It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer. When he completed the prayer, he turned towards us and said: "O people, I am your imam, so do not precede me in bowing and prostration, in standing and in the salam, for I see you in front of me and from behind me." Then he said: "By the One in whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), if you were to see what I have seen, you would laugh little and weep much." The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: O Messenger of Allah, what have you seen? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have seen Paradise and Hell."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2592
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us: "Do not hasten ahead of the imam in bowing. When he says the takbir, say the takbir, and when the imam says: 'Not of those who have earned anger, nor of those who go astray' [Surah al-Fatihah: 7], say Amin; for when your voice coincides with the words of the angels, all the people present in the mosque will be forgiven. When the imam bows, bow, and when the imam says 'Sami'allahu liman hamidah' (Allah has heard the one who praised Him), say 'Rabbana lakal-hamd' (Our Lord, to You belongs all praise), and when the imam prostrates, prostrate."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2593
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The imam is appointed only to be followed. So when he says the takbir, say the takbir; when he bows, bow; when he raises his head (from bowing), raise your heads; when he says 'Sami'allahu liman hamidah' (Allah has heard the one who praised Him), all of you together say 'Allahumma rabbana lakal-hamd' (O Allah, our Lord, to You belongs all praise); when he prostrates, prostrate, and do not prostrate before he prostrates; and when he raises his head (from prostration), raise your heads, and do not raise your heads before he raises his."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2594
It is narrated from Muharib bin Dithar: I heard Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him) say on the pulpit: Sayyiduna al-Bara' bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to us: We used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, we bowed, and when he (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head from bowing, he would say 'Sami'allahu liman hamidah' (Allah has heard the one who praised Him), and we would remain standing until we saw that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had placed his forehead on the ground; then we would go down for prostration.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2595
It is narrated from Abu Ishaq: Abdullah bin Yazid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to me the hadith of al-Bara' (may Allah be pleased with him), and he was truthful, that they used to pray behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When he (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head from bowing, no one would bend his back until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had placed his forehead on the ground; then those following him (peace and blessings be upon him) would go into prostration.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2596
It is reported from Ibn Muhayriz (may Allah have mercy on him) that he heard Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) say on the pulpit that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not get ahead of me in bowing and prostration, for I have grown old (I have become weak). Whatever I get ahead of you in when I bow, you catch up with me when I rise; and whatever I get ahead of you in when I prostrate, you catch up with me when I rise."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2597
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "O people, I have grown old, so do not precede me in (going into) bowing and prostration; rather, I should stay ahead of you, so that you make up what you have missed."
(b) We did not retain from our shaykhs the correct vowelling of whether it is 'badantu' or 'baddantu', but Abu Ubayd preferred 'baddantu', that is, with a doubled dal carrying a fathah, the meaning being 'I have grown old'; and those who read it 'badultu' with a dammah on the dal mean by it: 'My body has become heavy.'
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 2598