Sunan Abi Dawud

The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) one day came out to us while we were reciting the Qur’an. He said: Praise be to Allah. The Book of Allah is one, and among you are the red, and among you are the white and among you are the black. Recite it before there appear people who will recite it and straighten it as an arrow is straightened. They will get their reward for it in this world and will not get it in the Hereafter.

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: I cannot memorise anything from the Qur'an: so teach me something which is sufficient for me. He said: Say Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, and there is no god but Allah, and Allah is most great, and there is no might and no strength but in Allah. :He said: Messenger of Allah, this is for Allah, but what is for me? He said: Say: O Allah have mercy on me, and sustain me, and keep me well, and guide me. When he stood up, he made a sign with his hand (indicating that he had earned a lot). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: He filed up his hand with virtues.

we used to offer supererogatory prayers and recite supplications while we were standing, and would glorify Allah while bowing and prostrating.

Al-Hasan (al-Basri) would recite fatihat al-kitab in the noon and afternoon prayers while he led in prayer or he was behind the imam and would glorify Allah, and would repeatedly say: “Allah is most great” and “ There is no god but Allah” (i.e takbir and tahlil) equal to the amount one recites al-Qaf (Surah 50) and al-Dhariyat(surah 51).

I and ‘Imran b. Husain offered prayer behind ‘All b. AbI Talib(may Allah be pleased with him). When he prostrated, he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and when he bowed, he uttered the takbir and when he stood up at the end of two rak’ahs, he uttered the takbir. When we finished our prayer, ‘Imran caught hold of my hand, and said: He has led us in prayer just now like the prayer offered by Muhammed(may peace by upon him).

Abu Hurairah would utter the takbir in every prayer, whether obligatory or non-obligatory, He would utter the takbir when he stood, and he would utter the takbir when he bowed, then he would say: “Allah listens to him who praises Him”; he then would say before prostrating himself; “ Our Lord, to Thee be praise”; then he would say while falling in prostration: “Allah is most great”; he then would utter the takbir when he raised his head after prostration, and then utter the takbir when he prostrated, and then utter takbir the takbir when he stood up at the end of two rak’ahs after sitting down. He used to do so in every rak’ah until he finished his prayer. Then he would say at the end of the prayer: By Him in Whose hands lies my life, I am closer to the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) in respect of his prayer. Such was the prayer he used to offer until he departed from the world. Abu Dawud said: Malik, al-Zubaidi and others have narrated so that they form the last words from al-Zuhri on the authority of ‘Ali b, Husain. And this is supported by the version reported by ‘Abd al-A’la from Ma’mar and SHu’aib b. Abi Hamzah on the authority of Al-Zuhri.

This means that when he raised his head after bowing and when he was about to prostrate, he did not utter the takbir, and when he stood up after prostration, he did not utter the takbir.

I saw that the Prophet (ﷺ) placed his knees (on the ground) before placing his hands when he prostrated himself. And when he stood up, he raised his hands before his knees.

When he prostrated himself, his knees fell on the ground before his hands had fallen. Hemmam said: This tradition has also been transmitted by ‘Asim b. Kulaib through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. And one of these two versions, and probably the version narrated by Muhammad b. Juhadah, has the words: When he stood up (after prostration), he stood up on his knees taking the support of his thighs.

when one of you prostrates himself he must not kneel in the manner of camel, but should put down his hands before his knees.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: (Does) one of you kneel down in his prayer as a camel kneels down (i.e. put his knees before his hands).

Abu sulaiman malik b. al-Huwairith came to our mosque and said: By Allah, I Shall offer prayer; and I do not intend to pray, but I intend to show you how I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offering prayer. He (the narrator Ayyub) said: I asked Abu Qilabah: How did he pray? He replied: Like the prayer of this head after the last prostration in the first rak’ah, he used to sit, and then stand up.

Abu Sulaiman Malik b. al-Huwairth came to our mosque, and said: By Allah, I Shall offer prayer, though I do not intend to pray; I only intend to show you how I saw the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) praying. The narrator said: ( He then prayed and ) he sat at the end of the first rak’ah when he raised his head after the last prostration.

Malik b. al-Huwairith saw that the prophet (may peace by upon him) would not stand at the end of the first or the third rak’ah until he sat down straight.

we asked Ibn ‘Abbas about sitting on heels between the two prostrations. He said: It is the sunnah. We said: We look upon it as a pressure on the foot. He said: This is the sunnah of your Prophet(ﷺ)

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raised his head after bowing, he said: Allah listens to him who praises Him. O Allah, our lord, to Thee be the praise in the heavens and in all the earth, and all that it please Thee to create afterwards. Abu Dawud said: Sufyan al-Thawri and Shu’bah b. al-Hajjaj reported on authority of Ubaid b. al-Hasan: There is no mention of the words “after bowing” in this tradition. Sufyan said: we met al-shaikh ‘Ubaid b. al-Hasan; he did not say the words “bowing” in it. Abu dawud said: Shu’bah narrated this from Abi ‘Ismah, from al-A’mash, on the authority of ‘Ubaid, saying: “after bowing”.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “ Allah listens to him who praises Him,” he also said: O Allah, our Lord, to thee be the praise in all heavens. Mu’ammil said( in his version); “ In all the heavens, and in all the earth, and in all that it pleases Thee to create afterwards. O thou Who art worthy of praise and glory, most worthy of what a servant says, and we are all thy servants, no one can withhold what thou givest or give what Thou withholdest. “The narrators then were agreed on the words: “And riches cannot avail a wealthy person with Thee.”

When the Imam says: “Allah listens to him who praised Him,” say: “O Allah, our lord, to Thee be the praise, “ for if what anyone says synchronises with what the angels say, he will be forgiven his past sins.

The people behind the imam should not say: “Allah listens to him who praises Him.” But they should say: “ Our Lord, to Thee be the praise.”

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say between the two prostrations: "O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, heal me, and provide for me."