Ibn ‘Abbas said that God’s Messenger used to begin his prayer with,“In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.”Tirmidhi transmitted it and said that the isnad of this tradition is not approved.

Wa’il b. Hujr said that he heard God’s Messenger recite,“Not of those with whom Thou art angry, nor of those who go astray”(Al-Qur’an 1:7) and say“Amen”, prolonging the word. Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Darimi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Zuhair an-Numairi said:We went out with God’s Messenger one night and came upon a man who made supplication with persistence. The Prophet said,“He will have done something which guarantees [paradise for him] if he puts a seal to it.”One of the people asked what he should use for a seal, and he replied,“Amen”. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that God’s Messenger prayed the sunset prayer using sura al-A'raf (Al-Qur’an; 7) dividing it between the two rak'as. Nasa’i transmitted it.

‘Uqba b. ‘Amir said:When I was leading God’s Messenger’s she-camel for him on a journey he said to me,“Shall I not teach you, ‘Uqba, the best two suras to recite?”Then he taught me“Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of the dawn”and“Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of men”(Al-Qur’an; 113-114). He saw that I was not greatly pleased with them, so when he alighted for the Morning Prayer he used them in leading the people in the Morning Prayer, and when he had finished he turned to me and said,“How do you find them now, ‘Uqba?”Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Nasa’i transmitted it.

Jabir b. Samura said that the Prophet used to recite in the sunset prayer on Thursday evening,“Say, O unbelievers,”1 and“Say, He is God one God.”2 1. Al-Qur’an; 109 2. Al-Qur’an; 112 [Baghawi] transmitted it in Sharh as-sunna.

Ibn Majah transmitted it from Ibn ‘Umar, but did not mention Thursday evening.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud said:I cannot count how often I heard God’s Messenger reciting in the two rak'as after the sunset prayer and in the two rak'as before the dawn prayer,“Say, O unbelievers,”and“Say, He is God, one God.”Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn Majah transmitted it on Abu Huraira’s authority, but he did not mention“after the sunset prayer.”

Sulaiman b. Yasar quoted Abu Huraira as saying,“I never prayed behind anyone whose prayer more closely resembled that of God’s Messenger than so and so’s.”Sulaiman said that he prayed behind him, and he was prolonging the first two rak'as of the noon prayer, shortening the last two, shortening the afternoon prayer, reciting short suras from al-Mufassal* at the sunset prayer, medium suras from al-Mufassal at the evening prayer, and long ones from al-Mufassal at the morning prayer. * A name applied to the latter part of the Qur’an because there are many divisions, but opinions differ about where it begins. Lane mentions the different views in his Lexicon, pp 2407 f., saying the most correct opinion is that it begins with sura 49. Nasa’i transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted up to“shortening the afternoon prayer.”