It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the Zuhr prayer and performed a prostration (of recitation), and we assumed that he (peace and blessings be upon him) had recited Surah al-Sajdah. Imam al-Hakim says that this hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it. It is an authentic and rare Sunnah that the imam should perform the prostration of recitation in the silent prayers (in which the recitation is kept quiet) just as he does in the prayers recited aloud.

The Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), narrates: One night the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was with me. I could not find him (in the bed) and thought that he had gone to one of his other wives. I searched for him and found him in prostration. I placed my hand on him and heard him saying: 'Ighfir li ma asrartu wa ma a'lantu' (Forgive me the sins I committed in secret and those I committed openly). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates: We used to sit with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he recited the Qur'an. Sometimes he (peace and blessings be upon him) would pass by a verse of prostration and prostrate, and we would prostrate with him (peace and blessings be upon him). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it. The Companions prostrating when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrated outside the prayer is an important Sunnah.

Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: On the day of Badr I fought for a while, then I came quickly to see what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was doing. I found him (peace and blessings be upon him) lying in prostration, saying only: 'Ya Hayyu ya Qayyum' (O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of all). He was not saying anything more than that. I went back to the fighting, then came again and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was in prostration saying the same. I went to fight again and came a third time, and still he (peace and blessings be upon him) was in prostration saying these same words, until Allah granted him (peace and blessings be upon him) victory. This hadith has an authentic chain (sahih al-isnad), and none of its narrators is criticised.

Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I entered the mosque as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was going out, so I began walking behind him (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) was not aware of my presence, until he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered a date-palm garden, faced the qiblah and prostrated. He (peace and blessings be upon him) prolonged the prostration so much that I feared Allah might have taken his soul. I went closer and bent my head to look at his (peace and blessings be upon him) blessed face. He (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head and asked: "O Abd al-Rahman, what is the matter with you?" I said: "O Messenger of Allah, you prolonged the prostration so much that I feared you had passed away." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When I entered this garden, I met Jibril (peace be upon him), and he said: 'I give you the glad tidings that Allah Almighty says: Whoever sends salam upon you, I will send peace upon him; and whoever sends salah (blessings) upon you, I will send mercy upon him.'" This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it. In my view there is no hadith more authentic than this regarding the prostration of gratitude.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him fifteen prostrations in the Qur'an: three of them in al-Mufassal (the final surahs) and two in Surah al-Hajj. All its narrators are Egyptian and trustworthy, and the two Shaykhs used most of them as evidence. This is the most complete narration regarding the number of prostrations in the Qur'an, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) finished Surah al-Fatihah, he would say "Amin" in a loud voice. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it with these words. There is agreement on both the imam and the one following him saying Amin, even if the imam says it quietly.

Sa'id bin al-Harith narrates that Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) was ill or away, so Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in prayer. He said the takbir aloud at the start of the prayer, when going into bowing, when saying 'Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah' (Allah hears the one who praises Him), when going into prostration and raising his head, and when standing up after two rak'ahs. When the people said to him that his prayer was different (from others), he stood on the pulpit and said: "O people, by Allah, I do not care whether your prayer differs (from the Sunnah) or not; this is how I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) praying." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs, but they did not record it in this form.

The son of Wa'il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from his father that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) bowed, he would keep a space between his fingers (keep them spread apart). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us the prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said the takbir, and when he intended to bow he joined his palms together and placed them between his knees (tatbiq). When this reached Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: "My brother has spoken the truth. We used to do this, but later we were commanded to hold the knees." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but they did not record it in this form, although the two Shaykhs agreed upon its meaning.