Abu Qilabah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Sayyiduna Malik bin Huwairith (may Allah be pleased with him) came to our mosque and said: I want to show you how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray. So he began to describe: When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would raise his head from the second prostration, he would sit, then get up by taking support from the ground.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when we used to pray behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), we would say in the Tashahhud: Peace be upon Jibreel, peace be upon Mika'il, peace be upon Israfil, and peace be upon so-and-so and so-and-so. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards us and said: Allah Himself is As-Salam (the Source of Peace), so when you sit in prayer (for Tashahhud), say: «التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللهِ الصَّالِحِينَ» When you have said these words, the greeting of peace will reach every righteous person in the heavens and the earth and those between them. Then say: «أَشْهَدُ أَن لَّا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ» Then ask for whatever (supplication) you wish.

Ibn Abi Layla (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I met Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him), so he said: Shall I not give you a gift? Or he said: Shall I not narrate to you a hadith? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to us, so we asked: O Messenger of Allah! We have learned how to send peace (salam) upon you, but how should we send blessings (salat) upon you? He said: Say like this: O Allah! Send mercy upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as You sent mercy upon Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and upon the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). Surely, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah! Send blessings upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as You sent blessings upon the family of Ibrahim. Surely, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: When anyone sits for Tashahhud, he should seek refuge from four things: the punishment of Hell, the punishment of the grave, the trials of life and death, and the evil of the False Messiah (Dajjal), then he may supplicate for whatever he wishes for himself.

Sayyiduna Abu Wa’il (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I decided to see how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prayer. Then I saw that he said the takbir while standing and raised both hands up to the level of his ears. Then he placed his right palm on the back of his left hand, wrist, and forearm. Then when he bowed (for ruku’), he raised his hands in the same way. Then when he went into prostration, he placed his hands at the level of his ears. Then when he sat, he spread his left foot and placed his left palm on his left thigh and knee, and raised the edge of his right elbow from his right thigh. Then he joined two fingers together to form a circle, then raised his finger, and I saw that he was moving it and reciting supplication. Then, when I came during the winter season, I saw that people had taken large sheets of cloth and their hands were moving underneath (for raising the hands).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would say «السلام عليكم ورحمة الله» while turning his face to the right for salam, then would say «السلام عليكم ورحمته الله» while turning his face to the left for salam, until the whiteness of his cheeks would be visible from both sides.

Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If the imam needs to be alerted to a mistake in prayer, men should say «سبحان الله» and women should clap (strike one hand on the other).

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What is the matter with you that when you encounter an issue during prayer, you start clapping? Whereas this ruling is only for women. If anyone encounters an issue during prayer, he should say «سبحان الله» .

Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that once we were praying with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) when one of the worshippers sneezed, so I said «يَرْحَمُكَ اللهُ» . The people started staring at me, so I said: "May your mothers lose you! Why are you looking at me?" They began striking their thighs with their hands. When I realized that they were trying to make me quiet, I became silent. May my parents be sacrificed for you! By Allah, I have never seen a teacher before or after you who is better at teaching than you. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) finished the prayer, by Allah, he neither scolded me, nor spoke harshly, nor hit me. He only said: "This is prayer; it is not permissible to talk in it. In it, there is only glorification (tasbih), magnification (takbir), and recitation of the Qur'an." Or as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said. (Muawiyah bin Hakam, may Allah be pleased with him) says: I said: O Messenger of Allah! I am newly converted to Islam, Allah has blessed us with the bounty of Islam, but even now some of us go to soothsayers (those who tell the unseen). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Do not go to them. I said: Some of us take omens from birds? He said: That is merely their imagination. Such omens should not prevent them (from doing anything). I said: Some of us draw lines (for divination)? He said: A prophet (Idris, peace be upon him) used to draw lines, so whoever’s line matches his, that is correct. He says: I said: I have a slave-girl who used to graze sheep near the mountains of Uhud and Jawaniyah. One day I went to her and a wolf had taken one of her sheep. Since I am also a human, I got angry like them and I slapped her hard. I came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and mentioned this incident to him, and he considered it a great sin on my part. I said: Should I not free her? He said: Bring her to me. I brought her to you, and you asked her: "Where is Allah?" She said: "In the sky." You asked: "Who am I?" She said: "You are the Messenger of Allah." He said: "Free her, for she is a believer."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has commanded to kill the two black things (the snake and the scorpion) even during prayer.