Fath al-Rabbani

Wasi’ bin Hibban says: I said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him): Tell me about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), how was it? He (in response) also mentioned this: Whenever he bowed his head and raised it, he would say the takbeer. Then he mentioned saying "As-salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullah" to the right side and "As-salamu ‘alaykum" to the left side.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them) used to say Takbeer when they prostrated, when they stood up, and when they bowed.

Sayyiduna Abu Malik Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) gathered his companions and said: Come, I will teach you the prayer of the Prophet of Allah. He was a man from the Ash'ari tribe. Then he asked for a tub, washed his hands three times, then rinsed his mouth and put water into his nose, and washed his face three times, then washed both arms three times, and after that wiped his head and ears, and then washed his feet. Then he led the Zuhr prayer, recited Surah Al-Fatihah in it, and said Allahu Akbar twenty-two times.

(Second chain of narration) In this it is stated: And he wiped over the apparent parts of his head and feet, then led them in prayer and said twenty-two takbirs. When he would prostrate and when he would raise his head from prostration, he would say Allahu Akbar. He recited Surah Al-Fatihah in both rak‘ahs and (by slightly raising his voice) made it audible to those near him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Malik Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the recitation and standing in all four rak'ahs of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) were equal, except that he would prolong the first rak'ah so that people could arrive. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would make the men stand in front of the children, the children behind them, and the women behind the children. Whenever he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) performed sajdah and rose from it, he would say takbeer. Similarly, when after two rak'ahs he sat for tashahhud and then stood up for the third rak'ah, he would say Allahu Akbar.

Ikrimah says: I said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him): I performed the Zuhr prayer in Batha behind an old man, and this foolish man said twenty-two takbirs; whenever he would prostrate and when he would raise his head from it, he would say the takbir. (Upon hearing this) Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: This is the prayer of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I saw the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he would say takbeer at every bowing, rising, standing, and sitting, and when turning to the right and left to say salam (he would turn his blessed face so much that) the whiteness of his cheeks would become visible. Then I saw Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) doing the same.

Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman says: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to lead us in prayer. When he would stand, when he would bow (ruku‘), when he intended to prostrate after rising from ruku‘, when he would raise his head from prostration and then prostrate again, when he would sit, and when he would stand after two rak‘ahs, he would say "Allahu Akbar." In the second two rak‘ahs, he would say the takbirs in the same way. When he finished the prayer with salam, he would say: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Indeed, I am the one among you who most closely resembles the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This was the manner of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer until he departed from this world."

Abu Salih says: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say the takbeer at every bowing and rising, and then he would state that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do the same.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood for prayer, he would say the takbeer; when he bowed for ruku, he would say the takbeer; when he raised his back from ruku, he would say "Sami' Allahu liman hamidah," then while standing he would say "Rabbana lakal hamd." Then when he bent down for prostration (sajdah), he would say the takbeer; when he raised his head from prostration, he would say the takbeer; then when he went down for the (second) prostration, he would say the takbeer; then when he raised his head, he would say the takbeer. Then he would continue this practice of saying the takbeerat throughout the entire prayer until he completed it. When the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up after sitting for two rak'ahs, he would also say "Allahu Akbar."

Saeed bin Harith says: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) had fallen ill or had gone somewhere; in any case, Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer. At the beginning of the prayer, at the time of bowing (ruku‘), after saying "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah" when rising from ruku‘, when raising his head from prostration (sajdah), when going into prostration, and when standing up for the third rak‘ah after two rak‘ahs, he said "Allahu Akbar." He continued the prayer in this manner until he completed it. When he finished the prayer, someone said to him: People have objected to your way of praying. (Upon hearing this) he went out and stood by the pulpit and said: By Allah! I do not care whether your prayer is different or not; I saw the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praying in exactly this way.

Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) reminded us of the prayer which we used to perform with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), either we had forgotten it or deliberately abandoned it. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), when he would bow (in ruku’), rise (from ruku’), and prostrate (in sujood), he would say Allahu Akbar.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I performed a prayer behind Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), and he reminded me of that prayer which I had performed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the two caliphs. Mutarrif says: (Upon hearing this) I went and prayed with him, (I saw that) when he would go into prostration and when he would raise his head from bowing, he would say the takbeer. Then I asked: O Abu Najid! Who was the first to abandon this method? He said: When Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) became old and his voice became weak, he abandoned it.

Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Abzi (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not say takbeer, that is, when he would bow and rise.