Ibn Hibban

Muhammad bin Amr narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) say, in the presence of ten companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), among whom was Abu Qatadah as well. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have more knowledge about the prayer of the Prophet (peace be upon him). They asked: How is that? By Allah! You are neither a greater follower of the Prophet (peace be upon him) than us nor an older companion. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes, indeed. The other companions said: Then present it. So Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Prophet (peace be upon him) would stand for prayer, he would say the takbir, then raise both hands up to the shoulders. Then he would stand in such a way that every bone would be in its place, then he would recite (Qur’an). Then he would raise both hands until he brought them up to the level of the shoulders. Then he would go into ruku’ and place both palms on both knees. He would remain in a balanced state, neither raising nor lowering his head. Then, while saying «سمع اللہ لمن حمدہ», he would raise his hands until he brought them up to the level of the shoulders (and would stand in such a way that) every bone would return to its place. Then he would go towards the ground. He would keep both arms away from his sides, then he would raise his head and spread one leg and sit on it. When he would go into prostration, he would keep the toes of his feet spread. Then he would prostrate. Then he would say the takbir and sit on his left leg until every bone returned to its specific place. Then he would stand and do the same in the second rak’ah. Then, when he would stand after performing two rak’ahs, he would raise both hands up to the 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 had prostrated and it was time to say salam, he would take out both feet and sit in tawarruk on his left side. So the other companions said: You have spoken the truth; the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray in this manner. Imam Abu Hatim (may Allah have mercy on him) states: In four rak’ahs, there are six hundred things that are Sunnah, which have been transmitted from the Prophet (peace be upon him). We have mentioned them along with their sections in the book “The Method of Prayer.” Now, through this type of arrangement in this book, I have made that book unnecessary. Imam Abu Hatim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: The narrator named Abdul Hamid is among the trustworthy and precise narrators. I have investigated his circumstances; I have not seen that he is alone in transmitting any rejected narration in which he has no partner. Faleeh bin Sulaiman and Isa bin Abdullah, regarding Muhammad bin Amr, agree with Abdul Hamid in transmitting this narration from Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him).