Sunan Abi Dawud

The words “then he did not repeat“ were narrated to us later on at Kufah by him (Yazid). Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been transmitted by Hushaim, Khalid, and Ibn Idris from Yazid. They did not mention the words “then he did not repeat”

I saw that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his hands when he began prayer, but he did not raise them until he finished (prayer). Abu Dawud said: This tradition is not sound.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began his prayer, he raised his hands extensively.

I heard Ibn al-Zubair say: Setting the feet right and placing one hand on the other is a sunnah.

AbuUthman an-Nahdi said: When Ibn Mas'ud prayed he placed his left hand on the right. The Prophet (ﷺ) saw him and placed his right hand on his left one.

AbuJuhayfah said: Ali said that it is a sunnah to place one hand on the other in prayer below the navel.

I saw Ali (Allah be pleased with him) catching hold of his left hand) by his right hand on the wrist above the navel. Abu Dawud said: Sa'id b. Jubair narrated the words: "above the navel". Abu Mijlaz reported the words: "below the navel". This has also been narrated by Abu Hurairah. But that is not strong.

(The established way of folding hands is) to hold the hands by the hands in prayer below the navel. Abu Dawud said: I heard Ahmad b. Hanbal say: The narrator 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ishaq al-Kufi is weak (i.e. not reliable).

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to place his right hand on his left hand, then he folded them strictly on his chest in prayer.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for prayer, he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), then said: I have turned my face, breaking with all others, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not a polytheist. My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, Who has no partner. That is what I have been commanded, and I am first of Muslims (those who surrender themselves). O Allah, Thou art the King. There is no God but Thee. Thou art my Lord and I am Thy servant. I have wronged myself, but I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me all my sins; Thou Who alone canst forgive sins; and guide me to the best qualities. Thou Who alone canst guide to the best of them; and turn me from evil ones. Thou who alone canst turn from evil qualities. I come to serve and please Thee. All good is in Thy Hands, and evil does not pertain to Thee. I seek refuge in Thee and turn to Thee, Who art blessed and exalted. I ask Thy forgiveness and turn to thee in repentance. When he bowed, he said: O Allah, to Thee I bow, in Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My hearing, my sight, my brain, my bone and my sinews humble themselves before Thee. When he raised his head, he said: Allah listens to him who praises Him. O our lord, and all praises be to Thee in the whole of the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, and in whatever Thou creates afterwards. When he prostrated himself, he said: O Allah, to Thee I prostrate myself, to Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My face prostrated itself before Him Who created it, fashioned it, and fashioned it in the best shape, and brought forth its hearing and seeing. Blessed is Allah, the best of creators. When he saluted at the end of the prayer, he said: O Allah, forgive me my former and my latter sins, my open and secret sins, my sins in exceeding the limits, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He Who puts forward and puts back. There is deity but Thee.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for (offering) obligatory prayer, he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and raised his hands opposite to his shoulders, and he did so when he finished the recitation (of the Qur’an) and when he was about to bow; and he did like that when he raised (his head) after bowing. He did not raise his hands in prayer when he was sitting. When he stood at the end of two rak’ahs, he raised his hands in a similar way and uttered the takbir and supplicated in a more or less the same manner as narrated by ‘Abd al-‘Aziz in his version. This version does not mention the words “All good is in Thy Hands and evil does not pertain to Thee.” And this adds: He said when he finished the prayer: “O Allah, forgive me my former and latter sins, my open and secret sins; Thou art my deity; there is no God but Thee.

Ibn al-Munkadir, Ibn Abi Farwah and a number of jurists of Madina said to me: When you recite the supplication “I am first of the Muslims,” say instead; “I am one of the Muslims”.

A man came panting to join the row of worshippers, and said: Allah is most great; praise be to Allah, much praise, good and blessed. When the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) finished his prayer, he asked: Which of you is the one who spoke the words? He said nothing wrong. Then the man said: I (said), Messenger of Allah (ﷺ); I came and had difficulty in breathing, so I said them. He said: I saw twelve angels racing against one another to be the one to take them to Allah. The narrator Humaid added: When any of you comes for praying, he should walk as usual (i.e. he should not hasten and run quickly); then he should pray as much as he finds it (along with the imam), and should offer the part of the prayer himself (when the prayer is finished) which the Imam had offered before him.

Jabir saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) observing prayer. (The narrator Amr said: I do not know which prayer he was offering.) He (the Prophet) said: Allah is altogether great; Allah is altogether great; Allah is altogether great; and praise be to Allah in abundance; and praise be to Allah is abundance; and praise be to Allah in abundance. Glory be to Allah in the morning and after (saying it three times). I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed devil, from his puffing up (nafkh), his spitting (nafth) and his evil suggestion (hamz). He (Amr) said: His nafth it poetry, his nafkh is pride, and his hamz is madness.

I head the Prophet(ﷺ) uttering (all these supplications) in a supererogatory prayer; he narrated the tradition in a similar manner.

Asim ibn Humayd said: I asked Aisha: By what words the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would begin his supererogatory prayer at night? She replied: You ask me about a thing of which no one asked me before you. When he stood up, be uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) ten times, and uttered "Praise be to Allah" ten times, and uttered "Glory be to Allah " ten times, and uttered "There is no god but Allah" ten times, and sought forgiveness ten times, and said: O Allah, forgive me, and guide me, and give me sustenance, and keep me well, and he sought refuge in Allah from the hardship of standing before Allah on the Day of Judgment. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has also been narrated by Khalid b. Ma'dan from Rab'iah al-Jarashi on the authority of 'Aishah.

I asked ‘A’ishah: By what words the Prophet(ﷺ) used to begin his prayer when he stood up at night (to offer tahajjud prayer). She said: When he stood up at night, he began his prayer by saying: O Allah, Lord of Jibra’il, Lord of Mik’ail, and Lord of Israfil, Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, the Knower of what is seen and of what is unseen; Thou decides between Thy servants in which they used to differ. Guide me to the truth where there is a difference of opinion by Thy permission. Thou guidest anyone Thou wishes to the right path.

When he stood up, he said the takbir (Allah is most great) and said. . . .

There is no harm in uttering supplication in prayer, in its beginning, in its middle, and in the end, in obligatory prayer or other.

One day we were praying behind the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his head after bowing, he said: Allah listened to him who praised Him. A man behind the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: O Allah, Our Lord, and to Thee be praise, much praise, good and blessed. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) finished his prayer, he asked: Which of you if the one who spoke (the words) just now. The man said: I (uttered) these words, Prophet of Allah. The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: I saw more than thirty angels racing against one another to be the one to write them first.