Sayyiduna Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would remain silent (i.e., pause) at two places during the prayer: when he entered the prayer (i.e., at the time of the opening supplication), and the second silence was after completing the recitation (i.e., before bowing for ruku‘). Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) denied this, so the people wrote about this issue to Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him), and he replied that Samurah has spoken the truth. Imam Darimi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Qatadah (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say there are three pauses (i.e., after the opening takbir, then after Surah al-Fatihah, then at the end of the recitation before ruku‘). (It is also like this in Safar al-Sa‘adat, because during the pause after Surah al-Fatihah, the follower can recite Surah al-Fatihah.) But in the marfu‘ hadith, only two pauses are mentioned.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would remain silent for a short while between the opening takbeer (takbir tahrimah) and the recitation (qira’ah). Abu Zur’ah said: I think Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said this with «اسكاتة» and «هنية» . I (Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him) asked: O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, what do you recite during your silence between the takbeer and the recitation? He replied:“I recite: «اللهم باعد ........ والماء البارد» , that is: ‘O Allah, distance me from my sins as You have distanced the East from the West. O Allah, purify me of my sins as a white garment is purified of dirt. O Allah, wash away my sins with snow and cold water.’”