him),'' none of us would bend his back until the Prophet (ﷺ) had fallen in prostration. We would then fall in prostration right after him.

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.

‘Abdullah ibn Yazīd al-Khatmi reported: Al-Barā’—and he is not a liar—said to me: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ''Sami‘allāhu liman hamidah (Allah hears whoever praises him),'' none of us would bend his back until the Prophet (ﷺ) had fallen in prostration. We would then fall in prostration right after him.

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)."

Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) raised his back from Rukū‘ (bowing), he would say: "Sami‘a allāhu liman hamidah, allāhumma rabbana laka al-hamd mil’a as-samawāt wa mil’a al-ard wa mil’a ma shi’ta min shay’in ba‘d" (Allah hears he who praises Him. O Allah, our Lord, to You is the praise as much as fills the heavens, as much as fills the earth, and as much as fills whatever You will thereafter).

Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) raised his back from Rukū‘ (bowing), he would say: "Sami‘a allāhu liman hamidah, allāhumma rabbana laka al-hamd mil’a as-samawāt wa mil’a al-ard wa mil’a ma shi’ta min shay’in ba‘d" (Allah hears he who praises Him. O Allah, our Lord, to You is the praise as much as fills the heavens, as much as fills the earth, and as much as fills whatever You will thereafter).

‘Abdullah ibn Yazīd al-Khatmi reported: Al-Barā’—and he is not a liar—said to me: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ''Sami‘allāhu liman hamidah (Allah hears whoever praises him),'' none of us would bend his back until the Prophet (ﷺ) had fallen in prostration. We would then fall in prostration right after him.

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations: "Rabbi ighfir li, rabbi ighfir li" (My Lord, forgive me; my Lord, forgive me).

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."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When any of you prostrates, he should not kneel down like a camel; rather, he should put down his hands before his knees.”

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead (and he pointed to his nose), the hands, the knees, and the extremities of the feet, and not to tuck up the clothes and hair."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead (and he pointed to his nose), the hands, the knees, and the extremities of the feet, and not to tuck up the clothes and hair."

Abdullah ibn Mālik ibn Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed, he used to spread out his hands until the whiteness of his armpits would be visible.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Be moderate in prostration, and let none of you spread his forearms on the ground like a dog."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) drew the curtain (of his chamber) aside to see the people standing in rows behind Abu Bakr in prayer. He then said: "O people, there is nothing remaining of the glad tidings of prophet-hood except a good vision that a Muslim sees or someone else sees it for him. Verily, I have been forbidden to recite the Qur'an while bowing or prostrating. So, while bowing, glorify the Lord, and while prostrating, engage in supplication diligently, for it is most likely that your supplications would be answered."

Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I stayed overnight in the house of my aunt Maymūnah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up in the night and went to answer the call of nature, then he washed his face and hands, then he slept. Then he got up again and opened the water skin, then he performed ablution from a hanging water skin, not using much water, yet he washed all the parts properly and then offered the prayer. I got up and straightened my back in order that the Prophet might not feel that I was watching him, and then I performed the ablution, and when he got up to offer the prayer, I stood on his left. He caught hold of my ear and brought me over to his right side. He offered thirteen Rak‘ahs in all and then laid down and slept till he started snoring as he used to do when he slept. In the meantime Bilāl informed the Prophet of the approaching time for the (Fajr) prayer, and the Prophet offered the prayer without performing new ablution. He used to say in his invocation: "O Allah, place light in my heart, light in my sight, light in my hearing, light on my right, light on my left, light above me, light below me, light in front of me, light behind me, make light for me!"

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not offer a prayer after the revelation of {When there comes Allah’s help and the conquest} [Surat an-Nasr: 1] except that he would say therein: "Subhānaka Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allāhumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me)". She also reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say frequently in his Rukū‘ and Sujūd: "Subhānak Allāhumma Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allāhumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me)" in compliance with the command in the Qur’an.

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not offer a prayer after the revelation of {When there comes Allah’s help and the conquest} [Surat an-Nasr: 1] except that he would say therein: "Subhānaka Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allāhumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me)". She also reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say frequently in his Rukū‘ and Sujūd: "Subhānak Allāhumma Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allāhumma ighfir li (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me)" in compliance with the command in the Qur’an.

Abu Mūsa (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to invoke Allah with this supplication: "O Lord, forgive me my sin, my ignorance, my excess in all of my affairs, and whatever You are better aware of than me. O Allah, forgive me my sins, my deliberate sins, my ignorant sins, my humorous sins, and all of this I have committed. O Allah, forgive what I have done and what I have left undone, what I have committed secretly and what I have committed openly; You are the Advancer and You are the Delayer, and You have absolute power over everything."

Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations: "Rabbi ighfir li, rabbi ighfir li" (My Lord, forgive me; my Lord, forgive me).