Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came for prayer, and when he said Allahu Akbar, he turned (towards his house) and gestured to the people to remain as they were. Then he went home, performed ghusl, and returned with water dripping from his head. Then he led the people in prayer, and when he had finished the prayer, he said: I was in a state of janabah and had forgotten to perform ghusl.

(The second chain) The narrator says: The iqamah for prayer was called and the people formed rows, but when the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, arrived and stood at his place, he gestured to them with his hand to remain in their places. Then he, peace and blessings be upon him, left, performed ghusl, and when he returned, water droplets were dripping from his head. Then he led the people in prayer.

Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: There was a dispute among the Banu Amr bin Awf tribe. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) received this news, he went to them after the Zuhr prayer to reconcile between them and said:“Bilal, if the time for prayer comes and I do not arrive, then instruct Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.”When the time for Asr arrived, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the call to prayer, then the Iqamah, and instructed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr to lead the prayer. So he stepped forward (and began the prayer). Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also arrived. When the people saw him, they began clapping their hands. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came through the rows of people and stood behind Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), when engaged in prayer, would not pay attention to anything else, but this time, when he thought the clapping was not stopping, he turned around and saw the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) behind him. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him to continue the prayer. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) paused for a moment, but then, praising Allah, stepped back on his heels, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) moved forward and led the people in prayer. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the prayer, he said:“O Abu Bakr! When I gestured to you, what prevented you from continuing the prayer?”Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied:“It does not befit the son of Abu Quhafa to lead the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in prayer.”Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the people:“If anything happens to you during prayer, men should say ‘Subhan Allah’ and women should clap their hands.”Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Well, why did you clap your hands?”They said:“We wanted to inform Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) of your arrival.”Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Clapping is for women, and saying ‘Subhan Allah’ is for men.”

Sayyiduna Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) says that indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said during his illness: Order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. So Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came out and began the prayer by saying Allahu Akbar. Meanwhile, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some relief, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) also came out, supported by two men. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to step back, but he (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him to remain in his place. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat on the (left) side of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and began reciting from the place in the Surah where Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had reached.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill, he (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. Then one day, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some relief, so he came (to the mosque). When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed the arrival of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he intended to step back, but the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him (to remain in his place). Then the Prophet came and sat to the left of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and began reciting from the verse where Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had reached.

(Second chain of narration) Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat down, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood to his right side. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led, and the people followed him in prayer. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: And the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the recitation from where Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had reached, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away during that same illness.

Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) during his final illness ordered Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sitting in front of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and was leading the people in prayer, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading the people in prayer, and the people were behind him. In one narration it is stated: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was following the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the people were following him.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying in Ramadan, I came and stood behind him, then another man came and stood by my side, then another man came until we became a congregation. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sensed that we were standing behind him, he shortened the prayer, and when he finished, he went home, and he prayed such a good prayer that he did not pray it with us. When morning came, we said: O Messenger of Allah! Did you know about us last night? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, and that is what prompted me to do what I did, ... .

Once, Walid bin Uqbah delayed the prayer. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up, gave the iqamah for prayer, and led the people in prayer. Walid sent a message to him and asked: What made you do this? Did you receive any order from the Commander of the Faithful (Sayyiduna Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him), or did you start this new practice yourself? Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Neither have I received any order from the Commander of the Faithful, nor have I started any new practice. The fact is that Allah Almighty and His Messenger disapprove that we keep waiting for your prayer while you are busy with your own work.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Indeed, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand in the first rak‘ah of the Zuhr prayer (by prolonging the standing) until no sound of footsteps could be heard.