Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

Sayyiduna Saeed bin Harith narrates that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) became ill, or went on a journey, so Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer. When he began the prayer, he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ » aloud. And when he went into bowing (ruku‘), he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », and when he said « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ », he said the takbeer (i.e., when going into prostration). When going into prostration and when raising his head from prostration, he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », and when he raised (his head after the second prostration), he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », and when he stood up after sitting for tashahhud in two rak‘ahs, he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », until he completed the prayer in this manner. It was said to him that people are differing about your prayer. He came out and stood on the pulpit and said: O people, by Allah, I do not care at all whether your prayer is different from mine or not. I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) praying in this manner. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that his statement, that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ », he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », means that when he said « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ » and intended to bow for prostration, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ »; it does not mean that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head from bowing, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ » (rather, at that time he would only say « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ »). Similarly, in the narration of Hazrat Imran bin Husain, when he mentioned his prayer behind Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: When he raised his head from bowing, he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ »; what he meant was that when he raised his head from bowing and intended to bow for prostration, he said « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ».