Naeem Mujmir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I prayed behind Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), so he recited «بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم» and then recited Surah Al-Fatihah. When he reached «ولا الضالين» , he said "Ameen," and the people also said Ameen. When he would go into prostration or rise from sitting, he would say «الله اكبر» . After concluding the prayer with salam, he said: By Him in Whose hand is my soul! My prayer is more similar to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) than any of yours.

Sayyiduna Ubadah bin Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer of that person is not valid who does not recite Surah Al-Fatihah.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed him: Announce among the people of Madinah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has said: There is no prayer without reciting Surah Al-Fatihah and something additional. Abu Muhammad says that he is a student of Ja’far Thawri and Isa bin Yunus.

Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite Surah Al-Fatihah and an additional Surah in each of the first two rak‘ahs of the Zuhr prayer, and sometimes he would let us hear a verse. He used to make the first rak‘ah longer than the second, and in each of the last two rak‘ahs, he would recite (only) Surah Al-Fatihah. Abu Qatadah says: In the ‘Asr and Fajr prayers, he used to do the same. Abu Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him) says: This narration is also reported through another chain, but in that, there is no mention of the Fajr prayer.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that there is recitation in every prayer; where you (the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) recited aloud to us, we also recited aloud, and where you ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) recited quietly, we also recited quietly. I heard the Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) say: There is no prayer without recitation.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that a man said: O Messenger of Allah! Teach me something that will suffice me in place of the Qur'an. He said: «سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ» Say this. Sufyan says: In the narration of Abu Khalid al-Wasiti, these words are also present that the man said: These words are for my Lord, what is there for me? He said: «اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَارْحَمْنِي وَاهْدِنِي وَعَافِنِي» O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, and grant me well-being. Recite this. The man said: Four words are for my Lord and four are for me.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When the reciter (imam) says Ameen, you should also say Ameen, because the angels also say Ameen. Whoever’s Ameen coincides with the Ameen of the angels, all his previous sins will be forgiven.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that whenever he would bow or rise (in prayer), he would say «الله اكبر» , and he would say: My prayer is the most similar to the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) among all of you.

Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the presence of ten Companions, including Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him): I know the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) better than all of you. They said: How is that? By Allah! Neither did you follow the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) more than us, nor did you keep his company more than us. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Alright! They said: Well then, present it. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood for prayer, he would raise his hands to the level of his shoulders and say the takbir, until every bone would settle in its place with moderation. Then he would recite, then say the takbir and raise his hands to the level of his shoulders, until every bone returned to its joint. Then he would bow (ruku’), placing his palms on his knees and keeping his back straight, neither lowering his head too much nor raising it high. Then he would raise his head and say «سمع الله لمن حمده» , then raise his hands to the level of his shoulders and stand up straight. Abu ‘Asim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I think he said: until every bone returned to its place. Then he would say «الله اكبر» and bend towards the ground, prostrating with his hands away from his sides. Then he would raise his head and fold his left foot and sit on it. When he prostrated, he would keep the toes of both feet spread. Then he would prostrate again, then say «الله اكبر» and raise his head and fold his left foot and sit upright on it for as long as it took for every bone to return to its place. Then he would do the same in the second rak’ah. Then, when he stood up after two rak’ahs, he would raise both hands to the level of his shoulders just as he did at the beginning of the prayer. Then he would perform the rest of the prayer in the same way, until when he was in the final sitting, in which the salam is said, he would take out his left foot (from under his buttocks to the right side) and sit on his left hip. All of them said: You have spoken the truth; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray like this.

Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) said in the presence of ten Companions, including Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him): I know the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) better than all of you. Ibn Yahya (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Then he narrated the entire hadith.