Sunan Abi Dawud

I saw the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) that when he began prayer, he used to raise his hands opposite his shoulders, and he did so when he bowed, and raised his head after bowing. Sufyan(a narrator) once said: “When he raised his head:; and after he used to say: “When he raised his head after bowing. He would not raise (his hands) between the two prostrations."

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to raise his hands opposite his shoulders when he began prayer, then he uttered takbir (Allah is most great) in the same condition, and then he bowed. And when he raised his back (head) after bowing he raised them opposite his shoulders, and said: “Allah listens to him who praises Him.” But he did not raise his hand when he prostrated himself; he rather raised them when he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) before bowing until his prayer is finished.

I was a small boy and I did not understand the prayer of my father. So Wa’Il b. ‘Alqamah reported Wa’il b. Hujr as saying: I offered prayer along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He used to raise his hands when he pronounced the takbir (Allah is most great), then pulled his garment around him, then placed his right hand on his left, and entered his hands in his garment. When he was about to bow he took his hands out of his garment, and then raised them. And when he raised his head after bowing, he raised his hands. He then prostrated himself and placed his face (forehead on the ground) between his hands. And when he raised his head after prostration, he also raised his hands until he finished his prayer. Muhammad (a narrator) said: I mentioned it to al-Hasan b. Abu al-Hasan who said: This is how the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) offered prayer; some did it and others abandoned it. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Hammam from ibn Juhadah, but he did not mention the raising of hands after he raised his head at the end of the prostration.

He saw that when the Prophet(ﷺ) stood up to pray he raised his hands till they were in front of his shoulders and placed his thumbs opposite his ears; then he uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great).

Wa’il b.Hujr said that he saw the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) raise his hands when he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great).

I purposely looked at the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), how he offered it. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up, faced the direction of the qiblah and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and then raised his hands in front of his ears, then placed his right hand on his left (catching each other). When he was about to bow, he raised them in the same manner. He then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head after bowing, he raised them in the like manner. When he prostrated himself he placed his forehead between his hands. He then sat down and spread his left foot and placed his left hand on his left thigh, and kept his right elbow aloof from his right thigh. He closed his two fingers and made a circle (with the fingers). I (Asim ibn Kulayb) saw him (Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal) say in this manner. Bishr made the circle with the thumb and the middle finger and pointed with the forefinger.

“He then placed his right hand on the back of his left palm and his wrist and forearm.” This also adds: “I then came back afterwards in a season when it was severe cold. I saw the people putting on heavy clothes moving their hands under the clothes (i.e. raised their hands before and after bowing).”

I witnessed the Prophet (ﷺ) raise his hands in front of his ears when he began to pray. I then came back and saw them (the people) raising their hands up to their chest when they began to pray. They wore long caps and blankets.

I came to the Prophet(ﷺ) during winter; I saw his companions raise their hands in their clothes in prayer.

I am one among you who is more informed of the way the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed. They said: Why, By Allah, you did not follow him more than us, nor did you remain in his company longer than us? He said: Yes. They said: Then describe (how the Prophet prayed). He said: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up to pray, he raised his hands so as to bring them opposite his shoulders, and uttered the takbir (Allah is the most great), until every bone rested in its place properly: then re recited (some verses from the Quran); then he uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), raising his hands so as to bring them opposite his shoulders; then he bowed; placing the palms of his hands on his knees and keeping himself straight, neither raising nor lowering his head; then raised his head saying: “Allah listens to him who praise Him”; then raised his hands so as to bring them exactly opposite to his shoulders; then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then lowered himself to the ground (in prostration), keeping his arms away from his sides; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it, and opened the toes when he prostrated: then he uttered: “Allah is most great”; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it so that every bone returned to its place properly; then he did the same in the second (rak’ah). At the end of the two Rak’ahs he stood up and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), raising his hands so as to bring them opposite to his shoulders; then he bowed, placing the palms of his hands on his knees and keeping himself straight, neither raising or lowering his head: then raised his head saying: “Allah listens to him who praises Him”; then raised his hands so as to bring them exactly opposite his shoulders; then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then lowered himself to the ground (in prostration), keeping his arms away from his sides; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it, and opened the toes when he prostrated himself; then he prostrated; then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then raised his head, bent his left foot and sat on it so that every bone returned to its place properly; then he did the same in the second (rak’ah). At the end of two rak’ahs he stood up and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great), raising his hands so as to bring them opposite to his shoulders in the way he had uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great) at the beginning of the prayer; then he did that in the remainder of his prayer; and after prostration which if followed by the taslim (salutation) he out his left foot and sat on his left hip. They said: You have spoken the truth. This is how he(peace be upon him) used to pray.

I (once) attended the meeting of the companions of the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ). They began to discuss his prayer. Abu Humaid then narrated a part of the same tradition and said: When he bowed he clutched his knees with his palms, and he opened his fingers; then he bent his back without raising his upwards, and did not turn his face (on any side). When he sat at the end of two rak’ahs he sat on the sole of his left foot and raised the right, and after the fourth he placed his left hip on the ground and spread out both his feet one side.

“When he prostrated himself he neither placed his arms on the ground nor closed them; putting forward his fingers towards the qiblah.”

He then raised his head after bowing and uttered:”Allah listens to him who praises Him, to Thee, our Lord, be the praise,” and raised his hands. He then uttered: “Allah is most great”; then he prostrated himself and rested on his palms, knees, and the end of his toes while prostrating: then he uttered the Takbir (Allah is most great), and sat down on his hips and raised his other foot; then he uttered the takbir and prostrated himself; then he uttered takbir and stood up, but did not sit on his hips. He (the narrator) then narrated the rest of the tradition. He further said: Then he sat down at the end of two rak’ahs; when he was about to stand after two rak’ahs, he uttered the takbir; then he offered the last two rak’ahs of the prayer. The narrator did not mention about his sitting on the hips spreading out his feet.

Abu Humaid, Abu Usaid, Sahl. B Sa’d and Muhammad b. Maslamah (once) got together and discussed how the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) used to offer his prayer. Abu Humaid said: I am more informed than any of you regarding the prayer offered by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Then he mentioned a part of it, and said: He then bowed and placed his hands upon his knees as if he caught hold of them; and bent them, keeping (his arms) away from his sides. He them prostrated himself and placed his nose and forehead (on the ground); and kept his arms away from his side, and placed his palms (on the ground opposite his shoulders; he then raised his head that every bone returned to its proper place; (he then prostrated twice) until he finished this prostrations). Then he sat down and spread out his left foot, putting forward the front of his right foot towards the qiblah placing the palm of his right hand on his right knee, and the palm of his left hand on his left knee, and he pointed with his finger. Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by Ibn al-Mubarak from Fulaih who heard ‘Abbas . Sahl narrating it; but I do not remember it. I think he made the mention of ‘Isa b. ‘Abd Allah who heard ‘Abbas b. Sahl saying: I accompanied Abu Humaid al-Sa’idi.

When he (the Prophet) prostrated he kept his thighs wide and did not let his belly touch the thighs. Abu Dawud says that Ibn Mubarak narrated this hadith from ‘Abbas b. Sahl, which he did not remember well. It is thought that he has mentioned ‘Isa b. ‘Abd Allah, ‘Abbas b. Sahl and Abu Humaid al-Sa’idi.

When he prostrated, his knees touched the ground before his palms touched it; when he prostrated himself, he placed his forehead on the ground between his palms, and kept his armpits away from his sides. Hajjaj reported from Hammam and Shaqiq narrated a similar tradition to us from ‘Asim b. Kulaib on the authority of his father from the Prophet(ﷺ). And another version narrated by one of them has-and I think in all probability that this version has been narrated by Muhammad b. Juhadah-when he got up (after prostration), he got up with his knees and gave his weight on his thighs.

I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raising his thumbs in prayer up to the lobes of his ears.

When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) for prayer (in the beginning), he raised his hands opposite to his shoulders; and when he bowed, he did like that; and when he raised his head to prostrate, he did like that; and when he got up at the end of two rak'ahs, he did like that.

Maymun al-Makki said: that he saw Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr leading in prayer. He pointed with his hands (i.e. raised his hands opposite to the shoulders) when he stood up, when he bowed and when he prostrated, and when he got up after prostration, he pointed with his hands (i.e. raised his hands). The I went to Ibn Abbas and said (to him) I saw Ibn az-Zubayr praying that I never saw anyone praying. I then told him about the pointing with his hands (raising his hands). He said: If you like to see the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) follower the prayer as offered by Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr.

Nadr ibn Kathir as-Sa'di said: Abdullah ibn Tawus prayed at my side in the mosque of al-Khayf. When he made the first prostration, he raised his head after it and raised his hands opposite to his face. This came as something strange for me. I, therefore, said it to Wuhayb ibn Khalid. Then Wuhayb ibn Khalid said to him: You are doing a thing that I did not see anyone do. Ibn Tawus then replied: I saw my father doing it, and my father said: I saw Ibn Abbas doing it. I do not know but he said: The Prophet (ﷺ) used to do it.