11. He would say takbeer, tahmeed, tasbeeh, tahleel and istighfaar ten times each, and then

say,

O Allaah! forgive me and guide me and give me sustenance and [overlook my sins] Ten times, and then say: O Allaah! I seek refuge with You from the distress of the Day of Account. Ten times. (121) 12. "Allaah is the Greatest [three times], Possessor of Kingdom, Power, Magnificence and Might." (122) [Back to contents] 7) Recitation Next, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would seek refuge with Allaah the Exalted, saying: I seek refuge with Allaah from the Evil One, the Rejected, from his madness (123), his arrogance, and his poetry (124) Sometimes he would add to this, saying: I seek refuge with Allaah, the all-Hearing, the all-Knowing, from the Evil One (125) Then he would recite,

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy but not loudly (126) [Back to contents] 1-Recitation of one Verse at a Time Next, he would recite surah al-Faatihah and divide his recitation, reciting one verse at a time. He would say: [Here he would pause, and then say:] [Then he would pause, and then say:] [Then he would pause, and then say:] ... and so on, until the end of the surah. The rest of his recitation was also like this: stopping at the end of the verse and not joining it with the one after. (127) Sometimes, he would recite, (King of the Day of Judgment) instead of (Master of the Day of Judgment) (128) [Back to contents]

2-The Necessity of al-Faatihah, and its Excellence He would vehemently emphasise the importance of this surah, saying: "There is no prayer for the one who did not recite [in it] the opening chapter [at least]" (129), and in another saying: That prayer is not sufficient in which a man does not recite the Opening of the Book (130). He also said: He who performs a prayer in which he does not recite the Opening of the Book, then it (i.e. the prayer) is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient, incomplete (131). He also said: “Allaah the Blessed and Exalted has said: "I have divided the prayer (132) between Myself and My servant, into two halves: half of it is for Me and half is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." (133) Then the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: Recite! The servant says: "Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds"; Allaah the Exalted says "My servant has praised Me". The servant says, "The Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy"; Allaah says, "My servant has extolled Me". The servant says "Master of the Day of Judgment"; Allaah the Exalted says, "My servant has glorified Me". The servant says, "It is You (alone) we worship and it is You (alone) we ask for help"; [He says:], "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for". The servant says, "Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom You have favoured, not of those who receive Your anger, nor of those who go astray". [He says:], "All these are for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for." He also used to say: “Allaah did not reveal in the Torah or the Gospel anything like the Mother of the Qur'aan. It is the Seven Oft-Repeated (134) [and the Grand Recitation which have been bestowed upon me].” (135) He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) commanded "the one who prayed badly" to recite it in his prayer (136), but said to one who could not remember it, Say: (I declare Allaah free from all defects; all Praise be to Allaah; none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah; Allaah is the Greatest; there is no might or power except by Allaah) (137) He also said to "the one who prayed badly": “If you know some of the Qur'aan, then recite it, otherwise praise Allaah, declare His Greatness and declare that none has the right to be worshipped but Allaah” (138) [Back to contents]

3-The Abrogation of Recitation behind the Imaam in the Loud Prayers He had given permission for those being led by the Imaam to recite surah al-Faatihah in the loud prayers, when once: "he was praying Fajr and the recitation became difficult for him. When he finished, he said: Perhaps you recite behind your imaam. We said: "Yes, quickly (139), O Messenger of Allaah." He said: “Do not do so, except for [each of you reciting] the opening chapter of the Book, for the prayer is not valid of the one who does not recite it.” (140) Later, he forbade them from reciting in the loud prayers at all, when: "He finished a prayer in which he was reciting loudly (in one narration: it was the dawn prayer) and said: Were any of you reciting with me just now?! A man said: "Yes, I was, O Messenger of Allaah". He said: I say, why am I contended with? [Abu Hurairah said:] So the people stopped reciting with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) when he was reciting loudly after hearing that from him [but they recited to themselves quietly when the imaam was not reciting loudly]." (141) He also made silence during the imaam's recitation part of the completeness of following the imaam, saying: The imaam is there to be followed, so when he says takbeer, say takbeer, and when he recites, be silent (142), just as he made listening to the imaam's recitation enough to not have to recite behind him, saying: He who has an imaam, then the recitation of the imaam is recitation for him (143)-this applying in the loud prayers. [Back to contents] 4-The Obligation to Recite in the Quiet Prayers As for the quiet prayers, he urged them to recite during them; Jaabir said, "We used to recite behind the imaam in Zuhr and 'Asr: surah al-Faatihah and another surah in the first two rak'ahs, and surah al-Fatihah in the last two." (144) However, he dissuaded them from confusing him with their recitation, when: "he prayed Zuhr with his Companions and said (afterwards): Which of you recited "Glorify the name of your Lord the Most High" (surah al-A'laa, 87)? Someone said: It was I [but I was only intending nothing but good by doing so]. So he said: I knew that someone was contending with me by it. (145) In another hadith: "They used to recite behind the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) [loudly], so he said: You have mixed up my (recitation of the) Qur'aan. (146) He also said: “Truly, the person praying is privately consulting his Lord, so he should be careful about what he consults him with, and you should not recite the Qur'aan loudly over each other.” (147)

He also used to say: “Whoever recited a harf (letter) from the Book of Allaah, it will count for him as one good deed, and a good deed is worth ten times over. I do not mean that "alif laam meem" is a harf, but "alif" is a harf, "laam" is a harf, and "meem" is a harf.” (148) [Back to contents] 5-The aameen, and the Imaam's saying it Loudly When he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) finished reciting al-Faatihah, he would say: ("Aameen") loudly, prolonging his voice. (149) He also used to order the congregation to say aameen: When the imaam says, "Not of those who receive (Your) anger, nor of those who go astray", then say "aameen" [for the angels say "aameen" and the imaam says aameen"] In another narration: “when the imaam says "aameen" say "aameen"), so he whose aameen coincides with the aameen of the angels “ In another narration: “When one of you says "aameen" in prayer and the angels in the sky say "aameen", and they coincide), his past sins are forgiven. (150) In another hadith: … then say aameen; Allaah will answer you (151) He also used to say: The Jews do not envy you over anything as much as they envy you over the salutation and aameen [behind the imaam] (152) [Back to contents] 6-The Recitation after al-Faatihah

Next, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would recite another surah after al-Faatihah, making it long sometimes, and on other occasions making it short because of travel, cough, illness or the crying of infants. Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) made it [i.e. the recitation] short one day in the dawn prayer." (In another hadith: he prayed the morning prayer and recited the two shortest soorahs in the Qur'aan.) So it was said: "O Messenger of Allaah, why did you make it short?" He said: I heard the crying of a child, and I supposed that his mother was praying with us, so I wanted to free his mother for him. (153) He also used to say: I enter into prayer intending to lengthen it, but I hear the crying of a child so I shorten my prayer because I know how deeply his mother feels about his crying. (154) He used to start from the beginnning of a surah, completing it most of the time. (155) He used to say: Give every surah its share of rukoo' and sujood. (156) In another narration: Every surah should have a rak'ah. (157) Sometimes he would divide the surah into two rak'ahs (158) and sometimes he would repeat the whole surah in the second rak'ah (159) Sometimes he would combine two or more soorahs in one rak'ah. (160) One of the Ansaar used to lead them in the mosque of Qubaa', and every time he recited a surah (161) for them, he would begin with "Say: He is Allaah, the One and Only "(surah alIkhlaas, 112) until its end, and then recite another surah with it, and he would do this in every rak'ah. Because of this, his people spoke to him, saying: "You begin with this surah, and then you do not regard it as enough until you recite another one: you should either recite it (only) or leave it and recite another one. He said: "I will not leave it: if you do not mind me leading you with it, I shall carry on, but if you do not like it, I shall leave you." They knew that he was one of their best, and they did not like to be led by anyone else, so when the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) came to them, they told him the story. He said: O soand-so, what stops you from doing what your people ask you to? What makes you recite this surah in every rak'ah? He said: "I love this surah." He said: Your love for it will enter you into the Garden. (162) [Back to contents] 7-Combining Similar Soorahs and others in One Rak'ah He used to combine the pairs (163) of the mufassal (164) soorahs, so he used to recite one of the following pairs of soorahs in one rak'ah (165): · Ar-Rahmaan (55:78) (166) & an-Najm (53:62); · Al-Qamar (54:55) & al-Haaqqah (69:52);

· At-Toor (52:49) & Dhaariyaat (51:60); · Al-Waaqi'ah (56:96) & al-Qalam (68:52); · Al-Ma'aarij (70:44) & an-Naazi'aat (79:46); · Al-Mutaffifeen (83:36) & 'Abasa (80:42); · Al-Muddaththir (74:56) & al-Muzzammil (73:20); · Ad-Dahr (76:31) & al-Qiyaamah (75:40); · An-Naba (78:40) & al-Mursalaat (77:50); · Ad-Dukhaan (44:59) & at-Takweer (81:29). Sometimes he would combine soorahs from the seven tiwaal (long soorahs), such as alBaqarah, an-Nisaa' and aal-Imraan in one rak'ah during night prayer (below). He used to say: “The most excellent prayer is one with long standing. “ (167) When he recited, "Does He not have the power to give life to the dead?" (Qiyaamah 75:40), he would say, (Glory be to You, of course!) And when he recited,"Glorify the name of your Lord Most High" (A'laa 87:1), he would say, (Glorified be my Lord Most High) (168) [Back to contents] 8-The Permissibility of Reciting al-Faatihah only Mu'aadh ibn Jabal used to pray 'Ishaa' [the last] with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and then return and lead his people in prayer. One night when he returned and prayed with them, a young man [called Sulaim, of the Banu Salamah] from his people prayed, but when it became too long for him, he [went away and] prayed [in the corner of the mosque], then came out, took the reins of his camel and departed. When Mu'aadh had prayed, this was mentioned to him, so he said: "He surely has some hypocrisy in him! I will surely tell the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) what he has done." The young man said: "And I will tell the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) what he has done." So in the morning they came to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), and Mu'aadh informed him of what the young man had done. The young man said: "O Messenger of Allaah! He stays a long time with you, and then he returns and lengthens it for us." So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: Are you one who causes great trouble, Mu'aadh?! and he said to the young man (169): What do you do when you pray, son of my brother? He said: "I recite the opening chapter of the Book, then I ask Allaah

for the Garden, and seek refuge with Him from the Fire. I know neither your dandanah (170) nor the dandanah of Mu'aadh!" So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: I and Mu'aadh are similar in this. The narrator said: The young man said, "But Mu'aadh will know (about me) on going to the people when they will have been informed that the enemy has arrived." The narrator said: So the enemy came, and the young man attained shahaadah (martyrdom). So after that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said to Mu'aadh, What did the one disputing with me and you do? He said, "O Messenger of Allaah, he was true to Allaah, and I spoke falsely -he was martyred." (171) [Back to contents] 9-Quiet and Loud Recitation in the Five Prayers and others He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite loudly in the morning prayer and in the first two rak'ahs of Maghrib and 'Ishaa', and quietly in Zuhr, 'Asr, the third rak'ah of Maghrib and the last two rak'ahs of Ishaa'. (172) They could tell when he was reciting quietly from the movement of his beard (173), and because he would let them hear an aayah or so sometimes. (174) He also recited loudly in Friday prayer and the two 'Eid prayers (175), in the prayer for rain(176), and in the eclipse prayer. (177) [Back to contents] 10-Quiet and Loud Recitation in the Night Prayer (Tahajjud) (178) As for night prayer, he would sometimes recite quietly and sometimes loudly (179), and "he used to recite in his house such that he could be heard in the courtyard (180)." "Occasionally he would raise his voice more than that until someone lying in bed could hear him" (181) (i.e. from outside the courtyard). He ordered Abu Bakr and 'Umar (Allaah be pleased with them) likewise, when: "he came out at night to find Abu Bakr (Allaah be pleased with him) praying in a low voice, and he passed by 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (Allaah be pleased with him) who was praying in a loud voice. Later, when they gathered around the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: O Abu Bakr, I passed by you and you were praying in a low voice? He said: "I let Him whom I was consulting hear, O Messenger of Allaah." He said to 'Umar: I passed by you and you were praying raising your voice? So he said: "O Messenger of Allaah, I repel drowsiness and keep the devil away." The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: O Abu Bakr, raise your voice a little bit and to 'Umar: lower your voice a little bit. (182) He used to say: The one who recites the Qur'aan loudly is like the one who gives charity loudly, and the one who recites the Qur'aan quietly is like the one who gives charity quietly. (183) [Back to contents] 11-What he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to Recite in the Different Prayers

As for which soorahs and aayaat he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite in prayer, this varied according to the different prayers. The details now follow, beginning with the first of the five prayers: [Back to contents] 1-Fajr Prayer: He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite the longer mufassal (184) surahs (185), hence "he (sometimes) recited al-Waaqi'ah (56:96) and similar surahs in two rak'ahs" (186) He recited from surah at-Toor (52:49) during the Farewell Pilgrimage. (187) Sometimes "he would recite surah Qaaf (50:45) or similar [in the first rak'ah]." (188) Sometimes "he would recite the shorter mufassal surahs, such as "When the sun is folded up" (at-Takweer 81:29)." (189) Once, he recited "When the Earth is shaken" (Zilzaal 99:8) in both rak'ahs, so that the narrator said, "I do not know whether the Messenger of Allaah forgot or recited it on purpose." (190) Once, on a journey, he recited "Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak" (Falaq 113:5) and "Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Mankind" (Naas 114:6) (191). He also said to 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him): Recite the mu'awwadhatain (192) in your prayer, for no seeker of refuge has sought refuge by means of anything like them. (193) Sometimes he used to recite more than that: "he would recite sixty aayaat or more" (194) one of the narrators said, "I do not know whether this was in each rak'ah or in total." He used to recite surah ar-Room (30:60) (195) and sometimes surah Yaa Sin (36:83). (196) Once, "he prayed the Subh [i.e. Fajr Prayer] in Makkah and started reciting surah alMu'minoon (23:118) until, when he got to the mention of Moosaa and Haaroon or the mention of 'Isa (197) -one of the narrators was not sure -he started coughing and so made rukoo'." (198) Sometimes, "he would lead them in Fajr with as-Saaffaat" (77:182) (199) "In Fajr on Friday, he would recite as-Sajdah (32:30) [in the first rak'ah, and, in the second,] ad-Dahr" (76:31). (200) He used to make the first rak'ah longer than the second. (201) Recitation in the Sunnah prayer before Fajr His recitation in the two rak'ahs of sunnah in Fajr used to be extremely short (202), so much so that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to say: "Has he recited surah alFaatihah or not?" (203) Sometimes, after al-Faatihah, he would recite the aayah "Say: We believe in Allaah and therevelation given to us..." (Baqarah 2:136) in the first rak'ah; in the second, the aayah "Say: O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you..." (Aal-’Imraan 3:64). (204) Occasionally, he would recite instead of the latter, "When 'Isa found unbelief on their part..." (Aal-’Imraan 3:52). (205)

Sometimes he would recite surah al-Kaafiroon (109:6) in the first rak'ah, and surah alIkhlaas (112:4) in the second; (206) also, he used to say: An excellent pair of soorahs they are! (207) He heard a man reciting the former surah in the first rak'ah, so he said, This is a slave who believes in his Lord. Then the man recited the latter surah in the second rak'ah, so he said, This is a slave who knows his Lord. (208) [Back to contents] 2-Zuhr Prayer: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite al-Faatihah and two soorahs in the first two rak'ahs, making the first one longer than the second." (209) Sometimes he would make lengthen it to the extent that "the Zuhr prayer would have started, and someone could go to a plain: al-Baqi,' fulfil his need, [come back to his place,] make his ablution, and then come (to the mosque) while the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) was still in the first rak'ah, it was that long." (210). Also, "they used to think that he did it so that the people could catch the first rak'ah." (211) "He used to recite in each of these two rak'ah about thirty aayaat, such as al-Faatihah followed by surah as-Sajdah (32:30)." (212) Sometimes "he would recite "By the Sky and the Night-Visitant" (Taariq, 86:17), "By the Sky, (displaying) the Constellations" (Burooj, 85:22), "By the Night as it conceals" (Layl, 92:21) and similar soorahs." (213) Occasionally, he recited "When the Sky is rent asunder" (Inshiqaaq 84:25) and similar ones. (214) "They could tell that he was reciting in Zuhr and 'Asr from the movement of his beard. (215) Recitation of Aayaat after al-Faatihah in the last two Rak'ahs : "He used to make the last two rak'ahs about half as long as the first two, about fifteen aayaat (216), and sometimes he would recite only al-Faatihah in them." (217) Sometimes "he would let them hear an aayah or so." (218) "They would hear the tones of his recitation of "Glorify the name of your Lord Most High" (A'laa 87:19) and "Has the story reached you of the Overwhelming ?" (Ghaashiyah 88:26)." (219) Sometimes "he would recite "By the Sky and the Night-Visitant" (Taariq, 86:17), "By the Sky, (displaying) the Constellations" (Burooj, 85:22), and similar soorahs." (220) Sometimes "he would recite "By the Night as it conceals" (Layl 92:21) and similar soorahs." (221) [Back to contents] 3-'Asr prayer: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite al-Faatihah and two (other) soorahs in the first two rak'ahs, making the first one longer than the second" (222), and "they used to think that he did it so that the people could catch the rak'ah." (223)

"He used to recite about fifteen aayaat in each of the first two rak'ahs, about half as much as he recited in each of the first two rak'ahs of Zuhr, and he used to make the last two rak'ahs about half as long the first two." (224) "He used to recite al-Faatihah in the last two." (225) "He would let them hear an aayah or so sometimes." (226) He used to recite the surahs mentioned under "Zuhr prayer" above. [Back to contents] 4-Maghrib prayer: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to (sometimes) recite the short mufassal soorahs"(227), so that "when they had finished praying with him, they could go away and (it was possible to) shoot an arrow and see where it landed." (228) Once, "while on a journey, he recited "By the Fig and the Olive" (Teen 95:8) in the second rak'ah." (229) But sometimes he would recite the long or medium mufassal surahs, hence "he would recite "Those who disbelieve and hinder (men) from the Path of Allaah" (Muhammad 47:48);" (230) or surah at-Toor (52:49); (231) or surah al-Mursalaat (77:50), which he recited in the last prayer he prayed. (232) Sometimes "he would recite the longer of the two long surahs (233) (A'raaf 7:206) [in two rak'ahs]." (234) Or he would recite al-Anfaal (8:75) in two rak'ahs. (235) Recitation in the sunnah prayer after Maghrib: In this prayer, "he used to recite "Say: O you who reject faith" (Kaafiroon 109:6) and "Say: He is Allaah, the One and Only" (Ikhlaas 112:4)." (236) [Back to contents] 5-'Ishaa' prayer: He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would recite the medium mufassal surahs in the first two rak'ahs (237), hence "he used to recite "By the Sun and his splendour" (Shams 91:15) and surahs like it." (238) Or "he would recite "When the Sky is rent asunder" (Inshiqaaq 84:25) and make sajdah during it." (239) Also, "he once recited "By the Fig and the Olive" (Teen 95:8) [in the first rak'ah] while on a journey." (240) He forbade prolonging of recitation in 'Ishaa', and that was when: Mu'aadh ibn Jabal led his people in 'Ishaa' prayer, and made it very long for them, so one of the Ansaar left and prayed (alone). When Mu'aadh was informed about this, he said: "He is surely a hypocrite". When the man heard of this, he went to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and told him what Mu'aadh had said, so the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said to him: "Do you want to be on who causes a lot of trouble, Mu'aadh?! When you lead the people, recite "By theSun and his splendour" (Shams 91:15) or "Glorify the Name of your Lord Most High" (A'laa 77:19) or "Read in the Name of your Lord" ('Alaq 96:19) or "By the Night as it

conceals" (Layl 92:21) [because the old, the weak and those who have a need to fulfil pray behind you]." (241) [Back to contents] 6-Night prayer (Tahajjud): He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would sometimes recite loudly in it and sometimes quietly, (242) He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would shorten his recitation in this sometimes and lengthen it sometimes, occasionally making it so exceedingly long that 'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood (radi Allaahu 'anhu) once said: "I prayed with the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) one night, and he carried on standing for so long that I was struck by a wrong idea." He was asked, "What was this idea?" He said: "I thought I would sit down and leave the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam)!" (243) Also Hudhaifah ibn al-Yamaan said: "I prayed with the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) that night when he started surah alBaqarah (2:286). So I said (to myself), "He will make rukoo' after one hundred aayaat". But he carried on after that, so I thought, "He will finish it (the surah) in two rak'ahs". But he carried on, so I thought, "He will make rukoo' when he has finished it." Then he started surah an-Nisaa' (4:176) and recited it all, then he started surah aal-'Imraan (3:200) (244) and recited it all. He was reciting slowly; when he came to an aayah in which there was glorification of Allaah, he glorified Allaah; at an aayah which had something to be asked for, he asked for it; at mention of seeking refuge, he sought refuge (with Allaah). Then he made rukoo' ... “to the end of the hadith. (245) Also, "one night when he was ill he recited the Seven Long surahs." (246) Also, "he would (sometimes) recite one of these surahs in each rak'ah." (247) "It was [totally] unknown for him to recite the whole Qur'aan in one night." (248) In fact, he did not recommend it for 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him) when he said to him: Recite the whole Qur'aan in each month. I said: "I have the power (to do more than that)." He said: Recite it in twenty nights. I said: "I have the power to do more". He said: Then recite it in seven days and do not go beyond that. (249) Then "he allowed him to recite it in five days." (250) Then "he allowed him to recite it in three days." (251) Further, he forbade him from reciting it in less time than that (252), and he gave a reason for that by saying to him: Whoever recites the Qur'aan in less than three days does not understand it. (253) In another version: He does not understand, the one who recites the Qur'aan in less than three days. (254) Also when he said to him: For every worshipper has a (period of) keenness (255) and every (period of) keenness has a lapse (256), either towards a sunnah or towards a bid'ah (innovation); so he whose lapse is towards a sunnah has found guidance, and he whose lapse is towards other than that has been destroyed. (257) For this reason, "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would not recite the whole Qur'aan in less than three days." (258)

He used to say: Whoever prays at night reciting two hundred aayaat will be written down as one of the sincere devotees. (259) Also, "he used to recite surah Bani Israa'eel (17:111) and surah az-Zumar (39:75) every night." (260) He also used to say: Whoever prays at night reciting a hundred aayaat will not be written down as one of the heedless (261). Sometimes "he would recite about fifty aayaat or more in each rak'ah" (262), or he "would recite about as much as surah al-Muzzammil (73:20)." (263) "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would not pray all through the night" (264) except rarely, for once: “‘Abdullaah ibn Khabbaab ibn al-Arat -who was present at (the Battle of) Badr with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) -stayed up the whole night with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) (in another version: a night when he prayed throughout it) until it was dawn. So when he finished his prayer, Khabbaab said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Tonight, you have prayed a prayer the like of which I have never seen?" He said: “Yes, it was a prayer of hope and fear; [indeed] I asked my Lord, Mighty and Sublime, three things; He granted me two, but refused me one. I asked my Lord that He would not destroy us the way the nations before us were (in another version: that He would not destroy my ummah with famine) and He granted me this; I asked my Lord, Mighty and Sublime, that He would not impose on us an enemy from outside us, and He granted me this; and I asked my Lord not to cover us with confusion in party strife, but He refused me this." (265) Also, one night he stood (in prayer) repeating one aayah until it was dawn: "If You do punish them, they are Your servants; if You do forgive them, You are indeedthe Exalted in Power, the Wise." (Maa'idah 5:121) [with it he bowed, with it he prostrated, and with it he supplicated], [so in the morning Abu Dharr (radi Allaahu 'anhu) said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah, you did not stop reciting this aayah until it was morning; you bowed with it and you prostrated with it] [and you supplicated with it,] [whereas Allaah has taught you the whole Qur'aan;] [if one of us were to do this, we would be stern with him?] [He said: Indeed I asked my Lord, the Mighty and Sublime, for intercession for my ummah: He granted me it, and it will be possible if Allaah wills for whoever does not associate any partners with Allaah. (266) A man said to him: "O Messenger of Allaah, I have a neighbour who stands (in prayer) at night and does not recite anything except "Say: He is Allaah the One and Only" (Ikhlaas 112:4), [repeating it,] [not adding anything else,] as if he considers it little." So the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, it is worth a third of the Qur'aan. (267) [Back to contents] 7-Witr prayer:

"He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite "Glorify the Name of Your Lord Most High" (alA'laa 87:19) in the first rak'ah, "Say: O you who disbelieve" (Kaafiroon 109:6) in the second, and "Say: He is Allaah the One and Only" (Ikhlaas 112:4) in the third. (268) Sometimes he would add on to the last one "Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of Daybreak" (Falaq 113:5) and "Say: I seekrefuge with the Lord of Mankind" (Naas 114:6). (269) Once, "he recited a hundred aayaat from surah an-Nisaa' (4:176) in the third rak'ah." (270) As for the two rak'ahs after witr (271), he used to recite "When the earth is shaken " (Zilzaal 99:8) and "Say: O you who disbelieve" (Kaafiroon 109:6) in them. (272) [Back to contents] 8-Friday Prayer: He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would sometimes recite surah al-Jumu'ah (62:11) in the first rak'ah and "When the hypocrites come to you" (Munaafiqoon 63:11) (273) in the second, sometimes reciting "Has the story reached you of the Overwhelming?" (Ghaashiyah 88:26) instead of the latter. (274) Or sometimes "he would recite "Glorify the Name of your Lord Most High" (A'laa 87:19) in the first rak'ah and "Has the story reached you" (Ghaashiyah 88:26) in the second." (275) [Back to contents] 9-'Eid Prayer: "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would (sometimes) recite "Glorify the Name of your Lord MostHigh" (A'laa 87:19) in the first rak'ah and "Has the story reached you" (Ghaashiyah 88:26) in the second." (276) Or sometimes "he would recite in them "Qaaaaf. By the Glorious Qur'aan." (Qaaf 50:45) and "The Hour has drawn near" (Qamar 54:55)." (277) [Back to contents] 10-Funeral Prayer: "The Sunnah is to recite al-Faatihah (278) [and another surah] in it." (279) Also, "he would be silent for a while, after the first takbeer." (280) [Back to contents] 12-Tarteel (Recitation in slow, rhythmic tones), & Making theVoice Beautiful when Reciting He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to recite the Qur'aan in slow, measured rythmic tones as Allaah had instructed him, not racing or hurrying; rather, his was "a recitation clearlydistinguishing each letter" (1), so much so that "he would recite a surah in such slow rhythmic tones that it would be longer than would seem possible." (2)

He also used to say: It will be said to the reciter of the Qur'aan (on the Day of Judgment), 'Recite and ascend; recite slowly and rhythmically as you used to do in the previous world; your place will be at the last aayah you recite. (3) He "used to prolong his recitation (at a letter which can be prolonged), such as at bismil-laah, at arrahmaan, and at ar-raheem" (4), and at "nadeed" (Qaaf 50:10) (5) & their like. He used to stop at the end of an aayah, as has already been explained. (6) Sometimes "he would recite in an attractive vibrating tone (7), as he did on the Day of the Conquest of Makkah, when, while on his she-camel, he recited surah al-Fath (48:29) [very softly] (8), and 'Abdullaah ibn Mughaffal narrated this attractive tone thus : aaa." (9) He used to command making one's voice beautiful when reciting the Qur'aan, saying: Beautify the Qur'aan with your voices [for a fine voice increases the Qur'aan in beauty] (10) and Truly, the one who has one of the finest voices among the people for reciting the Qur'aan is the one whom you think fears Allaah when you hear him recite. (11) He also used to command recitation of the Qur'aan in a pleasant tone, saying: Study the Book of Allaah; recite it repeatedly; acquire (memorise) it; and recite it in a melodious tone, for by Him in whose Hand is my soul, it runs away quicker than camels from their tying ropes. (12) He also used to say: He who does not recite the Qur'aan in a pleasant tone is not of us (13) and Allaah does not listen to anything as he listens (in some versions: as he is listening) to a prophet [with a nice voice, and in one version: with a nice melody] who recites the Qur'aan in a pleasant tone (14) [loudly]. (15) He said to Abu Moosaa al-Ash'ari (radi Allaahu 'anhu), Had you seen me while I was listening to your recitation yesterday! You have surely been given one of the musical windinstruments (16) of the family of Daawood! [So Abu Moosaa said: "Had I known you were there, I would have made my voice more pleasant and emotional for you]." (17) [Back to contents] 12-Correcting the Imaam He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) set the example of correcting the imaam when his recitation becomes mixed up, when once "he prayed, reciting loudly, and his recitation became mixed up, so when he finished, he said to Ubayy: Did you pray with us? He replied, 'Yes.' He said, So what prevented you [from correcting me]?" (18) [Back to contents] 13-Seeking Refuge & Spitting Lightly during Prayer in order toRepel Temptation

'Uthmaan ibn Abi l-'Aas (radi Allaahu 'anhu) said to him, "O Messenger of Allaah! The devil comes between me and my prayer and confuses me in my recitation!" So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, That is a devil called Khinzab, so when you detect him, seek refuge with Allaah from him, and spit lightly (19) on your left three times. He said, "So when I did that, Allaah caused him to go away from me." (20) [Back to contents] 8) The Rukoo' (Bowing) After completing his recitation, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would pause for a moment (21), then raise his hands (22) in the way described earlier under the "Opening Takbeer", say takbeer (23), and make rukoo'. (24) He also ordered "the one who prayed badly" likewise, saying to him, Indeed, the prayer of one of you is not complete until he makes an excellent ablution as Allaah has commanded him to ... then he celebrates Allaah's greatness, praises and glorifies Him, then recites the Qur'aan as much as is easy for him from what Allaah has taught him and allowed him, then says takbeer and makes rukoo' [and places his hands on his knees] until his joints are at ease and relaxed (25) [Back to contents] 1-The Rukoo' Described "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would place his palms on his knees" (26), and "would order them to do likewise" (27), as he ordered "the one who prayed badly" in the afore-mentioned hadith. "He would put his hands firmly on his knees [as though he were grasping them]" (28), and "would space his fingers out" (29), ordering "the one who prayed badly" likewise, saying: When you make rukoo', place your palms on your knees, then space your fingers out, then remain (like that) until every limb takes its (proper) place. (30) "He used to spread himself (i.e., not be in a compact position), and keep his elbows away from his sides." (31) "When he made rukoo', he would spread his back and make it level" (32), "such that if water were poured on it, it (the water) would stay there (i.e., not run off)." (33) He also said to "the one who prayed badly", When you make rukoo', put your palms on your knees, spread your back (flat) and hold firm in your rukoo'. (34) "He would neither let his head droop nor raise it (i.e. higher than his back)" (35), but it would be in between. (36) [Back to contents] 2-The Obligation of Being at Ease in Rukoo'

He used to be at ease in his rukoo', and ordered "the one who prayed badly" to be so, as has been mentioned in the first section on rukoo'. He used to say, Complete the rukoo' and sujood, for by Him in whose Hand is my soul, I surely see you behind my back (37) when you make rukoo' and sujood. (38) "He saw a man praying not completing his rukoo' properly, and pecking in his sujood, so he said, Were this man to die in this state, he would die on a faith other than that of Muhammad, [pecking in his prayer as a crow pecks at blood; he who does not make rukoo' completely and pecks in his sujood is like the hungry person who eats one or two dates, which are of no use to him at all. (39) Abu Hurairah (radi Allaahu 'anhu) said, "My close friend (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) forbade me from pecking in my prayer like a cockerel, from looking around like a fox, and from squatting like a monkey." (40) The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) also used to say, The worst thief among men is the one who steals from his prayer. They said, "O Messenger of Allaah, how does he steal from his prayer?" He said, He does not complete its rukoo' and sujood. (41) Once, "he was praying, when he glanced out of the corner of his eye at a man not settling his backbone in rukoo' and sujood. When he finished, he said: “O assembly of Muslims! Verily, the prayer is not valid of the one who does not settle his spine in rukoo' and sujood." (42) He said in another hadith, The prayer of a man does not count unless he straightens his back in rukoo' and sujood. (43) [Back to contents] 3-The Adhkaar of Rukoo' He would say different types of remembrance of Allaah and supplication, any one of the following at a time: 1. How Perfect is my Lord, the Supreme! three times. (44) But sometimes, he would repeat it more than that (45). Once, in night prayer, he repeated it so much that his rukoo' became nearly as long as his standing before it, in which he had recited three of the Long Soorahs: Baqarah, Nisaa' and aal-'Imraan. This prayer was full of supplication & seeking forgiveness, and the hadith has already been mentioned under "Recitation in Night Prayer." 2.

How Perfect is my Lord, the Supreme, and Praised be He, three times. (46) 3. Perfect, Blessed (47), Lord of the Angels and the Spirit. (48) 4. How Perfect You are O Allaah, and Praises are for You. O Allaah, forgive me. He would say it often in his rukoo' and sujood, implementing (the order of) the Qur'aan. (49) 5. O Allaah! To You I have bowed; in You I have believed; to You I have submitted; [You are my Lord]; humbled for You are my hearing, my seeing, my marrow, my bone (in one narration: my bones), my sinews, [and whatever my feet carry (50) (are humbled) for Allaah, Lord of the Worlds]. (51) 6. O Allaah! to You I have bowed; in You I have believed; to You I have submitted; in You I have placed my trust; You are my Lord; my hearing, my seeing, my blood, my flesh, my bones, and my sinews are humbled for Allaah, Lord of the Worlds. (52) 7.

How Perfect is He Who has all Power, Kingdom, Magnificence and Supremity, which he used to say in night prayer. [Back to contents] 4-Lengthening the Rukoo' "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to make his rukoo', his standing after rukoo', his sujood, and his sitting in between the two sajdahs, nearly equal in length." (53) [Back to contents] 5-Forbiddance of Reciting the Qur'aan in Rukoo' "He used to forbid recitation of the Qur'aan in rukoo' and sujood." (54) Further, he used to say, Verily, I have indeed been forbidden from reciting the Qur'aan in rukoo' or sujood. In the rukoo', therefore, glorify the Supremity of the Lord, Mighty and Sublime, in it; as for the sujood, exert yourselves in supplication in it, for it is most likely that you will be answered. (55) [Back to contents] 6-Straightening up from the Rukoo', & what is to be said then Next, "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would straighten up his back out of rukoo', saying, (Allaah listens to the one who praises Him) (56) He also ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do that, when he said to him: No person's prayer is complete until ... he has said takbeer ... then made rukoo' ... then has said "Allaah listens to the one who praises Him" until he is standing straight." (57) When he raised his head, he would stand straight until every vertebra returned to its place. (58) Next, "he would say while standing: (Our Lord, [and] to You be all Praise) (59) He has commanded all worshippers, whether behind an imaam or not, to do the above on rising from rukoo', by saying Pray as you have seen me praying. (60) He also used to say:

‘The imaam is there to be followed ... when he has said 'Allaah listens to the one who praises Him' then say, '[O Allaah!] Our Lord, and to You be all Praise'; Allaah will listen to you, for indeed, Allaah, Blessed and Exalted, has said via the tongue of His Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam): Allaah listens to the one who praises Him.'(61) He also gave a reason for this command in another hadith, saying: for he whose saying coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven. (62) He used to raise his hands when straightening up (63), in the ways described under the Opening Takbeer. While standing, he would say, as previously-mentioned, 1. Our Lord, and to You be all Praise (64); or 2. Our Lord, to You be all Praise (65) Sometimes, he would add at the beginning of either of these: 3. O Allaah! (66) He used to order others to do this, saying, "When the imaam says: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him, then say: O Allaah! Our Lord, to You be all Praise, for he whose saying coincides with that of the angels will have his past sins forgiven." (67) Sometimes, he would add either: 4. ... Filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You wish (68), or 5.

... Filling the heavens, [filling] the earth, whatever is between them, and filling whatever else You wish (69) Sometimes, he would add even further: 6. Lord of Glory & Majesty! None can withhold what You grant, and none can grant what You with hold; nor can the possessions of an owner benefit him in front of You (70) Or, sometimes, the addition would be: 7. Filling the heavens, filling the earth, and filling whatever else You wish. Lord of Glory and Majesty! - The truest thing a slave has said, and we are all slaves to You. [O Allaah!] None can withhold what You grant, [and none can grant what You withhold,] nor can the possessions of an owner benefit him in front of You. (71) Sometimes, he would say the following during night prayer: 8. To my Lord be all Praise, to my Lord be all Praise, repeating it until his standing was about as long as his rukoo', which had been nearly as long as his first standing, in which he had recited surah al-Baqarah. (72) 9.

Our Lord, and to You be all Praise, so much pure praise, inherently blessed, [externally blessed, as our Lord loves and is pleased with] (73) A man praying behind him (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said this after he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had raised his head from rukoo' and said: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him. When the Messenger of Allaah had finished his prayer, he said, Who was the one speaking just now? The man said, "It was I, O Messenger of Allaah." So the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, I saw over thirty angels hurrying to be the first one to write it down. (74) [Back to contents] 7-Lengthening this Standing, & the Obligation to be at Ease in it He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to make this standing about as long as his rukoo', as has been mentioned; in fact, "he would stand (for so long) sometimes that one would say, 'He has forgotten', [because of his standing for so long.]" (75) He used to instruct them to be at ease in it; hence, he said to "the one who prayed badly", ... Next, raise your head until you are standing straight [and every bone has taken its proper place] in another narration, When you rise, make your spine upright and raise your head, until the bones return to their joints. (76) He also reminded him: that no-one's prayer is complete unless he does that, and used to say: Allaah, Mighty and Sublime, does not look at the prayer of the slave who does not make his backbone upright in between his bowings and prostrations. (77) [Back to contents] 9) The Sujood (Prostration) Next, "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would say takbeer and go down into sajdah" (78), and he ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do so, saying to him, No one's prayer is complete unless ... he says: Allaah listens to the one who praises Him and stands up straight, then says: Allaah is the Greatest and prostrates such that his joints are at rest. (79) Also, "when he wanted to perform sajdah, he would say takbeer, [separate his hands from his sides,] and then perform sajdah." (80) Sometimes, "he would raise his hands when performing sajdah." (81) [Back to contents] 1-Going Down into the Sajdah on the Hands "He used to place his hands on the ground before his knees." (82)

He used to instruct likewise, saying, When one of you performs sajdah, he should not kneel like a camel, but should place his hands before his knees. (83) He also used to say, Verily, the hands prostrate as the face prostrates, so when one of you places his face (on the ground), he should place his hands, and when he raises it, he should raise them. (84) [Back to contents] 2-The Sajdah Described "He would support himself on his palms [and spread them]" (85), "put his fingers together" (86), and "point them towards the qiblah." (87) Also, "he would put them (his palms) level with his shoulders" (88) and sometimes "level with his ears"(89)."He would put his nose and forehead firmly on the ground." (90) He said to "the one who prayed badly", When you prostrate, then be firm in your prostration (91); in one narration: When you prostrate, put your face and hands down firmly, until all of your bones are relaxed in their proper places. (92) He also used to say, "There is no prayer for the one whose nose does not feel as much of the ground as the forehead." (93) "He used to put his knees and toes down firmly" (94), "point with the front of the toes towards the qiblah" (95), "put his heels together" (96), "keep his feet upright" (97), and "ordered likewise." (98) Hence, these are the seven limbs on which he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would prostrate: the palms, the knees, the feet, and the forehead and nose -counting the last two as one limb in prostration, as he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: I have been ordered to prostrate (in one narration: we have been ordered to prostrate) on seven bones: on the forehead ..., and he indicated by moving his hand (99) around his nose, the hands (in one version: the palms), the knees and the toes, and not to tuck up (100) the garments and hair. (101) He also used to say, When a slave prostrates, seven limbs prostrate with him: his face, his palms, his knees and his feet. (102) He said about a man who was praying with his hair tied (103) behind him, His example is surely like that of someone who prays with his hands bound (behind his back) (104).He also said, That is the saddle of the devil, i.e. where the devil sits, referring to the knots in the hair. (105) "He would not rest his fore-arms on the ground" (106), but "would raise them above the ground, and keep them away from his sides such that the whiteness of his armpits could be seen from behind" (107), and also "such that if a small lamb or kid wanted to pass under his arms, it would have been able to do so." (108)

He would do this to such an extent that one of his Companions said, "We used to feel sorry for the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) because of the way he kept his hands away from his sides." (109) He used to order likewise, saying, When you perform sajdah, place your palms (on the ground) and raise your elbows (110), and Be level in sujood, and none of you should spread his forearms like the spreading of a dog (in one narration: like a dog spreads them) (111). In a separate hadith, None of you should rest arms on the ground the way a dog rests them. (112) He also used to say, Do not spread your arms [the way a beast of prey does], rest on your palms and keep your upper arms apart, for when you do all that, every one of your limbs prostrates with you. (113) [Back to contents] 3-The Obligation to be at Ease in Sujood He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to command the completion of rukoo' and sujood, comparing someone not doing so to the hungry man who eats one or two dates, which are of no use to him, and also saying about him, he is indeed one of the worst thieves among the people. He also ruled that the prayer of one who does not straighten his spine fully in rukoo' and sujood is invalid, as has been mentioned under "Rukoo'", and ordered "the one who prayed badly" to be at ease in his sujood, as mentioned before. [Back to contents] 4-The Adhkaar of Sujood He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would say any one of the following remembrances of Allaah and supplications in this posture: 1. How Perfect is my Lord, the Most High, three times. (114) Sometimes, "he would repeat it more times than that." (115) Once, he repeated it so much that his sujood were nearly as long as his standing, in which he had recited three of the Long Soorahs: al-Baqarah, an-Nisaa' and aal-'Imraan. That prayer was full of supplication and seeking of forgiveness, as mentioned before under "Night Prayer". 2.

How Perfect is my Lord, the Most High, and Praised be He, three times. (116) 3. Perfect, Blessed, Lord of the Angels and the Spirit (117) 4. How perfect You are O Allaah, our Lord, and Praised. O Allaah! Forgive me, which he would say often in his rukoo' and sujood, implementing the order of the Qur'aan. (118) O Allaah! For you I have prostrated; in You I have believed; to You I have submitted; [You are my Lord;] my face has prostrated for the One Who created it and shaped it , [shaped it excellently,] then brought forth its hearing and vision: [so] blessed be Allaah, the Best to Create! (119) 6. O Allaah! Forgive me all my sins: the minor and the major, the first and the last, the open and the hidden. (120) 7.

My person and my shadow have prostrated to You; my heart has believed in You; I acknowledge Your favours towards me: here are my hands and whatever I have earned against myself. (121) 8. How Perfect is He Who has all Power, Kingdom, Magnificence and Supremity (122), which he would say in night prayer, as with the following ones: 9. How perfect You are [O Allaah] and Praised. None has the right to be worshipped except you. (123) 10. O Allaah! Forgive me what (sins) I have concealed and what (sins) I have done openly. (124) 11. O Allaah! Place light in my heart; [and light in my tongue;] and place light in my hearing; and place light in my seeing; and place light from below me; and place light from above me, and light on my right, and light on my left; and place light ahead of me; and place light behind me; [and place light in my self;] and make the light greater for me. (125) 12.

[O Allaah!] [Indeed] I seek refuge with Your Pleasure from Your Anger; [I seek refuge] with Your Pardons from Your Punishment; I seek refuge with You from You. I cannot count all exultations upon You; You are as You have extolled Yourself. (126) [Back to contents] 5-Forbiddance of Reciting the Qur'aan in Sujood He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to forbid recitation of the Qur'aan in rukoo' and sujood, and commanded striving in, and a lot of, supplication in this posture, as explained previously under "Rukoo'". He also used to say, The slave is closest to his Lord when he is prostrating, so increase supplication [in it]. (127) [Back to contents] 6-Lengthening the Sajdah He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would make his sujood about as long as his rukoo', and sometimes he would make it extremely long due to the circumstances, as one of his Companions said: "The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) came out to us for one of the two later prayers, [Zuhr or 'Asr,] carrying Hasan or Husain. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) then came to the front and put him down [next to his right foot], said takbeer for the prayer and commenced praying. During the prayer, he performed a very long prostration, so I raised my head [from among the people], and there was the child, on the back of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), who was in prostration. I then returned to my prostration. When the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had offered the prayer, the people said, 'O Messenger of Allaah! In the middle of [this] your prayer, you performed a prostration and lengthened it so much that we thought either something had happened, or that you were receiving revelation!' He said, Neither of those was the case: actually, my son made me his mount, so I did not want to hurry him until he had satisfied his wish " (128) In another hadith, "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) was praying. When he performed sajdah, al-Hasan and al-Husain jumped onto his back. When the people tried to stop them, he gestured to them to leave the two alone. After offering his prayer, he placed them in his lap and said, Whoever loves me should love these two." (129) [Back to contents] 7-The Excellence of the Sajdah He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to say, There is no one among my ummah whom I will not recognise on the Day of Resurrection. They said, "How will you recognise them, O Messenger of Allaah, among the multitude of created beings?" He said, Do you not see that were one of you to enter an enclosure in which there was a jet black (130) steed and a horse with a white forehead and legs (131), would you not recognise the latter from the

former? They said, "Of course." He said, Thus, my ummah on that day will surely have white faces (132) because of sujood, and white arms and feet (133) because of ablution. (134) He would also say, When Allaah intends to have mercy on whomsoever he wishes of the people of the Fire, He will order the angels to bring out whoever used to worship Allaah; so they will bring them out, recognising them from the marks of sujood, for Allaah has prohibited the Fire from devouring the marks of sujood. Thus, they will be brought out from the Fire, for the Fire devours all of a son of Aadam except the marks of sujood. (135) [Back to contents] 8-Sajdah on the Ground, and on Mats (136) He would often prostrate on the (bare) ground. (137) "His Companions would pray with him in the intense heat, so when one of them could not press his forehead against the ground, he would spread his robe and prostrate on that." (138) He also used to say, The whole earth has been made a place of worship (masjid) and a purification for me and my ummah; so wherever prayer becomes due on someone of my ummah, he has his place of worship (masjid) and his purification next to him. Those before me used to think that this was too much: indeed, they would only pray in their churches and synagogues. (139) Sometimes, he would prostrate in mud and water, and that happened to him once at dawn on the twenty-first night of Ramadaan, when it rained and the roof of the mosque, which was made of palm-branches, was washed away. So he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prostrated in mud and water; Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri said, "So I saw, with my own eyes, the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), with traces of mud and water on his forehead and nose." (140) Also, "he would pray on a khumrah" (141) sometimes, or "on a mat" (142) sometimes, and "he prayed on it once when it had become blackened due to prolonged use." (143) [Back to contents] 9-Rising from Sajdah Next, "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would raise his head from prostration while saying takbeer" (144), and he ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do that, saying, The prayer of any person is not complete until ... he prostrates until his limbs are at rest, then he says, 'Allah is the Greatest' and raises his head until he is sitting straight (145). Also, "he would raise his hands with this takbeer" sometimes. (146) [Back to contents]

10-To sit muftarishan between the Two Sajdahs Next, "he would lay his left foot along the ground and sit on it [relaxed]" (147), and he ordered "the one who prayed badly" thus, saying to him, When you prostrate, prostrate firmly, then when you rise, sit on your left thigh. (148) "He would have his right foot upright" (149), and "point its toes towards the qiblah." (150) [See diagram-qss] [Back to contents] 11-Iq'aa' Between the Two Sajdahs "He would sometimes practise iq'aa' [resting on both his heels and (all) his toes]." (151) [Back to contents] 12-The Obligation of Being at Ease between the Two Sajdahs "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would be relaxed until every bone returned to its (proper) position" (152), and he ordered "the one who prayed badly" likewise, and said to him, The prayer of any of you is not complete until he does this. (153) [Back to contents] 13-Lengthening the Sitting between the Two Sajdahs Also, "he would lengthen it until it was about almost as long as his sajdah" (154) and sometimes, "he would remain (in this position) until one would say: He has forgotten." (155) [Back to contents] 14-The Adhkaar between the Two Sajdahs In this sitting, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would say: 1.

O Allaah! (in one version: O my Lord!) Forgive me; have mercy on me; [strengthen me;] [raise my rank;] guide me; [pardon me;] sustain me. (156) Or sometimes, he would say: 2. O my Lord! Forgive me, forgive me. (157) He would say the above two in night prayer also. (158) [Back to contents] 15-The Second Sajdah Next, "he would say takbeer and prostrate for the second time." (159) He also ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do so, saying to him after he had ordered him to be at ease between sajdahs, then say 'Allaah is the Greatest' and prostrate until your joints are relaxed [and do that in all your prayer]. (160) He would perform this sajdah exactly as he performed the first one. Also, "he would raise his hands with this takbeer" sometimes. (161) Next, "he would raise his head while saying takbeer" (162), and he ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do likewise, saying to him after ordering him to prostrate for the second time, "then raise your head and say takbeer" (163). He also said to him, "[then do that in all your bowings and prostrations,] for if you do that, your prayer will be complete, and if you fall short in any of this, you will be deficient in your prayer." (164) Also, "he would raise his hands" (165) sometimes with this takbeer. [Back to contents] 16-The Sitting of Rest Next, "he would sit straight [on his left foot, upright, until every bone returned to its position]." (166) [Back to contents] 17-Supporting Oneself with the Hands on Rising for the NextRak'ah

Next, "he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would get up for the second rak'ah, supporting himself on the ground." (167) Also, "he would clench his fists (168) during prayer: supporting himself with his hands when getting up." (169) [Back to contents] 10) The Second Rak'ah "When he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) got up for the second rak'ah, he would commence with All Praise be to Allaah (Faatihah 1:1), without pausing." (170) He would perform this rak'ah exactly as he performed the first, except that he would make it shorter than the first, as before. [Back to contents] 1-The Obligation of Reciting surah al-Faatihah in every Rak'ah He ordered "the one who prayed badly" to recite al-Faatihah in every rak'ah, when he said to him after ordering him to recite it in the first rak'ah (171), then do that throughout your prayer (172) (in one narration: in every rak'ah) (173). He also used to say, There is recitation in every rak'ah. (174) [Back to contents] 11) The First Tashahhud Next, he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would sit for tashahhud after finishing the second rak'ah. In a two-rak'ah prayer such as Fajr, "he would sit muftarishan" (175), as he used to sit between the two sajdahs, and "he would sit in the first tashahhud similarly" (176) in a threeor four-rak'ah prayer. [see diagram -qss] He also ordered "the one who prayed badly" thus, saying to him, When you sit in the middle of the prayer, then be calm, spread your left thigh and perform tashahhud. (177) Abu Hurairah (radi Allaahu 'anhu) said, "My friend (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) forbade me from squatting (iq'aa') like a dog" (178); in another hadith, "he used to forbid the squatting of the devil." (179)

"When he sat in tashahhud, he would place his right palm on his right thigh (in one narration: knee), and his left palm on his left thigh (in one narration: knee, spreading it upon it)" (180); and "he would put the end of his right elbow on his right thigh." (181) Also, "he forbade a man who was sitting in prayer resting on his left hand, and said: Verily, that is the prayer of the Jews (182); in one wording, Do not sit like this, for indeed this is the way of sitting of those who are punished (183); in another hadith, It is the sitting posture of those who incurred (Allaah's) anger. (184) [Back to contents] 1-Moving the Finger in Tashahhud "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would spread his left palm on his left knee, clench all the fingers of his right hand, point with the finger adjacent to the thumb towards the qiblah, and fix his sight on it (i.e. the finger)." (185) Also, "when he pointed with his finger, he would put his thumb on his middle finger" (186), and sometimes "he would make a circle with these two." (187) "When he raised his finger, he would move it, supplicating with it" (188), and he used to say, "It is surely more powerful against the devil than iron, meaning the forefinger." (189) Also, "the Companions of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to remind each other, that is, about pointing with the finger when supplicating." (190) Once, "he saw a man supplicating with two fingers, so he said, "Make it one, [make it one,]" and indicated with his forefinger." (191) "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would do this in both tashahhuds." (192) [Back to contents] 2-The Obligation of the First Tashahhud, & theValidity of Supplication during it "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would recite the Tahiyyah after every two rak'ahs" (193); "the first thing he would say in this sitting would be: All compliments be to Allaah." (194) "When he forgot to perform the tashahhud after the first two rak'ahs, he would prostrate (twice) for forgetfulness." (195) He used to order them to perform tashahhud, saying, When you sit after every two rak'ahs, then say: All compliments ... and then each of you should select the supplication he likes best and supplicate Allaah, Mighty and Sublime, [with it] (196); in another version: Say, All compliments ... in every sitting (197), and he also ordered "the one who prayed badly" to do so, as has been mentioned. "He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would teach them the tashahhud the way he taught them Soorahs of the Qur'aan" (198), and "the Sunnah is to say it quietly." (199)

[Back to contents] 3-The Manner of Tashahhud He taught several ways of tashahhud: