Abu Hurairah said: When the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) entered the mosque, a man also entered it and prayed. He then came and saluted the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ). The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) returned the salutation and said to him: Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. The man returned and prayed as he prayed before. He then came to prophet(ﷺ) and saluted him. The Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said to him: “ And upon you be peace. “ Go back and pray, for you have not prayed. He did so three times. Then the man said: By Him who has sent you(as a Prophet) with truth; I cannot do better than this; so teach me. He said: When you get up to pray, utter the takbir(Allah is most great); then recite a convenient portion of the Qur’an; then bow and remain quietly in that position; then sit and remain quietly in that position; then raise yourself and stand erect: then prostrate yourself and remain quietly in that position; then sit and remain quietly in that position; then do that throughout all your prayer. Abu Dawud said: Al-Qa’nabi reported this tradition from Sa’id b. Abi Sa’Id on the authority of Abu Hurairah. This version has the wording in the last: When you do this, then your prayer is completed. If you omit anything form this, you omit that much from your prayer. This version also has the wording: when you get up for praying, perform the abulation perfectly.

Narrated Rifa'ah ibn Rafi': A man entered the mosque...... He then narrated the tradition like the one narrated in (No.855). This version is as follows: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The prayer of anyone is not perfect unless he performs ablution perfectly; he should then utter the takbir, and praise Allah, the Exalted, and admire Him; he should then recite the Qur'an as much as he desires. He should then say: "Allah is Most Great". Next he should bow so that all his joints return to their proper places. Then he should say: "Allah listens to the one who praises Him", and stand erect. He should then say:"Allah is most great," and should prostrate himself so that all his joints are completely at rest. Then he should say: "Allah is most great"; he should raise his head (at the end of prostration) till he sits erect. Then he should say: "Allah is most great"; then he should prostrate himself till all his joints return to their proper places. Then he should raise his head and say the takbir. When he does so, then his prayer is completed.

Narrated Rifa'ah ibn Rafi': This version (of Hadith No 856) adds: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The prayer of any of you is not complete until he performs ablution perfectly, as Allah, the Exalted, has ordered you. He should wash his face and hands up to the elbows, and wipe his head and (wash) his feet up to the ankles. Then he should exalt Allah and praise Him. Then he should recite the Qur'an as much as it is convenient for him. (Narrator then narrated the tradition like Hammad's, No. 856). He said: He then utter the takbir and prostration himself so that his face is at rest. Hammam (sub-narrator) said: Sometimes he reported: So that his forehead is at rest on the ground, and his joints return to their places and are loosened. Then he should say the takbir and then sit right on his hips and erect his back. He described the nature of prayer in this way by offering four rak'ahs until he finished it. The prayer of any of you is not complete unless he does so.

This tradition has also been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by Rifa’ah b. Rafi. This version goes: When you get up and face the qiblah, what Allah wishes you to recite. And when you bow, put your palms on your knees and stretch out your back. When you prostrate yourself, do it completely( so that you are at the rest). When you raise yourself then sit on your left thigh.

This tradition has also been transmitted by Rifa’ah b Rafi through a different chain of narrators. This version has : When you get up to pray, say the takbir, exalting Allah; then recite the Qur’an as much as it is convenient for you. The version adds: When you sit in the middle of the prayer, do it completely(so that you are at rest) and spread your left thigh; then recite the tashahhud. Then if you get up (again), do in a similar way until you finish your prayer.

Rifa’ah b. Rafi has also narrated this tradition through a different chain from the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ). This version goes: Then perform ablution in a way Allah, the exalted, has command you, then say the shahadah and get up and say the takbir. Then if you know any of the Qur’an, recite it; otherwise say: “Praise be to Allah”; “Allah is most great”; “ There is no god but Allah” He ( the narrator) also said in this version: If some defect remains in this, that detect will remain in your prayer.

Narrated AbdurRahman ibn Shibl: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited to peck like a crow, and to spread (the forearms) like a wild beast, and to fix a place in the mosque like a camel which fixes its place. These are the wordings of Qutaybah.

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amr al-Ansari: Salim al-Barrad said: We came to AbuMas'ud Uqbah ibn Amr al-Ansari and said to him: Tell us about the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He stood up before us in the mosque and said the takbir. When he bowed, he placed his hands upon his knees and put his fingers below, and kept his elbows (arms) away from his sides, so everything returned properly to its place. Then he said: "Allah listens to him who praises Him"; then he stood up so that everything returned properly to its place; then he said the takbir and prostrated and put the palms of his hands on the ground; he kept his elbow (arms) away from his sides, so that everything returned to its proper place. Then he raised his head and sat so that everything returned to its place; he then repeated it in a similar way. Then he offered four rak'ahs of prayer like this rak'ah and completed his prayer. Then he said: Thus we witnessed the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offering his prayer.

Narrated AbuHurayrah: Anas ibn Hakim ad-Dabbi said that he feared Ziyad or Ibn Ziyad; so he came to Medina and met AbuHurayrah. He attributed his lineage to me and I became a member of his lineage. AbuHurayrah said (to me): O youth, should I not narrate a tradition to you? I said: Why not, may Allah have mercy on you? (Yunus (a narrator) said: I think he narrated it (the tradition) from the Prophet (ﷺ):) The first thing about which the people will be called to account out of their actions on the Day of Judgment is prayer. Our Lord, the Exalted, will say to the angels - though He knows better: Look into the prayer of My servant and see whether he has offered it perfectly or imperfectly. If it is perfect, that will be recorded perfect. If it is defective, He will say: See there are some optional prayers offered by My servant. If there are optional prayer to his credit, He will say: Compensate the obligatory prayer by the optional prayer for My servant. Then all the actions will be considered similarly.

The above-mentioned tradition has also been transmitted by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators to the same effect.

Narrated Tamim ad-Dari: Tamim reported this tradition from the Prophet (ﷺ) as (Hadith No 863). This version adds: Then zakat will be considered in a similar way. Then all the actions will be considered accordingly.

Mus’ab b sa’d said: I prayed by the side of my father. I put both of my hands between my knees(in bowing condition). He prohibited me from it. I then repeated; so he said: Do not do so, because we used to do so. But we were prohibited to do that, and commanded to put our hands on the knees.

‘Abd Allah (b. Masud) said: When any of you bows, he should spread his arms on his thighs and clap both his palms (Placing them between the knees), as if I am seeing the variation of the fingers of the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ).

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir: When "Glorify the name of your mighty Lord" was revealed, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Use it when bowing, and when "Glorify the name of your most high Lord" was revealed, he said: Use it when prostrating yourself.

Narrated Uqbah ibn Amir: The above (No 868) tradition has also been reported through a different chain of narrators by Uqbah ibn Amir to the same effect. This version adds: When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) bowed, he said: "Glory and praise be to my mighty Lord" three times, and when he prostrated himself, he said: "Glory and praise be to my most high Lord" three times. Abu Dawud said: We are afraid the addition of the word "praise" is not guarded.

Hudhaifah said that he prayed along with the Prophet (ﷺ), and that he said when bowing, “Glory be to my mighty Lord, “ and when he prostrated himself, “Glory be to my most high Lord," when he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and when he came to a verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah.

‘Aishah said that the prophet (ﷺ) used to say when bowing and prostrating, “All-Glorious, All-Holy, Lord of the angels and spirit.

Narrated Awf ibn Malik al-Ashja'i: I stood up to pray along with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ); he got up and recited Surat al-Baqarah (Surah 2). When he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and when he came to verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah, then he bowed and paused as long as he stood (reciting Surah al-Baqarah), and said while bowing, "Glory be to the Possessor of greatness, the Kingdom, grandeur and majesty." :Then he prostrated himself and paused as long as he stood up and recited Surat Aal Imran (Surah 3) and then recited many surahs one after another.

Narrated Hudhayfah: Hudhayfah saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) praying at night. He said: Allah is most great" three times, "Possessor of kingdom, grandeur, greatness and majesty." He then began (his prayer) and recited Surah al-Baqarah; then he bowed and he paused in bowing as long as he stood up; he said while bowing, "Glory be to my mighty Lord," "Glory be to my mighty Lord" ; then he raised his head, after bowing: then he stood up and he paused as long as he paused in bowing and said, "Praise be to my Lord" ; then he prostrated and paused in prostration as long as he paused in the standing position; he said while prostrating: "Glory be to my most high Lord"; then he raised his head after prostration, and sat as long as he prostrated, and said while sitting: "O my Lord forgive me." He offered four rak'ahs of prayer and recited in them Surah al-Baqarah, Aal Imran, an-Nisa, al-Ma'idah, or al-An'am. The narrator Shu'bah doubted.

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The nearest a servant come to his Lord is when he is prostrating himself, so make supplication often.