Bayhaqi 2517 — Raising the hands when bowing and when rising from it

Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) relates that he heard Sayyiduna Abu Humayd al-Sa'idi (may Allah be pleased with him), in the presence of ten Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), among whom was Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah al-Harith bin Rib'i (may Allah be pleased with him), say: "I know the way the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed better than all of you." The Companions asked: "How so? You neither followed him (peace and blessings be upon him) more than we did, nor are you older than us in the honour of companionship." He replied: "Yes, that is indeed so." The Companions said: "Then present the way he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed before us." At this he described it: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up for the prayer, he would raise both his hands level with his shoulders, then say the takbir until every limb settled in its place in a balanced state. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite, then say the takbir and raise both his hands level with his shoulders, then bow and place both palms on his knees. Then he would straighten his back, such that during the bowing he neither held his head stiffly raised upward nor let it hang right down. Then he would raise his head and say 'Sami' Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), then raise both hands level with his shoulders until every bone straightened and returned to its place. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would say 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), then bend down to the ground for prostration, keeping his arms away from his sides. Then he would raise his head, spread out his left foot and sit on it, and when prostrating he would keep the toes of his feet facing the qiblah. Then he would go into prostration again, then raise his head and say 'Allahu akbar' (Allah is the Greatest), then fold his foot and sit upright on it until every bone returned to its place in a balanced state. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would do the same in the second rak'ah. Then, when he stood up after praying two rak'ahs, he would say the takbir and raise both hands level with his shoulders, exactly as he (peace and blessings be upon him) had done when beginning the prayer. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would do the same in the rest of his prayer, until, when the last rak'ah came at the end of which the salam is given, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would bring his left foot out from under his right shin and sit on his left hip (in the posture of tawarruk)." On hearing this, all those Companions said with one voice: "You have spoken the truth; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray exactly like this." (Hushaym bin Bashir, Abu Usamah, Abd al-Malik bin al-Sabbah al-Sam'i and other hadith scholars narrated this hadith with the same meaning from Abd al-Hamid bin Ja'far, and it has also been reported through another chain from Abu Humayd and his companions.)