Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah

The Prophet ﷺ did not say "Allahu Akbar" every time he stood up, but sometimes he would say it. When he ﷺ raised his head from bowing (ruku'), he would say "Allahu Akbar," but except for raising his head from bowing, he ﷺ would say "Allahu Akbar" every time he stood up.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand for prayer, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ » while standing, then when he would bow (ruku‘), he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », then when he would straighten his back after ruku‘, he would say « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ » “Whoever praises and glorifies Allah, Allah has heard his voice.” And then while standing he would say « رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الحَمْدُ », then when he would go down for prostration (sajdah), he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », then when he would raise his head from prostration, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », then when he would perform the (second) prostration, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». Then when he would raise his head, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would continue in this manner throughout the entire prayer until he completed it. And when he would rise after the tashahhud in two rak‘ahs, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». Then Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I am the one who performs prayer most similar to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Hazrat Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman narrates that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to lead us in prayer. When he would stand for prayer, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », and when he would go into ruku, and when he intended to prostrate after rising from ruku, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». And when he would raise his head after the first prostration, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ » for the (second) prostration, and when he would sit after the (second prostration), he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». And when he would stand up after two rak‘ahs, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». He would say takbeer in the same way in the second two rak‘ahs as well. Then when he finished with salam, he said: "By the One in Whose hand is my soul, indeed I am the one among you who performs the prayer closest to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Until he departed from this world, the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was like this."

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 ».

The evidence for the correctness of the explanation I have given is this narration, which our respected teacher Hazrat Harun bin Ishaq has narrated, that Hazrat Mutarrif bin Abdullah bin Shikhir states: I prayed behind Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and when he would go into prostration and when he would raise his head, he would say the takbeer. Then, when he finished the prayer, Hazrat Imran bin Husain said to me that he (Ali) has led us in a prayer just like the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) states: In this hadith, there is evidence that the words which Hammad bin Zaid narrated from Ghailan bin Jarir in this hadith, that "when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would rise from bowing, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ »," what is meant by this is that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would rise from bowing and intended to go into prostration, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ », as Imam Zuhri narrated from Abu Bakr Abdur Rahman bin al-Harith bin Hisham. Then, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would straighten his back after bowing, he would say « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ », then while standing he would recite « رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الحَمْدُ », then when he would bend for prostration, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». Similarly, in the narration of Abu Amir, which he narrates from Faleeh, and he from Saeed bin al-Harith, and he from Sayyiduna Abu Saeed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), it is mentioned in this narration that at the time of « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ » they would say the takbeer, that they would say the takbeer when raising their head from bowing, and when bending for prostration, it is mentioned that they would say the takbeer once. Then, when he mentioned saying the takbeer when raising the head from prostration, which is after the takbeer of « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ », it became clear that by saying the takbeer at the time of « سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ », what is meant is saying the takbeer when bending for prostration. Similarly, in the narration of Abu Salamah from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), it is stated: When he would bow, and after raising his head from bowing, when he intended to prostrate, he would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ ». This narration also clarifies that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say « اللهُ أَكْبَرُ » after raising his head from bowing. And if we declare it permissible for the worshipper to say the takbeer at every bending and rising, then it would be necessary for the worshipper to say the takbeer when raising his head from bowing, and then again when going into prostration. In this way, there would be a total of twenty-six takbeers in four rak‘ahs, not twenty-two takbeers, whereas in the narration of Ikrimah from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), it is absolutely clear and established that there are a total of twenty-two takbeers in four rak‘ahs, not more than that.

Hazrat Ikrimah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I said to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) that I have performed the Zuhr prayer in (the valley of) Batha behind an old man of weak intellect, and he said twenty-two takbeers. When he performed sajdah, and when he performed ruku, and when he raised his head from ruku (he said takbeer). So Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said, "This is the Sunnah of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him)." Ibn Khushram narrated in his version that, "This is the Sunnah of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him) or the prayer of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him)." Janab Sa'id narrated these words with doubt, while Janab Nasr narrated these words without doubt that, "This is the prayer of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him)."