How a man should be when bowing

Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, he would neither lower his head too much nor hold it fully raised; rather, he kept it between these two states.

A man from Thaqif said: I asked Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) about bowing, and he said: In bowing, avoid bending your back like a bow while lowering the head, and avoid hunching your back up.

Ka'b said: When you bow, keep your face towards the qiblah and place both hands on your knees, and do not lower your head so much that it drops below the back like the head of a donkey.

Mughirah said: Ibrahim disliked that a man, while bowing, should raise his head high or lower it.

Mujahid disliked curving the back like a bow while bowing.

Habib bin al-Shahid said: I heard Muhammad bin Sirin say: "Bowing is like this." Then Mu'adh described its form: a person keeps his back completely level, neither lowering his head nor raising it.

He (Habib bin al-Shahid) said: And I heard al-Hasan say the same, except that al-Hasan expressed it in words of his own.

Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla said: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the state of bowing, his posture was such that if water were poured between his (peace and blessings be upon him) two shoulders, it would have stayed there, there being no slope.