Sunan ad-Darimi

Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) said, who was with ten companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), among whom was Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) as well. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have the most knowledge among you all about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). They said: Why is that? Are you more of a follower of him than us, or did you stay with him more than us? He said: Yes, that is so. They said: Then present it. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand for prayer, he would raise his hands up to his shoulders, then say Allahu Akbar until all the joints became straight, then he would recite (Qira’ah), then say Allahu Akbar and raise both hands up to the shoulders, then go into ruku’ and place both palms on both knees until every bone returned to its original position, and (in ruku’) he would neither raise his head nor lower it (keeping it level with the back), then while raising his head from ruku’ he would say «سمع الله لمن حمده» and raise his hands up to the shoulders. Abu ‘Asim said: I think at that time too he said: (after rising from ruku’ he would stand) until every bone (joint) returned to its place (original position), then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say Allahu Akbar and go into prostration (sajdah) and in prostration he would keep both hands (arms) away from the sides, then he would raise his head from prostration and fold his left foot and sit on it, and when he prostrated he would keep the toes of his feet spread, then perform the second prostration, then while saying Allahu Akbar he would raise his head from prostration and fold his left foot and sit on it properly until every bone (joint) returned to its original position (i.e., he would sit calmly in the sitting of rest), then he would stand up and do the same in the second rak’ah, and when he stood for the third rak’ah he would again raise his hands up to the shoulders as he did at the beginning of the prayer, then he would complete his prayer in the same way until when he sat for the last tashahhud or sitting in which salam is said, he would take out his left foot (from under the right foot) and sit with tawarruk on the left side. The narrator said: All ten companions said: You have spoken the truth, this was exactly the way of the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I resolved in my heart that I would definitely see how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer. So I watched him: he stood up, said Allahu Akbar, and raised both his hands up to his ears (i.e., performed Raf’ al-Yadayn), and placed his right hand over the back of his left hand. Then, when he intended to bow (ruku’), he raised his hands in the same way (performed Raf’ al-Yadayn), and (in ruku’) placed both his hands on his knees. Then, when he raised his head from ruku’, he performed Raf’ al-Yadayn, then when he prostrated, he placed his hands level with his ears. Then (after rising from prostration) he sat, spread his left foot (on the ground), placed his left hand on his left thigh and left knee, and placed his right elbow on his right thigh. Then he bent two fingers (i.e., the thumb and the middle finger) to form a ring, and kept the index finger raised. I saw him moving it, as if he was supplicating with it by gesture. Sayyiduna Wa'il (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then, after a long time, I came in the winter and saw that people were wrapped in their cloaks and were moving their hands inside their cloaks (for Raf’ al-Yadayn).

Hattan bin Abdullah Raqashi said: Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in one of the two ‘Isha prayers (i.e., Maghrib or ‘Isha), and a man from the congregation said: “Prayer has been made obligatory along with righteousness and zakat.” When Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) finished the prayer, he asked: “Who said this statement?” Everyone remained silent, so Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “O Hattan! Perhaps you were the one who said this?” I replied: “No, I did not say (that prayer was made obligatory along with righteousness), and how could I say it? I was afraid that you would reprimand me or become displeased with me.” A man said: “I was the one who said this phrase, and my intention was only good, meaning that when a man prays, he should also do good and give zakat (and Allah knows best).” Then Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Do you not know what you utter in your prayer? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon to us, taught us the prayer, and explained his Sunnah.” The narrator said: “I think he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the iqamah for prayer is given, let one of you lead the prayer. When he, the imam, says «الله اكبر», you should also say «الله اكبر», and when he says «غير المغضوب عليهم ولا الضالين», you should say Ameen, Allah will accept it. Then when he says «الله اكبر» and bows (for ruku‘), you should also say «الله اكبر» and go into ruku‘. Be mindful that the imam will go into ruku‘ before you, and you will follow the imam and go into ruku‘ after him, and you will raise your heads from ruku‘, and the imam will raise his head before you (from ruku‘).’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Your doing so is in accordance with the imam’s ruku‘ and so on. So when the imam says «سمع الله لمن حمده», you should say «اللهم ربنا ولك الحمد», or he said: say «ربنا لك الحمد», because Allah, the Exalted, has said by the tongue of His Prophet «سمع الله لمن حمده» (meaning Allah has heard or accepted the supplication of the one who praised Him). Then when the imam says «الله اكبر» and goes into prostration, you should also say «الله اكبر» and go into prostration. The imam will go into prostration before you and will raise his head from prostration before you.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘When the imam does so, you should do likewise. Then when the imam sits in the (tashahhud) sitting, you should be the first to say «اَلتَّحِيَّاتُ اَلطَّيِّبَاتُ اَلصَّلَوَاتُ لِلّٰھِ السَّلَامُ», or: «سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ، السَّلَامُ», or: «سَلَامٌ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَىٰ عِبَادِ اللّٰهِ الصَّالِحِيْنَ ، أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُوْلُهُ».’”