Prostration of thanksgiving

Sayyiduna Abdul Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out, heading toward his upper room. He entered it, faced the qiblah and went into prostration. He prolonged the prostration so much that I thought Allah Almighty had taken his soul during the prostration. I came near him, and he raised his head and asked: "Who is it?" I said: "Abdul Rahman." He asked: "What is the matter with you?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, you made such a prostration that I feared that Allah Almighty might have taken your soul during this prostration." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jibril came to me and gave me glad tidings, and told me: 'Allah Almighty says: Whoever sends blessings (durud) upon you, I will send down mercy upon him; and whoever sends salam upon you, I will send down peace upon him.' So I made this prostration to give thanks to Allah Almighty."
Ahmad recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was absent from us and did not come out, until we thought that perhaps he would not come out. Then he came out and went into prostration, and we thought that perhaps his soul had been taken during this prostration. When he raised his head, he said: "My Lord consulted me about my Ummah: what should I do with them? I said: 'O my Lord, do whatever You will! They are Your creation and Your servants.' My Lord consulted me a second time, and I said the same again. My Lord said: 'O Muhammad, I will not grieve you concerning your Ummah.'" After this the narrator mentioned the complete hadith.
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: If Allah wills, this report will come later in full, either in the chapter on the signs of prophethood, or in the Book of Virtues (Manaqib), in the chapter on the virtue of the Ummah.
Ahmad recorded it. Its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Lahi'ah, about whom there is criticism.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this as a marfu' hadith (traced back to the Prophet): He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Once a man passed by the skull of a human being. A thought occurred to his mind, so he fell into prostration. It was said to him: 'Raise your head! You are you, and I am I.'"
Al-Bazzar recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out and found no one who would follow him. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) became anxious, and he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with a leather bucket, and he found the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in prostration in his upper room. He moved aside and sat behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) until the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head. Then he said: "O Umar, you did well when, finding me in prostration, you moved away from me and sat. Jibril came to me and told me: 'Whoever from your Ummah sends blessings (durud) upon you once, Allah Almighty will send down mercy upon him ten times, and because of this blessing He will raise that person ten degrees.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Saghir, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih; only the case of al-Tabarani's teacher, Muhammad bin Abdul Rahim bin Bahir al-Misri, is different: I have not found anyone who mentioned him.

Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) went out in search of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He did not find the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he searched for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in his houses and did not find him. He kept searching for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), passing through one street after another, until near Jabal Thawab he was told about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So he climbed Jabal Thawab and looked right and left, and his eye fell on a cave which people used as a way to Masjid al-Fath. Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in prostration. He did not raise his head, until I had ill thoughts about him; I thought that perhaps his soul had been taken. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jibril came to me at this place and said: 'Allah Almighty sends you greetings of peace and says to you: What would you like Me to do with your Ummah?' I said: 'Allah knows best.' He went away, then came back to me and said: 'The Lord says to you: I will not displease you concerning your Ummah.' So I went into prostration, because the most excellent thing by which a servant draws near to Allah Almighty is prostration."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Saghir. Its chain contains a narrator, Ishaq bin Ibrahim al-Madani, the mawla (freed slave) of Banu Muzaynah; Abu Zur'ah and others declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and at that time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was standing, offering prayer. He remained continuously standing until morning came, then he went into prostration, and I thought that perhaps his soul had been taken during the prostration. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you know what the reason for this (that is, for prolonging the prostration) is?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." He repeated it to me three or four times. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I offered the prayer that Allah Almighty had written for me. Then my Lord came to me and at the end of it said to me: 'What shall I do with your Ummah?' I said: 'O my Lord, You know best.' The Lord repeated this to me three or four times, and at the very last He said to me: 'What shall I do with your Ummah?' I said: 'O Lord, You know best.' Then the Lord said: 'I will not grieve you concerning your Ummah.' So I went into prostration before my Lord. My Lord appreciates gratitude and loves those who are grateful."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir via Hajjaj bin Uthman al-Saksaki from Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), but he did not meet Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him); Ibn Hibban mentioned him among the atba' al-tabi'in (followers of the Successors).
This report comes via Baqiyyah, and he narrates it with 'an'anah (using "from").

Sayyiduna Abdul Rahman bin Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I came to visit the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and at that time revelation was descending upon him. When this state ended, he said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her): "Hand me my cloak." Then he went to the mosque. Some people were there, and apart from them there was no one else in the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sat with those people until the one who was admonishing them finished his talk. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surah Tanzil al-Sajdah and made a long prostration, so long that even those who were about two miles away came; the people heard about this prostration from one another, and so many gathered that the mosque was filled. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) sent a message to her family: "Come to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for I have seen something concerning the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that I had not seen before." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, you prolonged the prostration so much?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I prostrated to give thanks to my Lord for what my Lord has granted me concerning my Ummah. He has granted that seventy thousand people of my Ummah will enter Paradise without any reckoning." Sayyiduna Abu Bakr said: "O Messenger of Allah, your Ummah is numerous and purer; you should have asked for even more for them." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Twice or three times (I asked for more)." Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you, your Ummah has been granted to you as a gift!"
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains a narrator, Musa bin Ubaydah, and he is da'if (weak). I say: This report has various chains that will come later in the chapter on the Resurrection, if Allah wills.

Sayyiduna Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Of the idols of the Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance), only the house of Dhu al-Khalasah remains. So who will finish it off for the sake of Allah and His Messenger?" Sayyiduna Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I will." He took seven hundred men with him, all of them from the tribe of Ahmas. They came upon those people suddenly. They killed people and burned that house, and they sent the glad tidings to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in writing, informing him that the house was now like a mangy camel. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell into prostration, and then he prayed: "O Allah, bless the horsemen and the foot soldiers of the tribe of Ahmas."
(Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say: This report is in the Sahih in a similar form, with the mention of the prostration left out for brevity.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains a narrator, al-Hasan bin Umarah, whom Shu'bah and a large group declared da'if (weak); Amr bin Ali said: He is saduq (truthful), but he makes many mistakes and often falls into wahm (error).

Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I saw him perform a prostration of gratitude, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have performed this prostration of gratitude."
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain contains a narrator, Kharijah bin Mus'ab, whom Yahya bin Ma'in, al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and a group declared da'if (weak); Ali bin Yahya declared him thiqah (trustworthy). Ibn Hibban mentioned him in his book al-Thiqat.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a man who was crippled. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) dismounted and went into prostration. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by that man, and he too dismounted and went into prostration. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by that man, and he too dismounted and went into prostration.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Abdul Aziz bin Ubaydullah, and he is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Whenever the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man whose physical form had some defect, he would go into prostration; whenever he saw a monkey, he would go into prostration; and when he woke from sleep, he would prostrate before Allah Almighty.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Yusuf bin Muhammad bin al-Munkadir, whom Abu Zur'ah declared thiqah (trustworthy), while a group declared him da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Arfajah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man who was crippled, and he went into prostration. When (news of) a victory came to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), he went into prostration; and when (news of) a victory came to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he too went into prostration.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat. Its chain contains a narrator, Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Fahmi; no one other than Mis'ar narrated from him.

It is reported about Sayyidah Asma' bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with her) that when Sayyiduna Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them both) was martyred, Sayyidah Asma' (may Allah be pleased with her) had something with her that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had given her in a basket. Sayyidah Asma' (may Allah be pleased with her) ordered that it be searched for, and when it was found, Sayyidah Asma' (may Allah be pleased with her) fell into prostration.
Al-Tabarani recorded it in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain is hasan (good), and there is criticism about some of its narrators.