Bulugh al-Maram

Narrated 'Aishah (RA) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to begin the Salat (prayer) with Takbir (Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Most Great) and the recitation with Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil' alamin (praise is to Allah, the Rabb of the universe)." And when he bowed down, he neither kept his head up nor bent it down, but kept it between that (two positions). When he raised his head from the bowing position, he did not prostrate till he had stood erect; and when he raised his head after a prostration, he did not prostrate again till he had sat up. And at the end of every two Rak'ah he said the Tahiyyah, and he used to sit on his left foot and position he right one vertically, and he prohibited the devil's way of sitting on the buttocks. He forbade people to spread out their arms like a wild beast. And he used to finish the prayer with the Taslim (i.e. saying As-Salamu 'alaikum). .

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to raise his hands parallel to his shoulders when he started the prayer (by saying Allahu Akbar), when he uttered the Takbir to bow and when he raised his head from the Ruku' (bowing posture). .

Abu Dawud reported a Hadith narrated by Abu Humaid (RA) to the effect that he used to raise his hands and bring them parallel to his shoulders, and then utter the Takbir.

"He raised his hands parallel to the end of his ears."

I prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) and he put his right hand on his left (and then placed them) on his chest. .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "There is no Salat (prayer) for him who does not recite Ummul-Qur'an (Surat al-Fatiha)". (Agreed upon].

"The Salat (prayer) is not complete if one does not recite (Surat) Fatiha al-Kitab."

"Perhaps you recite behind your Imam?" We replied, "Yes." He said, "Do not do so except when it is (Surat) Fatiha al-Kitab, for the Salat (prayer) of the one who does not recite it, is not accepted."

"The Prophet (ﷺ), Abu Bakr and 'Umar used to begin the Salat (prayer) with Al-hamdu lillahi Rabbil-'alamin." .

"They would not recite Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, neither in the beginning of the recitation nor at the end of it."

"They never used to recite Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim aloud."

"They used to recite Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim silently."

The negation (of recitation of the Bismillah) in the report of Muslim can be understood in light of this report (i.e. it was recited silently), as opposed to those who declared Muslim's report as being defective.

"I prayed behind Abu Hurairah (RA) and he recited Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, and then recited Umm-ul-Qur'an (Al-Fatiha) and when he reached walad-dallin, he said Amin; and then said Allahu Akbar, when he prostrated and when he stood up from his sitting position. And when he uttered the Taslim (i.e. As-Salamu 'Alaikum), he said, "I swear by the One (i.e. Allah) in Whose Hand my soul is, my Salat (prayer) resembles most that of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) than that of anyone among you." .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Whenever you recite Surat Al-Fatiha, recite Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, for it is one of its Ayat (Verses)." .

When Allah's Messenger (RA) completed the recitation of Surat Al-Fatiha, he raised his voice and said Amin. [Reported by ad-Daraqutni who graded it Hasan (good) and Al-Hakim who graded it Sahih (authentic)).

The narrations of Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi from the Hadith of Wa'il bin Hujr (RA) are similar to this one.

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "I cannot memorize anything from the Qur'an, so teach me something which can be a substitute for me." He said, "Say Subhan Allah (Allah is Free of Imperfections) walhamdu lillah (and praise is to Allah), wa la ilaha illa-Allah (and there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah), wallahu akbar (and Allah is the Most Great), wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah al-'Ali al-'Adheem (and there is no might and no strength but in Allah, the Most High, the Supreme)" [Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i; and Ibn Hibban, ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim graded it Sahih (authentic)].

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to lead us in prayer and recite in the first two Rak'a of the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers Surat Al-Fatiha and two (other) Surah. And he would sometimes recite loud enough for us to hear the Verses. He would prolong the first Rak'a, and would recite in the last two Rak'a Surat Al-Fatiha (only). .

We used to estimate the length of the standing position of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers, and we estimated that he stood in the first two Rak'a of the Zuhr prayer as long as it takes to recite Alif-Lam-Mim, Tanzil (Surat As-Sajdah) and in the last two Rak'a, half the time of that. And in the first two Rak'a of 'Asr, he used to stand as long as the last two of the Zuhr. And the last two Rak'a of 'Asr used to be of about half the time of the first two." [Reported by Muslim).

So-and-so used to prolong the first two Rak'a of the Zuhr prayer and shorten the 'Asr prayer, and recite the short Surah of Mufassal at Maghrib prayer, its medium Surah at the 'Isha' prayer, and its long ones at the Fajr prayer. Then Abu Hurairah (RA) said: "I never prayed behind anyone whose prayer more closely resembles that of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) than this person." .

I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reciting at-Tur (the Mountain - Surat No. 52) in the Maghrib (sunset) prayer. [Agreed upon).

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to recite during the Fajr prayer of Friday Alif-Lam-Mim, Tanzil... (as-Sajdab - Surat no. 32) and Hal ata 'alal-Insani... (al-Insan - Surat no. 76), which is also called Surat ad-Dahr). .

at-Tabarani narrated the Hadith of Ibn Mas'ud which has the addition "... he did that constantly."

I prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) and (noticed that) whenever he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and whenever he came to a verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah against it." .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "I have been forbidden to recite the Qur'an while bowing or prostrating; so while in the bowing (position) glorify (the Perfection of) the Rabb (Lord), and while in the prostrating (position) be earnest in supplication, for it is fitting that your supplications may be answered." .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to say while bowing and prostrating Subhanaka Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdika, Allahumma ighfir li (How Perfect You are, O Allah, Our Rabb, and praise is to You, O Allah, forgive me)." .

When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) got up to pray, he would say the Takbir when standing up, then would say the Takbir when bowing, then he would say Sami'Allahu liman hamidah (Allah listens to him who praises Him) when rising up from the bowing position, then he would say while standing Rabbana wa lakal-hamd (our Rabb, the praise is Yours), then he would say the Takbir when going down for prostration, then when raising his head up, then when he prostrated again, then when raising his head up. He would then do that throughout the whole Salat (prayer) and he would say the Takbir when he got up - at the end of two Rak'a - from the sitting position." .

"Allahumma Rabbana lakal-hamdu mil'as-samawati wal-ardi, wa mil'a ma shi'ta min shai'in ba'du, ahlaththana'i wal-majdi, ahaqqu ma qal-al'abdu, wa kulluna laka 'abdun. Allahumma la mani'a lima a'taita, wa la mu'tiya lima man'ata, wa la yanfa'u dhal-jaddi minka-l-jaddu (O Allah, our Rabb (Lord), to You is praise in all the heavens and all the earth, and all that You Will (to create) afterwards, O You, Who are worthy of praise and glory, the most worthy of what a slave says - and we are all Your slaves: no one can withhold what You give, or give what You withhold, and riches cannot avail a wealthy person against You." .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones; on the forehead - and he pointed at his nose, the hands (the palms), the knees and the tips (toes) of the feet." .

When the Prophet (ﷺ) prostrated while praying, he used to spread out his arms so that the whiteness of his armpits would be visible. .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "When you prostrate, place the palms of your hands on the ground and raise your elbows." [Reported by Muslim).

Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) bowed, he would spread out his fingers and when he prostrated he would bring his fingers together. [Reported by al-Hakim).

I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) praying while he sat cross-legged. .

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say between the two prostrations: "Allahumma ighfir li, warhamni, wahdini, wa 'afini, warzuqni (O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, grant me health and well-being, and provide sustenance for me)." .

He saw the Prophet (ﷺ) praying and when he had prayed an odd number of Rak'a, he did not stand up till he had sat up properly. .

The Prophet (ﷺ) recited Qunut (supplication in the prayer) for one month after (rising up from the) bowing (position), invoking curse on some Arab tribes. Afterwards, he gave it up. .

Ahmad and ad-Daraqutni narrated something similar, adding that he (ﷺ) continued to recite Qunut (supplication in prayer) in the Fajr prayer till he separated from this world.

The Prophet (ﷺ) never used to supplicate [i.e. Qunut in the prayer) except when he prayed for a people or when he prayed against a people. .

I said to my father, "You have prayed behind Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman, and 'Ali. Did they supplicate (with Qunut while standing) in the Fajr prayer?" He replied, "O my son, it is an innovation." .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) taught me some words to say when standing in supplication during the Witr, they were: "O Allah, guide me among those You have guided, grant me well-being among those You have granted well-being, take me into Your charge among those You have taken into Your charge, bless me in what You have given, guard me from the evil of what You have decreed, for You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You befriend is not humbled. Blessed and Exalted are You, our Rabb (Lord)." Reported by Al-Khamsah: Authentic. Narrated by Abu Dawood (1425), an-Nasa'i (3/248), at-Tirmidhi (464), Ibn Majah (1178), and Ahmad (1/199-200). at-Tabarani and al-Baihaqi added: "He whom You hold as enemy is not honoured." It is an authentic addition. Narrated by at-Tabarani in "Al-Kabeer" (3/73/2701) and al-Baihaqi in "Al-Kubra" (2/209). an-Nasa'i reported through another chain of narrators, adding at its end: "May Allah the Most High send His Salat on the Prophet (praising him in the highest assemblies of the angels)." It is Weak. Narrated by an-Nasa'i (3/248), with the addition of "Muhammad" and its chain is disconnected, as stated by Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani in "At-Talkhees".

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to teach us a supplication to say in the Qunut of the morning prayer. .

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "When one of you prostrates, he should not kneel in the manner of a camel, but should put down his hands before his knees." . This Hadith is more authentic than the Hadith narrated by Wa'il bin Hujr (RA).

I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) placing his knees (on the ground) before his hands when he prostrated. .

The first Hadith has a Shahid (supporting evidence) in the Hadith

of Ibn 'Umar (RA) (coming next), which is authenticated by Ibn Khuzaimah. al-Bukhari mentioned it as a Hadith Mu'allaq (missing links from the side of the Haditb collector) and Mawquf (saying of a companion).

When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) sat for at-Tashahhud, he placed his left hand on his left knee, and his right hand on his right knee, folded its fingers and pointed with his right index finger. .

'and he clenched all his (right hand) fingers and pointed with the index finger.'

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) looked at us and said, "When one of you is (sitting) in prayer, he should say, 'All services reported by words, by prayers (acts of worship), and all good things are due to Allah, peace be upon you, O Prophet, and Allah's mercy and blessings, peace be upon us and upon Allah's upright slaves. I testify that nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah and I testify that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.' Then he may choose any supplication which pleases him most and recite it." .

'We used to say before at-Tashahhud become obligatory on us'.