Muntaqa Ibn Jarud

Sayyiduna Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I will certainly observe the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He narrates that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the prayer, he said the takbir and raised both hands; I saw his thumbs near his ears. He (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated the entire hadith. He says: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed sajdah, he placed his head between his hands at the same distance as it was during the opening takbir (tahrimah).

Sayyiduna Rifa’ah bin Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he was sitting with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when a man entered the mosque and performed prayer. When he finished the prayer, he came to the Prophet and greeted him and all the people with salam. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him and said: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The companion says that he went back and prayed, so we began to observe his prayer, but we did not know what deficiency there was in his prayer. When he finished the prayer, he came to the Prophet and greeted him and all the people with salam. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to him and said: Go back and pray again, for you have not prayed. Two or three times the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this in the same way, so the man said: I do not know what deficiency you find in my prayer? The Prophet said: A person’s prayer is not complete until he performs ablution properly according to the way Allah has prescribed; he should wash his face and both hands up to and including the elbows, wipe his head, and wash both feet up to and including the ankles. Then he should say the takbir, praise and glorify Allah, then recite from the Qur’an as much as he is able according to Allah’s command. Then he should say the takbir and bow (ruku’), placing his palms on his knees until the joints settle in their places. Then, after saying «سمع الله لمن حمده», he should stand up straight until every bone returns to its place and the back is straight. Then, after saying the takbir, he should prostrate, placing his forehead firmly on the ground (Hammam [may Allah have mercy on him] says: sometimes the place of the forehead is mentioned as the face) until the joints settle in their places. Then, after saying the takbir, he should raise his head and sit upright on his buttocks and straighten his back. The Prophet described the entire prayer in this manner until he finished the prayer, then said: No one’s prayer is complete until he prays in this way.

Sayyiduna Abu Mas’ud Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer of the person who does not straighten his back in bowing and prostration is not sufficient.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us prayer: he said the takbeer and raised both hands, and when he went into ruku’, he placed his palms joined together between his knees. ‘Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: When this reached Sayyiduna Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: My brother speaks the truth, this is how we used to do, then we were commanded to hold the knees and place both hands on the knees.

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head from the second bowing in the Fajr prayer, he recited this supplication: "O Allah! Deliver Walid bin Walid, Salama bin Hisham, Ayyash bin Rabi'ah, and the weak Muslims of Mecca, and tighten Your grip on the tribe of Mudar, and afflict them with a famine like that of the time of Yusuf (peace be upon him)."

Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Qunoot (Nazilah) continuously for a month after each of the five prayers. When he would rise from the bowing (ruku') in the last rak'ah and say «سمع الله لمن حمده», he would supplicate against the tribe of Banu Sulaym (Ra'l, Dhakwan), and the followers would say Ameen. The narrator says: He had sent them (preachers) to invite them to Islam, whom they killed. Ikrimah says: The practice of Qunoot (Nazilah) began from here.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded to prostrate on seven (parts): two hands, two knees, the edges of the toes of both feet, and the forehead, and also forbade gathering the hair and clothes.

Sayyiduna Abu Sa‘id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: By the One Who honored you (O Prophet) and revealed the Book to you! I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) one night; he was leading the Maghrib prayer, and the tip of his forehead and nose were in water and mud (clay).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, narrates that the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: When a person performs prostration, he should also place his hands, and when he raises (his head), he should also raise his hands, because just as the face prostrates, both hands also prostrate.

Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the presence of ten Companions, including Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him): I know the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) better than all of you. Ibn Yahya (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Then he narrated the entire hadith.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) removed the curtain (during his illness), and the people were standing in rows behind Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). In the narration of Ibn Maqri’, it is mentioned that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to step back, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) signaled him to stay, so he remained. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O people! Of the glad tidings of Prophethood, now only righteous dreams remain, which a person sees himself or are shown to someone concerning him. Then he said: I have been forbidden from reciting the Qur’an in the state of bowing and prostration, so in bowing, glorify the greatness of your Lord, and in prostration, strive to make supplication, for it is not unlikely that it will be accepted.

Abu Qilabah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Sayyiduna Malik bin Huwairith (may Allah be pleased with him) came to our mosque and said: I want to show you how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray. So he began to describe: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would raise his head from the second prostration, he would sit, then get up by taking support from the ground.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when we used to pray behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would say in the Tashahhud: Peace be upon Jibreel, peace be upon Mika'il, peace be upon Israfil, and peace be upon so-and-so and so-and-so. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards us and said: Allah Himself is As-Salam (the Source of Peace), so when you sit in prayer (for Tashahhud), say: «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحِينَ» When you have said these words, the greeting of peace will reach every righteous person in the heavens and the earth and those between them. Then say: «أَشْهَدُ أَن لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» Then ask for whatever (supplication) you wish.

Ibn Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I met Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him), so he said: Shall I not give you a gift? Or he said: Shall I not narrate to you a hadith? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us, so we asked: O Messenger of Allah! We have learned how to send peace (salam) upon you, but how should we send blessings (salat) upon you? He said: Say like this: O Allah! Send mercy upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as You sent mercy upon Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and upon the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Surely, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah! Send blessings upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibrahim. Surely, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When anyone sits for Tashahhud, he should seek refuge from four things: the punishment of Hell, the punishment of the grave, the trials of life and death, and the evil of the False Messiah (Dajjal), then he may supplicate for whatever he wishes for himself.

Sayyiduna Abu Wa’il (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I decided to see how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer. Then I saw that he said the takbir while standing and raised both hands up to the level of his ears. Then he placed his right palm on the back of his left hand, wrist, and forearm. Then when he bowed (for ruku’), he raised his hands in the same way. Then when he went into prostration, he placed his hands at the level of his ears. Then when he sat, he spread his left foot and placed his left palm on his left thigh and knee, and raised the edge of his right elbow from his right thigh. Then he joined two fingers together to form a circle, then raised his finger, and I saw that he was moving it and reciting supplication. Then, when I came during the winter season, I saw that people had taken large sheets of cloth and their hands were moving underneath (for raising the hands).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say «السلام عليكم ورحمة الله» while turning his face to the right for salam, then would say «السلام عليكم ورحمته الله» while turning his face to the left for salam, until the whiteness of his cheeks would be visible from both sides.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrates that he saw the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). When he began the prayer, he would raise both hands up to the shoulders, and similarly when he bowed (for ruku‘) and when he raised his head from ruku‘ (he would perform raf‘ al-yadayn), and he would not perform raf‘ al-yadayn between the two prostrations.

Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the presence of ten Companions, including Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him): I know the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) better than all of you. They said: How is that? By Allah! Neither did you follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) more than us, nor did you keep his company more than us. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Alright! They said: Well then, present it. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood for prayer, he would raise his hands to the level of his shoulders and say the takbir, until every bone would settle in its place with moderation. Then he would recite, then say the takbir and raise his hands to the level of his shoulders, until every bone returned to its joint. Then he would bow (ruku’), placing his palms on his knees and keeping his back straight, neither lowering his head too much nor raising it high. Then he would raise his head and say «سمع الله لمن حمده», then raise his hands to the level of his shoulders and stand up straight. Abu ‘Asim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I think he said: until every bone returned to its place. Then he would say «الله اكبر» and bend towards the ground, prostrating with his hands away from his sides. Then he would raise his head and fold his left foot and sit on it. When he prostrated, he would keep the toes of both feet spread. Then he would prostrate again, then say «الله اكبر» and raise his head and fold his left foot and sit upright on it for as long as it took for every bone to return to its place. Then he would do the same in the second rak’ah. Then, when he stood up after two rak’ahs, he would raise both hands to the level of his shoulders just as he did at the beginning of the prayer. Then he would perform the rest of the prayer in the same way, until when he was in the final sitting, in which the salam is said, he would take out his left foot (from under his buttocks to the right side) and sit on his left hip. All of them said: You have spoken the truth; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray like this.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that whenever he would bow or rise (in prayer), he would say «الله اكبر», and he would say: My prayer is the most similar to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) among all of you.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When the reciter (imam) says Ameen, you should also say Ameen, because the angels also say Ameen. Whoever’s Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels, all his previous sins will be forgiven.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man said: O Messenger of Allah! Teach me something that will suffice me in place of the Qur'an. He said: «سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ» Say this. Sufyan says: In the narration of Abu Khalid al-Wasiti, these words are also present that the man said: These words are for my Lord, what is there for me? He said: «اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَعَافِنِي» O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, and grant me well-being. Recite this. The man said: Four words are for my Lord and four are for me.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that there is recitation in every prayer; where you (the Prophet ﷺ) recited aloud to us, we also recited aloud, and where you (ﷺ) recited quietly, we also recited quietly. I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: There is no prayer without recitation.

Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Surah Al-Fatihah and an additional Surah in each of the first two rak‘ahs of the Zuhr prayer, and sometimes he would let us hear a verse. He used to make the first rak‘ah longer than the second, and in each of the last two rak‘ahs, he would recite (only) Surah Al-Fatihah. Abu Qatadah says: In the ‘Asr and Fajr prayers, he used to do the same. Abu Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him) says: This narration is also reported through another chain, but in that, there is no mention of the Fajr prayer.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him: Announce among the people of Madinah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has said: There is no prayer without reciting Surah Al-Fatihah and something additional. Abu Muhammad says that he is a student of Ja’far Thawri and Isa bin Yunus.

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer of that person is not valid who does not recite Surah Al-Fatihah.

Naeem Mujmir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I prayed behind Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), so he recited «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» and then recited Surah Al-Fatihah. When he reached «ولا الضالين», he said "Ameen," and the people also said Ameen. When he would go into prostration or rise from sitting, he would say «الله اكبر». After concluding the prayer with salam, he said: By Him in Whose hand is my soul! My prayer is more similar to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) than any of yours.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I prayed behind the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them), and I heard them reciting «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» aloud. Imam Shu’bah (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I asked Imam Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him): Did you yourself hear (this from Sayyiduna Anas, may Allah be pleased with him)? He replied: Yes!

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to begin recitation from «الحمد لله رب العالمين».

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I offered prayer behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, Sayyiduna Umar, and Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them), and they did not recite «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» aloud.

Sayyiduna Jubair bin Mut’im (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would enter the prayer, he would recite three times: «اللهُ أَكْبَرُ كَبِيرًا وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ كَثِيرًا» Allah is the Greatest. For Him is abundant praise. And «وَسُبْحَانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَان الرَّحِيمِ مِنْ نَفْخِهِ وَنَفْيْهِ وَهَمْزِهِ» I declare the purity of Allah morning and evening, I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan, from his blowing, his spitting, and his madness. Amr says: “Nafkh” means arrogance, “Hamz” means death, and “Nafth” means poetry. Those who narrated from Husayn have differed regarding the name of “Asim Anazi.” Some said Amr bin Murrah, some said Ammar bin Asim, some said Ammarah, and Ibn Idris said: Amr, and from Ubad bin Asim.

Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would begin the prayer, he would say: «الله اكبر» Then he would recite this supplication: «وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ ، إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَبِذَلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ المُسْلِمِينَ ، اللهُمَّ أَنْتَ الْمَلِكُ لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ رَبِّي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَاعْتَرَفْتُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي جَمِيعًا لَّا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَاهْدِنِي لِأَحْسَنِ الأَخْلَاقِ لَا يَهْدِي لِأَحْسَنِهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ وَاصْرِفْ عَنِّي سَيِّئَهَا لَا يَصْرِفُ سَيِّئَهَا إِلَّا أَنْتَ لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ وَالخَيْرُ كُلُّهُ فِي يَدَيْكَ وَالشَّرُّ لَيْسَ إِلَيْكَ أَنَا بِكَ وَإِلَيْكَ تَبَارَكْتَ وَتَعَالَيتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْكَ» I have turned my face with single-minded devotion towards the One who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not among the polytheists. My prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are for Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. He has no partner, and I have been commanded this, and I am the first to submit. O Allah! You are the King, there is no true deity except You, You are my Lord and I am Your servant. I have wronged myself and I confess my sins, so forgive all my sins, for none forgives sins except You. Guide me to the best of character, for none guides to the best of character except You. Remove bad character from me, for none can remove bad character from me except You. I am present, I am present, all goodness is in Your hands, evil is not attributed to You, I am with You and towards You, You are blessed and exalted, I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance. When he would go into bowing (ruku‘), he would recite this supplication: «اللهم لَكَ رَكَعْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ خَشَعَ لَكَ سَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَمُخِي وَعِظَامِي وَعَصَبِي» O Allah! I have bowed for You alone, I have believed in You alone, I have submitted to You alone, my ears, my eyes, my brain, my bones, and my tendons are humbled before You alone. When he would raise his head from bowing, he would recite this supplication: «سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ مِلْءَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمِلْءَ مَا شِئْتَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ بَعْدُ» Allah has heard the one who praises Him. O our Lord! For You is such praise that fills the heavens and the earth and whatever else You will after them. When he would prostrate, he would recite this supplication: «اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ سَجَدَ وَجْهِي لِلَّذِي خَلْقَهُ وَصَوَّرَهُ فَأَحْسَنَ صُوَرَهُ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ فَتَبَارَكَ اللهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ» O Allah! I have prostrated for You alone, I have believed in You alone, I have submitted to You alone, my face has prostrated to the One who created it, shaped it beautifully, and made its hearing and sight. Blessed is Allah, the best of creators. When he would finish the prayer and say salam, he would recite this supplication: «اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي مَا قَدَّمْتُ وَمَا أَخَّرْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَرْتُ وَمَا أَعْلَنْتُ وَمَا أَسْرَفْتُ وَمَا أَنْتَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِ مِنِّي أَنْتَ الْمُقَدِّمُ وَالْمُوَخِّرُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ» O Allah! Forgive what I have done before and what I will do later, what I have done secretly and what I have done openly, what I have transgressed, and what You know better than I do. You are the First and the Last, there is no deity worthy of worship except You. Abu Salih narrated at all places as follows: «لَّا إِلهَ لِي إِلَّا أَنْتَ» There is no deity for me except You.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand for prayer, he would raise both hands; when his hands reached the level of his shoulders, he would say Allahu Akbar. Then, when he was about to go into bowing (ruku‘), he would raise them, and when they reached the level of his shoulders, he would say Allahu Akbar in that state. After bowing, when he would begin to raise his back, he would raise his hands to the level of his shoulders, then say «سمع الله لمن حمده», then perform prostration (sajdah), but in prostrations, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not raise his hands. He would raise his hands at every takbeer before every rak‘ah and bowing, until his prayer was completed.