Muhammad bin Amr narrates: I heard Sayyiduna Abu Humayd Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) in the presence of ten companions (may Allah be pleased with them), among whom was Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) as well. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have the most knowledge among you regarding the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). They said to him: Why is that? By Allah! You are neither a greater follower of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) than us nor an older companion than us. Sayyiduna Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Yes, indeed. They said: Then present it. So Sayyiduna Abu Humayd described: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would stand for prayer, he would say the takbir and raise both hands up to the shoulders. He would keep every bone in its specific place in a state of moderation, then he would recite. Then he would say the takbir, then while raising both hands up to the shoulders, he would go into ruku’. He would place both palms on both knees, then he would remain in a state of moderation. He would neither lower his head nor raise it, then he would raise his head and recite «سمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَہ» . He would raise both hands up to the shoulders in a state of moderation, then say Allahu Akbar, then he would bend towards the ground and keep both arms away from the sides, then he would raise his head, spread his left leg and sit on it. When he went into prostration, he would keep the toes of his feet spread, then he would go into prostration again, then he would raise his head and say Allahu Akbar. He would spread his left leg and sit on it until every bone returned to its specific place in a state of moderation, then he would perform the second rak’ah in the same way. When he stood up after performing two rak’ahs, he would say the takbir and raise both hands up to the shoulders as he did at the beginning of the prayer, then he would perform the rest of the prayer in the same manner, until when he came to the sitting after that prostration in which the salam is given, he would move his left leg back and sit in the tawarruk position on his left side. These companions (i.e., the other companions, may Allah be pleased with them) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to perform the prayer in this manner.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates about the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): When he would begin the prayer, he would raise his hands; when he intended to go into bowing (ruku‘); when he would raise his head from bowing; and when he would stand up after performing two units (rak‘ahs), at all these occasions he would raise both hands up to the shoulders.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to us, and during that time some people raised their hands during prayer. So he said: What is the matter, I see you raising your hands like the tails of unruly horses? You should remain in a state of calmness during prayer.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates this about the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): He came to the mosque and saw some people raising their hands, so he said: "These people have raised their hands like the tails of unruly horses. You should remain in a state of calmness during prayer."

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When we used to perform prayer behind the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), we would gesture with our hands (while saying) "As-salamu Alaikum" to the right and to the left. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: What is the matter, I see your hands moving like the tails of unruly horses? It is sufficient for each of you to place both his hands on his knees and then turn to the right and to the left to offer salam.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Previously, when we used to perform prayer behind the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), any one of us, while turning to the right and left (for salam), would raise his hand. So the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said: What is the reason that I see you raising your hands like the tails of unruly horses? Is it not sufficient for any one of you to place his hand on his knee and then offer salam to the person on his right and the person on his left?

Mus'ab bin Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas narrates: I performed prayer beside my father. I placed my hands together between my palms and then put them between my knees. My father forbade me from this and said, "We used to do this before, then we were forbidden from it, and we were commanded to place (our hands) on the knees."

Mus'ab bin Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas narrates: When I used to perform prayer, I would do tatbeeq and place both my hands between my knees. My father, Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him), saw me doing this and said: We used to do this before, then we were forbidden from it, and we were commanded to place (our hands) on the knees.

Sayyiduna Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The bowing (ruku') of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his raising his head after bowing, his prostration (sajdah), and his sitting between the two prostrations were all approximately equal in duration.

The narrator named Thabit reports: Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said to us, "I will not show any negligence in this regard; I will lead you in prayer just as I saw the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) leading us in prayer." Thabit reports: I saw Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) doing something which I do not see you doing; when he would stand up after raising his head from bowing (ruku'), someone could say, "Perhaps he has forgotten to go into prostration (sajdah)." And when he would sit after raising his head from the first prostration, someone could say, "He has perhaps forgotten to go into the second prostration."