Chapter: The recommendation to place the hands on the knees when bowing, and the abrogation of tatbiq

Mahmud bin Labid reported: When 'Uthman bin 'Affan intended to build the mosque (of the Prophet) the people did not approve of it. They liked that it should be kept in the same state. Thereupon he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: He who built a mosque for Allah, Allah would build a house for him like it in Paradise.

This hadith is narrated on the authority of Alqama and Aswad by another chain of transmitters and in the hadith transmitted by Ibn Mus-hir and Jabir the words are: " I perceive as if I am seeing the gap between the fingers of the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) as he was bowing."

Al-Aswad and 'Alqama reported: We came to the house of 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud. He said: Have these people said prayer behind you? We said: No. He said: Then stand up and say prayer. He neither ordered us to say Adhan nor Iqama. We went to stand behind him. He caught hold of our hands and made one of us stand on his right hand and the other on his left side. When we bowed, we placed our hands on our knees. He struck our hands and put his hands together, palm to palm, then put them between his thighs. When he completed the prayer he said. There would soon come your Amirs, who would defer prayers from their appointed time and would make such delay that a little time is left before sunset. So when you see them doing so, say prayer at its appointed time and then say prayer along with them as (Nafl), and when you are three, pray together (standing in one row), and when you are more than three, appoint one amongst you as your Imam. And when any one of you bows he must place his hands upon his thighs and kneel down. and putting his palms together place (them within his thighs). I perceive as if I am seeing the gap between the fingers of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (may peace he upon him).

'Alqama and Aswad reported that they went to 'Abdullah. He said: Have (people) behind you said prayer? They said: Yes. He stood between them ('Alqama and Aswad). One was on his right aide and the other was on his left. We then bowed and placed our hands on our knees. He struck our hands and then putting his hands together, palm to palm, placed them between his thighs. When he completed the prayer he said: This is how the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do.

This hadith has been narrated by Abu Ya'fur with the same chain of transmitters up to these words: We have been forbidden from it and no mention of that has been made what follows it.

Mus'ab bin Sa'd reported: I said prayer by the side of my father and placed my hands between my knees. My father said to me: Place your hands on your knees. I repeated that (the previous act) for the second time, and he struck at my hands and said: We have been forbidden to do so and have been commanded to place our palms on the knees.

Mus'ab bin Sa'd bin Abu Waqqas reported: I said prayer by the side of my father. When I bowed I intertwined my fingers and placed them between my knees. He struck my hands. When he completed the prayer he said: We used to do that but then were commanded to lift (our palms) to the knees.