5. Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin ‘Ata’ said:

“I heard Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi say: ‘When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for prayer, he would face the prayer direction, raise his hands, and say: “Allahu Akbar (Allah is Most Great).”

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to start his prayer by saying: ‘Subhanaka Allahumma wa bi hamdika, wa tabarakas-muka, wa ta’ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghairuka (Glory and praise be to You, O Allah, blessed be Your Name and exalted be Your majesty, none has the right to be worshipped but you).”

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the Takbir (Allah Akbar), he would remain silent between the Takbir and the recitation. I said: ‘May my father and mother be ransomed for you! I noticed that you are silent between the Takbir and the recitation; please tell me what you say then.’ He said: ‘I say…

It was narrated from ‘Aishah that when the Prophet (ﷺ) started Salat he would say:

“Subhanak Allahumma wa bi hamdika, wa tabarakas- muka wa ta’ala jadduka, wa la ilaha ghayruk (Glory and praise is to You, O Allah, blessed is Your Name and exalted is Your majesty, none has the right to be worshipped but You).”

It was narrated from Ibn Jubair bin Mut’im that his father said:

“I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he started the prayer. He said: ‘Allahu Akbaru kabiran, Allahu Akbaru kabiran (Allah is the Most Great indeed),’ three times; ‘Al-hamdu Lillahi kathiran, al-hamdu Lillahi kathiran (Much praise is to Allah),’ three times; ‘Subhan Allahi bukratan wa asilan (Glory…

It was narrated from Ibn Mas’ud that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“Allahumma inni a’udhu bika minash-Shaitanir-rajim, wa hamzihi wa nafkhihi wa nafthihi (O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the accursed Satan, from his madness, his pride, and his poetry).”

It was narrated from Qabisah bin Hulb that his father said:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to lead us in prayer, and he would take hold of his left hand with his right.”

It was narrated that Wa’il bin Hujr said:

“I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) performing prayer, and he took hold of his left hand with his right.”

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) passed by me, and I was putting my left hand on my right. He took hold of my right hand and put it on my left.”

It was narrated that ‘Aishah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman used to start their recitation with “All praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of all that exists. (Al- hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin).’”

It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr and ‘Umar used to start their recitation with ‘All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of all that exists (Al-hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin).”

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to start his recitation with ‘All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of all that exists’ (Al-hamdu Lillahi Rabbil-‘Alamin),’

Ibn ‘Abdullah bin Mughaffal narrated from his father and he said:

“I have rarely seen a man for whom innovation in Islam was harder to bear than him. He heard me reciting: ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful’ Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim and he said: ‘O my son, beware of innovation, for I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and with Abu …

It was narrated from Qutbah bin Malik that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) recite:

“And tall date palms, with ranged clusters” in the Subh.

It was narrated that ‘Amr bin Huraith said:

“I performed prayer with the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was reciting in the Fajr, and it is as if I can hear him reciting: ‘So verily, I swear by the planets that recede. And by the planets that move swiftly and hide themselves.’”

It was narrated from Abu Barzah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite between sixty and one hundred (Verses) in Fajr prayer.

It was narrated that Abu Qatadah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to lead us in prayer, and he would lengthen the first Rak’ah of the Zuhr and shorten the second Rak’ah, and he would do likewise in the Subh.”

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Sa’ib said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recited Al-Mu’minun in the Subh prayer, and when he came to the mention of ‘Eisa, he was overcome with a cough, so he bowed in Ruku’.”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said:

“For the Subh prayer on Fridays, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite ‘Alif-Lam-Mim. The revelation...’ and ‘Has there not been over man...’”

It was narrated from Mus’ab bin Sa’d that his father said:

“For the Fajr prayer on Fridays, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite ‘Alif-Lam-Mim. The revelation...’ and ‘Has there not been over man...’”

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that for the Subh prayer on Fridays, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite ‘Alif-Lam-Mim’. The revelation...’ and ‘Has there not been over man...”

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud that for the Subh prayer on Fridays, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite “Alif-Lam-Mim. The revelation...” and “Has there not been over man..”

It was narrated that Qaza’ah said:

“I asked Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He said: ‘There is nothing good in that for you.’* I said: ‘Explain it, may Allah have mercy on you.’ He said: ‘The Iqamah would be given for the Zuhr prayer for the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), then one of us would go out to A…

It was narrated that Abu Ma’mar said:

“I said to Khabbab: ‘How did you recognize that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was reciting in the Zuhr and the ‘Asr?’ He said: ‘From the movement of his beard.’”

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“I have never seen anyone whose prayer more closely resembles that of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than so-and-so. He used to lengthen the first two Rak’ah of the Zuhr and shorten the last two Rak’ah, and he used to shorten the ‘Asr.”

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri said:

“Thirty of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who had been at Badr came together and said: ‘Come, let us estimate the length of the recitation of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for the prayer in which Qur’an is not recited out aloud.’ No two men among them disagreed, and they estimated the len…

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Abu Qatadah that his father said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to recite when leading us in the first two Rak’ah of the Zuhr prayer, and sometimes he would recite such that we could hear the Verse.”

It was narrated that Bara’ bin ‘Azib said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to lead us for the Zuhr, and we would hear him reciting a Verse after the Verses from Surat Luqman (31) and Adh-Dhariyat (51).”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said, narrating from his mother (one of the narrators) Abu Bakr bin Abu Shaibah said:

“(She was) Lubabah” that she heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) reciting ‘By the winds sent forth one after another...’ in the Maghrib.

It was narrated from Muhammad bin Jubair bin Mut’im that his father said:

“I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) reciting At-Tur (52) in the Maghrib.” In a different narration, Jubair said: “And when I heard him recite: ‘Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators?’ up to: ‘Then let their listener produce some manifest proof’, it was as if my heart were about to take flight.”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to recite in the Maghrib: ‘Say: O you disbelievers!’ and ‘Say: He is Allah, (the) One.’”

It was narrated from Bara’ bin ‘Azib that he performed the ‘Isha’, the later, with the Prophet (ﷺ). He said:

“I heard him reciting ‘By the fig, and the olive’.”

‘Adi bin Thabit narrated something similar from Bara’ and said:

“I have never heard any man with a better voice or who recites better than him.”

It was narrated from Jabir that Mu’adh bin Jabal led his companions for the ‘Isha’ and he made the prayer too long for them. The Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“Recite ‘By the sun and its brightness,’[Al-Shams (91)] ‘Glorify the Name of your Lord, the Most High,’ [Al-A’la (87)] ‘By the night as it envelops,’ or, ‘Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created.’”

It was narrated from ‘Ubadah bin Samit that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“There is no prayer for the one who does not recite Fatihatil-Kitab in it.”

It was narrated from Abu Sa’ib that he heard Abu Hurairah say:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever performs a prayer in which he does not recite Ummul Qur’an (the Mother of the Qur’an, i.e., Al- Fatihah), it is deficient; not complete.’” I said: ‘O Abu Hurairah, sometimes I am behind the Imam. He pressed my forearm and said: ‘O Persian! Recite it to your…

It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There is no prayer for the one who does not recite in every Rak’ah: Al-Hamd (Al-Fatihah) and a Surah whether in an obligatory prayer or another.’”

It was narrated that ‘Aishah said:

“I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: ‘Every prayer in which the Ummul-Kitab (the Mother of the Book) is not recited is deficient.’”

It was narrated that from ‘Amr bin Shu’aib, from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“Every prayer in which Fatihatil-Kitab (the Opening of the Book) is not recited, it is deficient, it is deficient.”

Abu Idris Al-Khawlani narrated that a man asked Abu Darda’:

“Should I recite when the Imam is reciting?” He said: “A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) whether there was recitation in every prayer. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Yes.’ A man among the people said: ‘It has become obligatory.’”

It was narrated that Jabir bin ‘Abdullah said:

“We used to recite the Opening of the Book and a Surah behind the Imam in the first two Rak’ah of the Zuhr and the ‘Asr, and in the last wo Rak’ah (we would recite) the Opening of the Book.”

It was narrated that Samurah bin Jundab said:

“There are two pauses which I memorized from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), but `Imran bin Husain denied that. We wrote to Ubayy bin Ka`b in Al-Madinah, and he wrote that Samurah had indeed memorized them.” (One of the narrators) Sa`eed said: "We said to Qatadah: 'What are these two pauses?' He said: …

Samurah said:

“I memorized two pauses in the prayer, a pause before reciting and a pause when bowing. ‘Imran bin Husain denied that, so they wrote to Al-Madinah, to Ubayy bin Ka’b, and he said that Samurah was speaking the truth.”

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The Imam has been appointed to be followed, so when he says Allahu Akbar, then say Allahu Akbar, when he recites, then listen attentively; when he says: Not (the way) of those who earned Your anger, nor of those who went astray, then say Amin; when he bows then bow…

It was narrated that Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When the Imam recites, then listen attentively, and if he is sitting (in the prayer) then the first remembrance that anyone of you recites should be the Tashahhud.’”

It was narrated that Ibn Ukaimah said:

“I heard Abu Hurairah say: ‘The Prophet (ﷺ) led his Companions in a prayer; we think it was the Subh. He said: “Did anyone among you recite?” A man said: “I did.” He said: “I was saying to myself, what is wrong with me that someone is fighting to wrest the Qur’an from me?”

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in prayer,” and he mentioned a similar report, and added to it, and he said: “And after that they were quiet in the prayers in which the Imam recites aloud.”

It was narrated that Jabir said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever has an Imam, the recitation of the Imam is his recitation.’”

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“When the reciter says Amin, then say Amin, for the angels say Amin, and if a person’s Amin coincides with the Amin of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.”

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “When the reciter says Amin, then say Amin, for if a person’s Amin coincides with the Amin of the angels, his previous sins will be forgiven.”