Narrated Abu Huraira said that a man entered the mosque when God’s Messenger was sitting in it and prayed. He then came and said, “Peace be upon you,” and God’s Messenger replied, “And upon you be peace. Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” He returned and prayed, then came and said, “Peace be upon yo:
“When you get up to pray perform the ablution perfectly, then face the qibla and say, “God is most great.” Then recite a convenient portion of the Qur’an; then bow and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and stand erect; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and sit quietly; then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that attitude; then raise yourself and sit quietly.” A version has, “Then raise yourself and stand erect; then do that throughout all your prayer.”
Ibn ‘Abbas reported God’s Messenger as saying, “When one of you prays without a sutra, an ass, a pig, a Jew, a Magian, and a woman cut off his prayer, but it will suffice if they pass in front of him at a distance of over a stone’s throw.”
‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger used to begin prayer with the takbir1 and the recitation of “Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe.”2 When he bowed he neither kept his head up nor bent it down, but kept it between these extremes; when he raised his head after bowing he did not prostrate himself till he had stood erect; when he raised head after a prostration he did not prostrate himself again till he had sat up. At the end of every two rak'as he said the tahiya;3 and he used to bend his left foot and raise up the right; he prohibited the devil’s way of sitting on the heels, and he forbade people to spread out their arms like a wild beast. And he used to finish the prayer with the taslim4.
Muslim transmitted it.
1. i.e. saying Allahu Akbar (God is most great).
2. Al-Qur’an; 1.
3. This is a part of the prayers which comes at the end of every two rak'as, beginning with at-tahiyat lillah and ending with the testimony that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. Tahiyat is the plural of tahiya and the phrase quoted above is variously explained as meaning that endless existence, or dominion, or kingship, or freedom from all evils, or freedom from all causes of cessation of existence belong to God. Alternatively it is taken in its usual meaning of salutations.
4. Saying, “The peace and mercy of God be upon you,” first with the head turned to the right and then with the head turned to the left. This is said at the end of the prayers.
Ka‘b al-Ahbar said, “If one who passes in front of a man who is praying knew what was laid to his charge, it would be better for him to be swallowed up by the earth than to pass in front of him.” A version has “less serious for him.”
