Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman says: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to lead us in prayer. When he would stand, when he would bow (ruku‘), when he intended to prostrate after rising from ruku‘, when he would raise his head from prostration and then prostrate again, when he would sit, and when he would stand after two rak‘ahs, he would say "Allahu Akbar." In the second two rak‘ahs, he would say the takbirs in the same way. When he finished the prayer with salam, he would say: "By Him in Whose hand is my soul! Indeed, I am the one among you who most closely resembles the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This was the manner of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer until he departed from this world."

Abu Salih says: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say the takbeer at every bowing and rising, and then he would state that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do the same.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood for prayer, he would say the takbeer; when he bowed for ruku, he would say the takbeer; when he raised his back from ruku, he would say "Sami' Allahu liman hamidah," then while standing he would say "Rabbana lakal hamd." Then when he bent down for prostration (sajdah), he would say the takbeer; when he raised his head from prostration, he would say the takbeer; then when he went down for the (second) prostration, he would say the takbeer; then when he raised his head, he would say the takbeer. Then he would continue this practice of saying the takbeerat throughout the entire prayer until he completed it. When the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up after sitting for two rak'ahs, he would also say "Allahu Akbar."

Saeed bin Harith says: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) had fallen ill or had gone somewhere; in any case, Sayyiduna Abu Saeed Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer. At the beginning of the prayer, at the time of bowing (ruku‘), after saying "Sami‘a Allahu liman hamidah" when rising from ruku‘, when raising his head from prostration (sajdah), when going into prostration, and when standing up for the third rak‘ah after two rak‘ahs, he said "Allahu Akbar." He continued the prayer in this manner until he completed it. When he finished the prayer, someone said to him: People have objected to your way of praying. (Upon hearing this) he went out and stood by the pulpit and said: By Allah! I do not care whether your prayer is different or not; I saw the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) praying in exactly this way.

Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) reminded us of the prayer which we used to perform with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), either we had forgotten it or deliberately abandoned it. Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), when he would bow (in ruku’), rise (from ruku’), and prostrate (in sujood), he would say Allahu Akbar.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Imran bin Husain (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I performed a prayer behind Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), and he reminded me of that prayer which I had performed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the two caliphs. Mutarrif says: (Upon hearing this) I went and prayed with him, (I saw that) when he would go into prostration and when he would raise his head from bowing, he would say the takbeer. Then I asked: O Abu Najid! Who was the first to abandon this method? He said: When Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) became old and his voice became weak, he abandoned it.

Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman bin Abzi (may Allah be pleased with him) says: I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not say takbeer, that is, when he would bow and rise.

Under this chapter, the following sub-chapters and hadiths have been mentioned.

Ibn Aswad narrates: Alqamah and Aswad were both with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). The time for prayer arrived, so Alqamah and Aswad stepped back (and stood forming a row), but Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) took both of their hands and made one stand on his right side and the other on his left side. Then both of them performed ruku‘ and (according to the Sunnah) placed their hands on their knees, but Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) struck their hands and then, by interlacing and joining his own hands, placed them between his thighs and said: I saw the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) do it in this manner.

It is narrated from Aswad and Alqamah that: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: When any of you performs ruku‘, he should spread his arms over his thighs and bend his back. Then he interlaced his fingers and said: It is as if I am seeing the fingers of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that they were interlaced with each other. Then he interlaced his fingers and showed them.