5. Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

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

“We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! We know what it means to send greetings upon you, but what does it mean to send peace and blessings upon you?’ He said: ‘Say: “Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin ‘abdika wa Rasulika kama salayta ‘ala Ibrahima, wa barik ‘ala Muhammad (wa ‘ala ali Muhammadin) kama barakta…

It was narrated that Hakam said:

“I heard Ibn Abi Laila say: ‘Ka’b bin ‘Ujrah met me and said: “Shall I not give you a gift? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out to us and we said: ‘We know what it means to send greetings on you, but what does it mean to send peace and blessings upon you?’ He said: ‘Say: Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhamma…

It was narrated from Abu Humaid As-Sa’di that they said:

“O Messenger of Allah! We have been commanded to send peace and blessings upon you. How should we send peace and blessings upon you?” He said: “Say: Allahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyatihi, kama sallayta ‘ala Ibrahim; wa barik ‘ala Muhammadin wa azwajihi wa dhurriyatihi kama bara…

Aswad bin Yazid narrated that ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said:

“When you send peace and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), then do it well, for you do not know, that may be shown to him.” They said to him: “Teach us.” He said: “Say: ‘Allahumma aj’al salataka wa rahmataka wa barakatika ‘ala sayyidil-mursalin wa imamil-muttaqin wa khatamin- nabiyyin, Muha…

It was narrated that ‘Asim bin ‘Ubaidullah said:

“I heard ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amir bin Rabi’ah narrating from his father that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “There is no Muslim who sends peace and blessings upon me, but the angels will send peace and blessings upon him as long as he sends peace and blessings upon me. So let a person do a little of that or a lot.”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Whoever forgets to send peace and blessings upon me, then he has missed the road to Paradise.’”

Muhammad bin Abi ‘Aishah said:

“I heard Abu Hurairah say that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘When anyone of you finishes the last Tashah-hud, let him seek refuge with Allah from four things: From the torment of Hell, from the torment of the grave, from the trials of life and death, and from the Fitnah (tribulation) of Masihud-…

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to a man: ‘What do you say during your Salat?’ He said: ‘The Tashah-hud, then I ask Allah for Paradise, and I seek refuge with Him from Hell, but I do not understand what you and Mu’adh murmur (during Salat). He said: ‘Our murmuring revolves around the same things.’”

It was narrated from Malik bin Numair Al-Khuza’i that his father said:

“I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) putting his right hand on his right thigh during prayer, and pointing with his finger.”

It was narrated that Wa’il bin Hujr said:

“I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) making a circle with his thumb and middle finger, and raising the one next to it (the index finger), supplicating with it during the Tashah-hud.”

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to sit during prayer, putting his hands on his knees and raising his right finger which was next to his thumb, supplicating with it, and with his left hand (spread out) on his knee.

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the Salam to his right and his left, until the whiteness of his cheek could be seen (saying):

“As-salamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah (Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah).”

It was narrated from ‘Amir bin Sa’d, from his father, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the Salam to his right and to his left.

It was narrated that ‘Ammar bin Yasir said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say the Salam to his right and to his left, until the whiteness of his cheek could be seen (saying): ‘As-salamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah, as-salamu ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah.’”

It was narrated that Abu Musa said:

“Ali led us in prayer on the day of (the battle of) the Camel, in a way that reminded us of the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Either we had forgotten it or we had abandoned it. He said the Salam to his right and to his left.”

‘Abdul-Muhaimin bin ‘Abbas bin Sahl bin Sa’d As-Sa’idi narrated from his father, from his grandfather, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said one Taslim to the front.

It was narrated from Hisham bin ‘Urwah, from his father, from ‘Aishah, that the Messenger of Allah (saW) used to say one Salam, to the front.

It was narrated that Salamah bin Akwa’ said:

“I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performing the prayer, and he said one Salam.”

It was narrated from Samurah bin Jundub that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“When the Imam says the Salam, then respond to him.”

It was narrated that Samurah bin Jundab said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commanded us to greet our Imam with Salam, and to greet one another with Salam.”

It was narrated that Thawban said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘No person should lead others in prayer, then supplicate only for himself and not for them. If he does that, he has betrayed them.’”

It was narrated that ‘Aishah said:

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the Salam, he would sit only for as long as it took to say: ‘Allahumma Antas-Salam wa minkas-salam. Tabarakta ya Dhal-jalali wal- ikram. (O Allah, You are As-Salam, From You is all peace, blessed are You O Possessor of majesty and honour).’”

It was narrated from Umm Salamah that when the Prophet (ﷺ) performed the Subh (morning prayer), while he said the Salam, he would say:

‘Allahumma inni as’aluka ‘ilman nafi’an, wa rizqan tayyiban, wa ‘amalan mutaqabbalan (O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, goodly provision and acceptable deeds).’”

It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There are two characteristics which no Muslim man acquires but he will enter Paradise. They are easy but those who do them are few. At the end of every prayer he should glorify Allah (by saying Subhan Allah) ten times, extol Him (by saying Allahu Akbar) ten times, …

It was narrated that Abu Dharr said:

“It was said to the Prophet (ﷺ) and perhaps (one of the narrators) Sufyan said: I said: O Messenger of Allah! Those who have property and wealth have surpassed us in reward. They say the same as we do, and they spend but we do not spend.’ He said to me: ‘Shall I not tell you something which, if you …

Thawban narrated that when he finished his prayer, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would ask for forgiveness three times, then he would say:

“Allahumma Antas-Salam wa minkas-salam tabarakta ya Dhal-jalali wal- ikram” (O Allah, You are As-Salam and from You is all peace, Blessed are You O Possessor of majesty and honour).”

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

“The Prophet (ﷺ) led us (in prayer), and he used to depart from both sides. (i.e. from either side).”

It was narrated that Aswad said:

“ ‘Abdullah (bin Mas’ud) said: ‘None of you should apportion within himself a part (of his prayer) thinking that it is a right of Allah upon him that he must only turn to his right to leave after finishing the prayer. I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and most of the time he turned to his left.’”

It was narrated from ‘Amr bin Shu’aib, from his father, that his grandfather said:

“I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) departing to his right and to his left when he finished the prayer.”

It was narrated that Umm Salamah said:

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said the Salam, the women would stand up when he finished his Taslim, and he would stay where he was for a little while before standing up. (i.e. to depart).”

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“If food is served and the Iqamah for prayer is given, then start with the food.”

It was narrated from Nafi’ that Ibn ‘Umar said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If food is served and the Iqamah for prayer is given, then start with the food.” He said: "Ibn 'Umar ate dinner one night while he could hear the Iqamah."

It was narrated from ‘Aishah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

“If food is ready and the Iqamah is being given, then start with the food.”

It was narrated that Abu Malih said:

“I went out on a rainy night (for congregational prayer), and when I came back I asked for the door to be opened. My father said: ‘Who is this?’ I said: ‘Abu Malih.’ He said: ‘We were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) at Hudaybiyah and it rained a little, such that the soles of our sandals did not get…

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said:

“On rainy nights or on cold windy nights, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would summon his announcer to call out: ‘Perform your prayer at your camps.’”

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, on a Friday that was rainy:

“Perform your prayer at your camps.”

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Harith bin Nawfal that Ibn ‘Abbas commanded the Mu’adh-dhin to call the Adhan one Friday, which was a rainy day. He said:

“Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Ashhadu an la ilaha illallah, Ashhadu anna Muhammadan Rasulullah (Allah is the Most Great, Allah is Most Great, I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah).” Then he (Ibn ‘Abbas) said: “Procla…

It was narrated from Musa bin Talhah that his father said:

“We used to perform prayer while the beasts were passing in front of us. That was mentioned to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and he said: ‘If something like the hand of a saddle* is placed in front of anyone of you, it will not matter whoever passes in front of him.” * It is the piece of wood on the camel saddle which is held on to (to climb onto the camel).

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said:

“A small spear (Harbah) would be brought out to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was travelling; he would plant it (in the ground) to perform prayer while facing it.”

It was narrated that ‘Aishah said:

“The Messenger of Allah had a reed mat that he would spread out during the day, and make into a compartment at night, towards which he would perform prayer.”

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“When anyone of you performs prayer, let him put something in front of him. If he cannot find anything then let him put a stick. If he cannot find one, then let him draw a line. Then it will not matter if anything passes in front of him.”

Busr bin Sa’eed said:

“They sent me to Zaid bin Khalid to ask him about passing in front of one who is performing prayer. He told me that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘Waiting for forty is better than passing in front of one who is performing prayer.’” (One of the narrators) Sufyan said: "I do not know if he meant forty years, months, days, or hours."

It was narrated from Busr bin Sa’eed that Zaid bin Khalid sent word to Abu Juhaim Al-Ansari asking him:

“What did you hear from the Prophet (ﷺ) about a man when he is performing prayer?” He said: “I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: ‘If anyone of you knew (how great is the sin involved) when he passed in front of his brother who is performing prayer, then waiting for forty’,” (one of the narrators) sa…

It was narrated that Abu Hurairah said:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you knew (how great is the sin involved) in passing in front of his brother while he is performing prayer, waiting for one hundred years would be better for him than one step that he takes.’”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) was performing prayer at ‘Arafat, and Fadl and I came riding a female donkey. We passed in front of part of the row, then we dismounted and left the donkey, and we came and joined the row.”

It was narrated that Umm Salamah said:

“The Prophet (ﷺ) was performing prayer in the house of Umm Salamah, and ‘Abdullah or ‘Umar bin Abu Salamah passed in front of him; he gestured his hand, and he went back. Then Zainab bint Umm Salamah passed in front of him, and he gestured his hand, but she kept going. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ…

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The prayer is severed by a black dog and a woman who has reached the age of menstruation.”

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The prayer is severed by a woman, a dog and a donkey.”

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Mughaffal that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The prayer is severed by a woman, a dog and a donkey.”

It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Samit from Abu Dharr, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The prayer is severed by a woman, a donkey, and a black dog, if there is not something like the handle of a saddle in front of a man.” I (‘Abdullah) said: “What is wrong with a black dog and not a red one?” He (Abu Dharr) said: ‘I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) the same question, and he said: “Th…