Prayer should not be offered when food is ready, nor when one is in dire need of answering the call of nature If you said to your companion: "Be quiet and listen" on Friday while the Imām is delivering the sermon, then you would be guilty of idle talk O Allah, do not make my grave an idol that is worshiped. Allah's wrath was intense upon a people who took the graves of their prophets as places of worship The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the ‘Ishā' and Fajr prayers. If they were to know the virtue of them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl. I sometimes thought of ordering for the prayer to be commenced, and I would appoint a man to lead the people in prayer, and then I would go, along with some men having bundles of firewood, to the people who are not attending the prayer and burn their houses with fire upon them The five (daily) prayers, Friday prayer to the next Friday prayer, and Ramadan to the next Ramadan, are expiation of the sins committed in between them, so long as major sins are avoided Whoever spends the Night of Qadr standing (in voluntary prayer) out of faith and seeking reward from Allah, his previous sins will be forgiven Whoever performs the Fajr prayer is under the protection of Allah, so none of you should harm the one under the protection of Allah in any way He used to say at the conclusion of every prayer: There is no god but Allah; He is One If anyone abandons the ‘Asr prayer, their deeds will be rendered null and void Do not pray facing graves and do not sit on them Those are a people who, when a righteous slave or a righteous man from among them dies, they build a place of worship over his grave and place those images therein. They are the most evil people in the sight of Allah I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead (and he pointed to his nose), the hands, the knees, and the extremities of the feet, and not to tuck up the clothes and hair The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations: O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, grant me wellness and safety, guide me and provide for me When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) finished his prayer, he would seek Allah’s forgiveness three times; then say: O Allah, You are the One free from imperfections, and peace and perfection come from You. Blessed are You, the Owner of Majesty and Honor Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; if you cannot, then lying on your side A blind man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I have no one to lead me to the mosque. He asked the Messenger of Allah to allow him to pray at home, which the Messenger of Allah did. When the man was leaving, the Prophet called him back and said: Can you hear the Adhān? He replied in the affirmative. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then respond to it When one of you joins the prayer and finds the Imām in a certain position, he should do what the Imām is doing Islam is built upon five (pillars) Performing the obligations only Purity is half of the Imān The reward of repeating after the Adhān (prayer call) Whoever forgets a prayer should perform it once he remembers it, and there is no expiation for it except this What stands between a man and polytheism and disbelief is abandonment of prayer The covenant between us and them is prayer; so, whoever abandons it has disbelieved When you hear the Muezzin, repeat what he says. Straighten your rows, for indeed, straightening the rows is part of the perfection of the prayer I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) two Rak‘ahs before the Zhuhr prayer, two Rak‘ahs after it, two Rak‘ahs after the Friday prayer, two Rak‘ahs after the Maghrib prayer, and two Rak‘ahs after the ‘Ishā' prayer A complaint was made to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) about the person who doubts that something has happened to him during his prayer. He said: He should not leave (his prayer) unless he hears a sound or perceives a smell If the Iqāmah for prayer is proclaimed, and the dinner is served, start with the dinner The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying after the Fajr prayer up until the sun rises, and after the ‘Asr prayer until the sun sets Isn't he who raises his head before the Imām afraid that Allah may transform his head into that of a donkey or his shape into that of a donkey? The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to raise his hands to the level of his shoulders when he commenced the prayer, when he said Takbīr before bowing, and when he raised his head after bowing, he would raise them to that level as well The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) taught me the Tashahhud, with my hand between his two hands, as he would teach me a Sūrah from the Qur’an The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say the following supplication: "O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the punishment of the grave, the punishment of the Fire, the trials of life and death, and the trial of the Anti-Christ." O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother ransom you, what is it you say between the (opening) Takbīr and the recitation (of the Qur'an)? He said: I say: O Allah, keep me away from my sins as You have kept the east away from the west. O Allah, cleanse me from my sins as a white garment is cleansed from dirt. O Allah, wash my sins away with water, snow and hail Be moderate in prostration, and let none of you spread his forearms on the ground like a dog I asked Anas ibn Mālik: Did the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) use to pray with his shoes on? He said: Yes! Do not take my grave as a place of festivity (which you visit repeatedly), and do not take your houses as graves. Send blessings upon me, for your greeting will reach me no matter where you are I asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): Which deed is dearest to Allah? He said: Offering prayer at the appointed time. I said: Then, what comes next? He said: Dutifulness to one's parents I gave the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) pledge to establish the prayer, pay Zakah, and advise every Muslim O Mu‘ādh, by Allah! I love you. I advise you, O Mu‘ādh, never fail to say after every prayer: O Allah, help me remember You, thank You, and worship You in an excellent manner The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) delayed the ‘Ishā' prayer until part of the night had passed and it was dark. ‘Umar came to him saying: O Messenger of Allah, come to pray, the women and children have slept. He came out with his head dripping with water and said: Had it not been hard for my Ummah, I would have commanded them to perform that prayer at this hour Wake up ‘Āʾishah and pray Witr O Allah, I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath and in Your pardon from Your punishment, and I seek refuge in You from You. I am not capable of enumerating praise of You. You are as You have praised Yourself The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Which part of the prayer is the best? He replied: The long standing That is a man in whose ears (or he said: in whose ear) the devil urinated Make frequent prostration to Allah, for every prostration that you make for Allah, He will raise your position a degree and will remit one of your sins We used to prepare for the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) his tooth-stick and the water he used for making ablution. Then, Allah would awaken him whenever He willed during the night, and he would brush his teeth with the tooth-stick, make ablution, and perform prayer Whoever prays the Bardayn will enter Paradise The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to sleep at the beginning of the night and rise at its end to pray A man's prayer in congregation is twenty-something times more superior (in reward) to his prayer in his market or his home When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) missed prayer at night because of sickness or otherwise, he would pray twelve Rak‘ahs during the daytime Whoever eats garlic or onions should keep away from us - or our mosque - and stay at home The five prayers are like a great river running by your door in which you wash five times every day We used to speak during prayer; a man would talk with his companion at his side in the prayer until [this verse] was revealed: {...And stand before Allah in devout obedience.} So we were commanded to keep silent, such that we were forbidden to talk The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) would frequently say in his Rukū‘ and prostration: Glory and praise be to You, our Lord. O Allah, forgive me A solar eclipse occurred during the Prophet's lifetime and he sent someone to summon people for a congregational prayer. They gathered and he came forward and began the prayer by making Takbīr. He bowed four times and prostrated four times in two Rak‘ahs At every part of the night, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed Witr: at its beginning, middle, and end. Finally he settled on performing Witr just before dawn Command your children to pray when they are seven years old, and beat them for (not offering) it when they are ten, and separate them in beds O Messenger of Allah, we have learned how to greet you, but how should we invoke the grace of Allah upon you? He said: Say: O Allah, bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and his family just as You bestowed Your grace upon Ibrahīm and his family. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. And bless Muhammad and his family just as You blessed Ibrahīm and his family. Verily, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious The prayer of someone who did not recite Sūrat al-Fātihah is invalid Whoever takes a bath on Friday, like the bath taken from sexual impurity, and then goes (to the mosque) on the first hour is like the one who offers a camel as a sacrifice; and whoever goes on the second hour is like the one who offers a cow as a sacrifice Whoever of you comes to attend the Friday prayer, let him take a bath He who performs ablution properly, then comes to the Friday prayer and listens to it attentively and keeps silent, his sins between that Friday and the following Friday will be forgiven, with the addition of three more days; but he who touches a pebble has engaged in idle activity He who goes to the mosque in the morning or in the evening, Allah prepares an honorable abode for him in Paradise, every time he goes to the mosque; in the morning or in the evening Whoever passes through any of our mosques or markets with arrows with him, he should hold them by their heads lest he injures any of the Muslims with them O people, spread the greeting of peace profusely, maintain kinship ties, feed others, and pray at night when people are asleep, you will enter Paradise in peace When the Imām says amen, you too say amen, for whoever says amen at the same time the angels say amen will have his previous sins forgiven If any of you leads the people in prayer, let him shorten it, because among them are the weak, the sick, and the busy. If any of you prays alone, then let him prolong (his prayer) as much as he wishes The Imām is appointed so that he should be followed; so, do not act differently from him. When he makes Takbīr all of you should say it after him; bow when he bows; say "O our Lord, all praise be to You" when he says: Allah hears the one who praises Him; prostrate when he prostates; and all of you should pray sitting when he prays sitting He who prays before sunrise and before sunset will not enter Hellfire There is no Muslim man who, when an obligatory prayer becomes due, perfects its ablution... There are statements of remembrance following the prayer; whoever says or does them will never be a loser Whoever says when he hears the Muezzin: "I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without any partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I am pleased with Allah as a Lord, with Muhammad as a Messenger, and with Islam as a religion," his sins shall be forgiven If you had been from this city, I would have inflicted pain on you. You raise your voices in the Prophet's Mosque O people, you eat two plants that I only find offensive: onion and garlic Whoever performs ablution on Friday, that is good, and whoever takes a bath has done what is better Taking a bath on Friday is obligatory for every pubescent male Muslim, and (also) cleaning the teeth with the tooth-stick, and applying perfume if available When it is Friday, the angels stand at the door of the mosque and keep on writing the names of those coming in order of their arrival When the son of Adam recites a verse of prostration and then falls down in prostration, the devil retreats, weeps, and says: Woe unto him, the son of Adam was commanded to prostrate, and he prostrated, so Paradise is for him. However, I was commanded to prostrate, but I refused to, so the Fire is for me The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to forbid us from praying or burying our deceased ones at three times: when the sun begins to rise until it is fully risen; when the sun is at its highest point in the sky at noon until it passes its zenith; and when the sun starts setting until it fully sets Whoever says on hearing the call to prayer: "O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and the prayer that is to be offered, grant Muhammad the Wasīlah and the Fadīlah, and resurrect him to the praiseworthy station that You have promised him," He will definitely be granted my intercession on the Day of Judgment Allah does not accept the prayer of any woman who has reached the age of menstruation unless [she is] veiled None of you should offer prayer in a single garment that does not cover his shoulders The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray on his riding animal, regardless of the direction it was facing. When he wanted to perform an obligatory prayer, he would dismount and face the Qiblah When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was on a journey and wished to offer voluntary prayers, he made his she-camel face the Qiblah, said Takbīr, and then prayed towards whatever direction his mount would face All of the earth is a mosque (prayer place) except the graveyard and the bathroom Tasbīh is for the men, and clapping is for the women If anyone of you is praying behind something that conceals him from people and somebody tries to pass in front of him, he should push him away; if he refuses, the praying person should use force against him for he is a devil The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade praying with one's hands on one's waist When one of you stands to pray, he is privately conversing with his Lord, or his Lord is between him and the prayer direction. So let no one of you spit in the direction of prayer, but only to his left or under his feet Take this curtain of yours away, for its images come to my mind while I'm praying What is the matter with some people who raise their eyes towards the sky during their prayer? He went on, using a strict language: They must refrain from that action, or else their sights will certainly be snatched away Yawning inside the prayer is from the devil, so if anyone of you yawns, let him suppress it as much as he can Spitting in the mosque is a sin and its expiation is to bury it I have not been ordered to build lofty mosques O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the east from the west. O Allah, purify me from my sins as a white garment is purified from dirt. O Allah, wash out my sins with water, snow, and hail The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to raise his hands up to his shoulders at the beginning of the prayer Perhaps you recite behind your Imām? We said: Yes, that is so, O Messenger of Allah. He said: Do not do so except with Sūrat al-Fātihah, since the prayer is invalid for the one who does not recite it When you prostrate, place your palms (on the ground) and raise your elbows I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) praying while sitting cross-legged When any of you prostrates, he should not kneel down like a camel; rather, he should put down his hands before his knees Ibn ‘Umar used to put his hands down before his knees, and he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to do that I prayed with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and he used to make Taslīm to his right, saying: "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings" and to his left, saying: "Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah" If anyone says immediately after each prayer "glory be to Allah" thirty-three times, "praise be to Allah" thirty-three times, "Allah is the Greatest" thirty-three times; these are ninety-nine, and completes the hundred with saying "there is no god but Allah. He is One and has no partner with Him. To Him belongs sovereignty and to Him belongs praise, and He is over everything Omnipotent", all his sins will be forgiven for him even if they are as abundant as the foam of the sea Whoever recites the Verse of the Kursi after every obligatory prayer will have nothing preventing his entry into Paradise, except his death They spoke the truth. They are tormented, and their torment can be heard by all animals When anyone of you is in doubt about his prayer and he does not know how much he has prayed, three or four (Rak‘ahs), he should cast aside his doubt and base his prayer on what he is sure of, and then he should perform two prostrations before giving salutations. If he has prayed five Rak‘ahs, they will make his prayer an even number for him, and if he has prayed exactly four, then they will be a humiliation for the devil The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray two light Rak‘ahs after the break of dawn that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not ever leave praying four Rak‘ahs before Zhuhr and two Rak‘ahs before Fajr Whoever keeps on performing four Rak‘ahs before Zhuhr prayer and four after it, Allah will make the Fire forbidden for him May Allah have mercy on whoever offers four Rak‘ahs before the ‘Asr prayer The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recited Sūrat al-Kāfirūn and Sūrat al-Ikhlās in the two Rak‘ahs of Fajr (Voluntary) prayer in both the day and night is performed two by two The most excellent fast after Ramadan is Allah's month, Muharram, and the most excellent prayer after what is prescribed is prayer during the night O ‘Ā'ishah, indeed, my eyes sleep but my heart does not sleep The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer thirteen Rak‘ah in the night prayer including Witr, plus two (voluntary) Rak‘ahs of the Fajr prayer Perform Witr prayer before the morning If anyone fears that he will not wake up at the end of the night, let him offer Witr prayer at the beginning of the night; and anyone expects to wake up at the end of the night, let him offer Witr prayer at the end of the night. Indeed, prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is better The reward of a prayer performed in congregation is twenty five times greater than that of a prayer performed by anyone of you alone. The angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr prayer Whoever hears the prayer call and does not attend the congregational prayer, then his prayer is not valid (deficient), except if he has an excuse O people, pray at your homes, for a person’s best prayer is the one he performs at his home except the obligatory prayer The best rows for men are the first, and the worst are the last, and the best rows for women are the last and the worst are the first The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) saw a man pray alone behind the first row, and he commanded him to repeat the prayer A man's prayer with another man is purer than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one man; the greater the number, the more pleasing it is to Allah, the Almighty There are three (types of people) whose actions are not recorded by the Pen: the sleeper till he awakes, the minor till he reaches puberty, and the insane till he regains his sanity Ask whatever you want When you hear the Muezzin, say what he says and then invoke Allah's blessings upon me He who builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him the like of it in Paradise A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers anywhere else, except for the Sacred Mosque When anyone of you enters the mosque, let him offer two Rak‘ahs before he sits down Supplication for entering and leaving the mosque O Bilāl, call the iqāmah for prayer; give us comfort by it O people, I only did this so that you can follow me in prayer and to learn how I pray When you pray, straighten your rows and let one of you lead you in prayer, and when he says takbīr, say takbīr By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, I am the most closest among you to the Prophet's prayer. Such was his prayer until he departed this world The worst of thieves is the one who steals his prayer Allah hears he who praises Him. O Allah, our Lord, to You is the praise as much as fills the heavens, as much as fills the earth, and as much as fills whatever You will after that The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to say after every obligatory prayer: "There is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner with Him. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him praise is due, and He is Able to do all things." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to say between the two prostrations: "My Lord, forgive me; my Lord, forgive me!" That is Satan who is known as Khinzab. If you perceive his effect, seek refuge with Allah from him and spit three times to your left While the people were performing the Fajr prayer in Qubā' Mosque, someone came saying: Tonight, (a portion of the) Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and he was ordered to face the Qiblah, so face it. Bilāl calls the Adhān at night; so, eat and drink until you hear the Adhān called by Ibn Umm Maktūm A Bedouin came and urinated in a corner of the mosque I saw you pray towards a direction other than the Qiblah! He said: Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) doing so, I would not have done it The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw a person sitting aloof and not praying with the people. He asked him: “O so-and-so, what prevented you from offering the prayer with the people?” He replied: “O Messenger of Allah, I am ritually impure and there is no water.” In response, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “You should use clean earth, and that will be sufficient for you.” Straighten your rows, or Allah will cause dissension amongst you The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led them in the Zhuhr prayer and continued after the first two Rak‘ahs without sitting for Tashahhud, and people stood with him. When he finished the prayer and people were waiting for his making Taslīm, he said Takbīr while sitting and prostrated twice before Taslīm, then he concluded his prayer with Taslīm. Once I came riding a female donkey when I had almost attained the age of puberty. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was leading people in prayer at Mina with no wall in front of him The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Sūrat al-Fātihah in the first two Rak‘ahs of the Zhuhr prayer along with two other Sūrahs. He would prolong the recitation in the first Rak‘ah and make the second one shorter. He would sometimes recite some verse audibly When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up for prayer, he would say Takbīr when he stands. Then he would say Takbīr when he bows. Then he would say: "Allah hears the one who praised Him" when he raises his back from bowing When the heat is intense, delay the prayer until it becomes fairly cool, for intense heat is from the boiling and breathing of Hellfire The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer voluntary prayer on the back of his riding beast (camel), whatever direction it went. He would nod his head. Ibn ‘Umar would do so as well The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered the House along with Usāma ibn Zayd, Bilāl, and ‘Uthmān ibn Talha A person entered the mosque on a Friday through the gate facing Dar al-Qadā’ while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was standing delivering the sermon I watched the prayer of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and found his standing, his bowing, standing after bowing, prostration, sitting between the two prostrations, prostration, and sitting between Taslīm (end of the prayer) and going away nearly equal to one another The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque and then a man came in and prayed. After that, he came and greeted the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who said to him: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray while carrying Umāmah the daughter of Zaynab, daughter of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us Istikhārah (prayer of consultation) in all matters like a Sūrah of the Qur'an Bilāl was ordered to pronounce the Adhān in pairs and the Iqāmah in singles Get up and I will lead you in prayer If your wife asks your permission to go to the mosque, do not prevent her I prayed with Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān and I did not hear any one of them recite "In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not observe a voluntary prayer more regularly than the two Rak‘ahs of Fajr Praying in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than praying alone The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer the Zhuhr prayer at the time of intense heat, and the ‘Asr prayer at the time when the sun was clear, and the Maghrib prayer when its time was due I came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when he was in a red leather tent. Bilāl stepped out with ablution water (that was left over from the Prophet's ablution. There were some people who managed to get some of it (seeking its blessing), whereas others just received a sprinkle of it The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to offer the Fajr prayer while some women from among the believers, wrapped in their garments, would attend the prayer with him. Then they would return to their homes, and no one would recognize them because of the darkness The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once visited ‘Ali and Fātimah at night and said: Would you two not pray? Make haste to perform the Witr prayer before the morning O Banu Salimah, stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps are recorded for you; stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps are recorded for you When one of you stands up for offering voluntary prayer at night and finds it difficult to recite the Qur'an accurately, and he is unaware of what he is reciting, he should lie down What an excellent man ‘Abdullāh is if only he observes the night prayer The deeds of my Ummah, the good and the bad thereof, were presented to me. I found the removal of harm from the road among their good deeds, and the spittle in a mosque that was not buried among their bad deeds The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to recited frequently in Rukū‘ and prostration: Glory be to You O Allah, Our Lord, and praise. O Allah, forgive me! Following the command of the Qur'an The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to stand in prayer at night until the skin of his feet would crack The places that are dearest to Allah are the mosques, and the places that are most hateful to Allah are the markets A man came while the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was giving the Friday sermon. So he said to him: O So and so, have you prayed? He said: No. The Prophet said: Then get up and pray two Rak‘ahs I accompanied the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on his journeys, and he would not perform more than two Rak‘ahs. Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān used to do the same The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) appointed a man in charge of an army unit who led them in prayer; he always concluded his recitation with Sūrat al-Ikhlās The sun and the moon are two of the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse on the death or life of anyone. So when you see that, supplicate to Allah, say Takbīr, pray, and give charity I used to sleep in front of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) with my legs in his prayer direction. When he wanted to prostrate, he would prod me so that I withdraw my feet, and when he stood up, I would stretch them. In those days, houses had no lamps The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out to invoke Allah for rain. He faced the direction of Qiblah as he was invoking Allah, and turned his upper garment inside out. Then he prayed two Rak‘ahs and recited the Qur'an out loud in both of them I prayed with ‘Imrān ibn Husayn behind ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib. When he prostrated, he made Takbīr, when he raised his head he made Takbīr, and when he stood up after two Rak‘ahs, he made Takbīr I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) reciting Sūrat At-Tūr in the Maghrib prayer The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar used to offer the Eid prayers before delivering the sermon When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was on a journey, he used to combine the Zhuhr and ‘Asr prayers, as long as he was continuing with his journey, and also used to combine the Maghrib and ‘Ishā' prayers I have never prayed behind an Imām who was more brief and more perfect in prayer than the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) I will lead you in prayer; although I do not intend to pray, it is just to show you how I witnessed the Messenger of Allah pray It would have been better if you had recited Sūrat al-A‘la, Sūrat Ash-Shams, or Sūrat al-Layl, for the old, the weak, and the needy pray behind you We used to perform the Friday prayer with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and leave at a time when the walls had no shadow that we could take as shelter The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to deliver two sermons while standing, and he would separate them by sitting Whoever sleeps and fails to recite his nightly portion, or part of it, and then recites it between the Fajr prayer and the Zhuhr prayer, it will be recorded for him as if he recited it during the night As for this man, he has disobeyed the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) I see that you like sheep and wilderness. So whenever you are with your sheep - or in the wilderness - and you want to call the Adhān, raise your voice When one of you feels drowsy during prayer, let him lie down till drowsiness goes away from him I used to pray with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his prayer was moderate in length and his sermon was moderate in length You should pray as long as you have the energy to do so. If you feel tired, then lie down Do (good) deeds according to your capacity, for by Allah, Allah never grows weary (of giving rewards) unless you grow weary (of doing good deeds), and the best deed in His sight is that which is done regularly Whenever we stopped somewhere (during a journey) for rest, we would not offer (voluntary) prayer until we have unloaded the luggage from the mounts' backs You are the Most Glorious, the Most Holy, and the Lord of the angels and of the Spirit The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in his house during his illness When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ''Allah hears the one who praises Him,'' none of us would bend his back until the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) had fallen in prostration. We would then fall in prostration right after him News about the dispute among the people of Banu ‘Amr ibn ‘Awf reached the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and so he went to them, along with some of his Companions, to effect reconciliation between them The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) combined the Maghrib and ‘Ishā' prayers (at Muzdalifah) with one Iqāmah. He did not offer any voluntary prayers in between or after either of them If the person passing in front of someone praying knew the extent of the guilt he is incurring, he would prefer to stand for forty rather than pass in front him. Abu An-Nadr said: I am not sure if he said forty days, months, or years The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to bring out the young girls and the girls who stay home on the two Eid days, and ordered the menstruating women to distance themselves from the praying area of the Muslims O Allah, forgive my past and future sins, my hidden and apparent sins, my transgression, and the sins that You know of more than I do. You are the One who puts forward and the One who holds back. There is no god but You I stood in prayer one night with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). He stood up and recited Sūrat al-Baqarah. Whenever he came across a verse mentioning mercy, he stopped and asked (Allah for mercy); and whenever he came across a verse mentioning punishment, he stopped and sought refuge (with Allah from it) O Allah, to You I submit, in You I believe, upon You I rely, by Your help I contend with my foes, and to You I refer for judgment. So, forgive me the sins I committed in the past and those I may commit in the future, those I did secretly and those I did openly, and all that which You know of better than I do. There is no god but You O Allah, Lord of Jibrīl, Mikha'īl, and Israfil, Originator of the heavens and the earth, Knower of the unseen and the seen, You judge between Your slaves concerning that in which they used to differ. Guide me, by Your permission, to the truth about which people differ. Verily, You guide whom You will to the straight path Whenever we stopped at a place for rest, we would not offer any (voluntary) prayer until we unloaded the luggage from the riding animals It is not appropriate to use mosques for urinating or filth. Indeed, they are built for the remembrance of Allah and the recitation of the Qur’an A man announced (the loss of his camel) in the mosque, saying out loud: Has any one seen the red camel? Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: May you not find it! The mosques are only built for the purpose they are built The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade Hibwah (a sitting position) on Friday while the Imām is delivering the sermon When the call to prayer is announced, the devil takes to his heels and breaks wind with noise so as not to hear the call The Muezzins will have the longest necks of all the people When the edge of the sun rises, avoid prayer until it becomes prominent; and if the edge of the sun disappears, avoid prayer until it sets. And do not offer your prayer at the time of sunrise or sunset, for it rises between two horns of a devil – or the devil The time for the Zhuhr prayer starts when the sun has passed its zenith and a man's shadow is equal in length to his height, until the time for the ‘Asr prayer comes. The time for the ‘Asr lasts until the sun turns yellow. The time for the Maghrib prayer lasts so long as the dusk is not gone. The time for the ‘Ishā' prayer lasts until midnight. The time for the Fajr prayer lasts from the break of dawn so long as the sun has not risen We used to perform the Maghrib prayer with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and when one of us left he could still see where his arrow landed Whoever catches one Rak‘ah before sunrise, he has caught the Fajr prayer, and whoever catches one Rak‘ah of the ‘Asr prayer before sunset, he has caught the ‘Asr prayer Do not prevent anyone from circumambulating this House and from praying at any time of the day or night as they wish There are two 'Fajrs'. As for the 'Fajr' that resembles the tale of a wolf, it is not a sign that prayer has become due or food has become forbidden to consume. And as for the 'Fajr' that takes a rectangular shape in the horizon, it is a sign that prayer has become due and food forbidden to consume Those who are present should inform those who are absent: Do not offer any prayer after dawn except for two Rak‘ahs Indeed, it is a true dream, Allah Willing! Go and teach these words to Bilāl, and let him make the call to prayer with them, as his voice is more melodious than yours It is part of the Sunnah that when the Muezzin says in the Adhān for the Fajr prayer: "Come to success," he then says: "prayer is better than sleep." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) combined the Maghrib and Ishā' prayers. He prayed three Rak‘ahs for Maghrib then two Rak‘ahs for Ishā' with one Iqāmah You are their leader; be considerate to their weak ones, and choose a Muezzin who does not take wages for his Adhān The Muezzin of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to delay the Iqāmah until he would see the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) coming out. On seeing him, he would pronounce the Iqāmah We were with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on a journey on a very dark night and we didn't know the direction of the Qiblah. So each man among us prayed in his own direction. In the morning, when we mentioned that to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) the following verse was revealed: {So wherever you turn, there is the Face of Allah} [Sūrat al-Baqarah: 115] What is between the east and the west is Qiblah When anyone of you comes to the mosque, he should look (at his sandals). If he sees any filth or dirt on his sandals, he should wipe it off and pray in them I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) praying and making a sound like the rumbling of a mill because of weeping The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went out to Qubā' Mosque to pray in it I saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) leading people in prayer and carrying Umāmah bint Abu al-‘Ās, the daughter of the Prophet's daughter Zaynab, on his shoulder. He put her down when he wanted to bow, and he picked her up again when he got up after prostration Kill the two blacks during prayer: the snake and the scorpion We used to pray and animals would pass in front of us. We mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) so he said: If anything, like the back of the saddle, is placed in front of anyone of you, then nothing that passes in front of him (but behind that thing) can harm him When anyone of you prays, let him do so behind a barrier, even if an arrow When one of you stands up to pray, he should put a screen in front of him as tall as the height of the back of a saddle. If he does not have something the height of the back of a saddle in front of him, his prayer would be invalidated if a donkey, a woman, or a black dog passed in front of him ‘Ā'ishah used to hate that one keeps his hands on his flanks (while praying). She said that the Jew used to do so If the supper is served, then start eating it before performing the Maghrib prayer, and do not be hasty in finishing it I asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about looking around during prayer. He replied: It is a way of stealing by which the devil steals a portion of a slave's prayer Take this garment of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me his plain garment, because this one has distracted me from my prayer The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to build mosques in different localities and that they should be kept clean I implore you by Allah (to tell me) if you heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saying: Answer on my behalf. O Allah, aid him with the Holy Spirit. He said: By Allah, yes Whoever hears a man inquiring in the mosque about something he has lost should say: "May Allah not restore it to you," for indeed mosques are not built for this The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you see someone buying or selling in the mosque, say to him: 'May Allah not make your sale profitable!' And when you see someone announcing a lost item in the mosque, then say: 'May Allah not return it to you!'" Leave them, for these are the days of Eid. Those were the days of Mina The Hour will not appear until people boast about mosques The Hadīth of the one harming his prayer as reported by Rifā‘ah (may Allah be pleased with him) Abu Humayd As-Sā‘idi, while he was sitting with ten of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) including Abu Qatādah, said: I am the most knowledgeable among you about the Prophet's prayer When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) got up to pray, he would say: I have turned my face in complete devotion to the One Who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not one of the polytheists. Verily my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and my death are for Allah, the Lord of the worlds When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) got up to pray at night, he would make Takbīr and then say: Glory be to You, O Allah, and praise. Blessed is Your name, exalted is Your greatness, and there is nothing worthy of worship but You The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to start the prayer with the Takbīr and then read: {All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds} When he bowed, he neither raised his head nor lowered it, but kept it in between I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and he placed his right hand above his left hand on his chest The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) as well as Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, used to begin the prayer with {All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds} As for this man, he has filled his hand with good The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Al-Fātihah followed by another Sūrah in the first two Rak‘āhs of the Zhuhr prayer and used to recite only Al-Fātihah in the last two Rak‘āhs of it. Sometimes a verse or so was audible We used to estimate the time that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would stand when performing the Zhuhr and the ‘Asr prayers. We estimated that the time he stood in the first two Rak‘ahs of the Zhuhr prayer as the being the time taken to recite Sūrat As-Sajdah and it would be half of that time in the last two Rak‘ahs I have never prayed behind anyone whose prayer more closely resembles that of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) than so-and-so. We prayed behind him and he would lengthen the first two Rak‘ahs of the Zhuhr and shorten the last two I heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) recite Sūrah At-Tūr during the Maghrib prayer. When he reached this verse: {Were they created by nothing? Or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain. Or have they the depositories [containing the provision] of your Lord? Or are they the controllers [of them]?}, it was as if my heart was about to take flight O people, there is nothing remaining of the glad tidings of prophet-hood except a good vision that a Muslim sees or someone else sees it for him. Verily, I have been forbidden to recite the Qur'an while bowing or prostrating In the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) the bowing, rising from bowing, prostration, and sitting between the two prostrations were all roughly the same (in length) Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, he would spread out his fingers, and whenever he prostrated, he would join them together When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was performing an odd-numbered Rak‘ah, he would not get up until he had been settled in the sitting position The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) invoked evil on the tribe of Banu Sulaym for one month after rising from Rukū‘ in prayer The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not say the Qunūt but he would pray for welfare of a people or doom of others O father, you prayed behind the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, and ‘Ali here in Kufah for about five years. Did they use to recite the Qunūt in the Fajr prayer? He said: O son, this is an innovation in religion When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sat for supplication, he would put his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh, point with his index finger, place his thumb on his middle finger, and cover his knee with the palm of his left hand The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach us the Tashahhud just as he teaches us a Sūrah from the Qur’an Pray on the ground if you are able to; and if not, then use gestures and make your prostration lower than your bowing One night, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed Qiyām while reciting a single verse from the Qur'an Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu‘bah led us in prayer, and he stood up directly after offering the second Rak‘ah (without sitting for Tashahhud), so we said: "Glory be to Allah" whereupon he said: "Glory be to Allah" and continued with the prayer. When he completed his prayer and ended it with Taslīm, he made two prostrations of forgetfulness. When he left the prayer, he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) do as I did. Abu Hurayrah recited Sūrat al-Inshiqāq and then prostrated. After he finished the prostration, he told them that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) had prostrated when he recited it I recited before the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) Sūrat An-Najm and he did not prostrate in it I said to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): Are there two prostrations in Sūrat al-Hajj? He said: Yes, and whoever does not perform them should not read them Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) received good news, he would fall down in prostration out of gratitude to Allah Offer two Rak‘ahs before Maghrib