Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said salam after performing two rak‘ahs. Sayyiduna Dhul-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) submitted to him: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), has the prayer been shortened? The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked: Is Dhul-Yadayn speaking the truth? The people replied: Yes. So the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood up and performed the remaining two rak‘ahs, then he said salam. Then he said takbeer and performed a prostration like his usual prostrations or a little longer, then he raised his head, then said takbeer and performed a prostration like his usual prostrations or a little longer, then he raised his (head).

Dhamdham bin Jaus Hifani narrates: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) told me that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in one of the evening prayers. He led us in only two rak‘ahs (and then concluded the prayer with salam). A man whose name was Dhul-Yadain and who belonged to the tribe of Khuza‘ah, approached and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Neither of the two has happened. He said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! You led us in only two rak‘ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: What is Dhul-Yadain saying? He turned to those present and they said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! You led us in only two rak‘ahs. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up, faced the qiblah, and performed the remaining two rak‘ahs, then concluded with salam. Then, while sitting, he performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in one of the afternoon prayers. (The narrator says) Perhaps he mentioned the Dhuhr prayer or the Asr prayer. But I am more inclined to think it was the Asr prayer. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in two rak‘ahs, then he said the salam. Then he moved towards a piece of wood placed at the front of the mosque, and he placed both his hands on it, one hand over the other. The hasty people left (the mosque), saying that the prayer had been shortened. Among those present were Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), but they did not have the courage to speak to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this. A man whose name was Dhu’l-Yadayn said to him: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Has the prayer been shortened, or did you forget? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The prayer has not been shortened, and I have not forgotten. He said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), perhaps you did forget. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Is it so? The people replied: Yes. The narrator says: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned and led us in two rak‘ahs, then he said the salam, then he performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud as-sahw), each as long as his usual prostrations, then he raised his head, then he performed the second prostration, as long as his usual prostrations, then he raised his head. Muhammad ibn Sirin, the narrator, was asked: Are these words also in the narration: then he said the salam? He replied: I do not remember these words from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), but I have been told that Sayyiduna Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated these words: then he said the salam. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The meaning of the information given by Sayyiduna Dhu’l-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke during the prayer, on the basis that his prayer was complete and he had fulfilled what was obligatory upon him. Sayyiduna Dhu’l-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) thought that perhaps the prayer had been returned to its former obligation, so he spoke in the belief that he was not in a state of prayer and that the prayer was complete. But when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sought confirmation from his companions and became certain of the matter, he then completed his prayer. As for the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) responding to him by saying“Yes,”it was incumbent upon them to answer the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even if they were performing prayer. Allah Almighty says:“O you who believe! Respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.”As for today, the revelation has ceased and the obligations have been established. So if the imam speaks, thinking that his prayer is complete after saying the salam, his prayer will not be invalidated. But if he asks the followers and they respond to him, then their prayer will be invalidated, and if the imam asks some of the followers about this, then the imam’s prayer will also be invalidated, because now the obligations have been firmly established and the revelation has ceased. The reason for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) experiencing forgetfulness during the prayer was that he was sent as a teacher. He taught both by word and by deed. So sometimes such a state would occur to him, the purpose of which was to inform his ummah what would be obligatory upon them in such a situation, i.e., the situation that would arise for them after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) called the two prostrations of forgetfulness two things that disgrace (the devil).

Sayyiduna Abu Tha’labah al-Khushani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When people would camp at a place, they would scatter in the valleys and lowlands in different places. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Your scattering in the valleys and lowlands like this is from Satan. The narrator states: After that, whenever people camped at a place, they would stay together in such a way that if a cloth were spread over them, it would cover them all.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: Previously, people used to go for Hajj without taking provisions along with them, so Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "And take provisions with you; indeed, the best provision is piety."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: A man came to the service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him); he wanted to go on a journey. He greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with salam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I advise you to adopt the fear of Allah Almighty and to say "Allahu Akbar" (Allah is the Greatest) upon every elevation you ascend. The narrator says: When that man left, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed: O Allah! Fold the earth for him and make his journey easy for him.

Mujahid narrates: I was about to depart for Iraq, and there was another person with me. Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) came with us to see us off. When he was about to part from us, he said: I have nothing with me to give you, but I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say this: "When a person entrusts something to Allah Almighty, Allah protects it. So I entrust your religion, your trust, and the end of your deeds to Allah Almighty."

Sayyiduna Hamzah bin Amr Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There is a devil on the back of every camel. When you ride it, mention the name of Allah and do not be negligent regarding your need."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: When the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) set out on a journey and mounted his riding animal, he would say Takbeer (Allahu Akbar) three times, then recite this: "Glory is to Him Who has subjected this (ride) to us, and we could not have subdued it (by ourselves)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite two verses and then say: "O Allah, I ask You for goodness and piety during this journey, and for such deeds as please You. O Allah, make this journey easy for us and fold up the earth for us. O Allah, You are the Companion in the journey and the Guardian of the family (in our absence). O Allah, accompany us in our journey and take care of our families." When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned, he would say: "We are returning, repenting, and praising our Lord."