The Book of Prayers

Maimuna daughter of Harith reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) prostrated, he kept his hands so much apart from each other that when it was seen from behind the armpits became visible. Waki' said: That is their whiteness.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to begin prayer with takbir (saying Allih-o-Akbar) and the recitation:" Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe." When he bowed he neither kept his head up nor bent it down, but kept it between these extremes; when he raised his bead after bow- ing he did not prostrate himself till he had stood erect; when he raised his head after prostration he did not prostrate himself again till he satup. At the end of every two rak'ahs he recited the tahiyya; and he used to place his left foot flat (on the ground) and raise up the right; he prohibited the devil's way of sitting on the heels, and he forbade people to spread out their arms like a wild beast. And he used to finish the prayer with the taslim.

Musa b. Talha reported it on the authority of his father: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When one of you places in front of him so me. thing such as the back of a saddle, he should pray without caring who passes on the other side of it.

Musa b. Talha reported on the authority of his father: We used to say prayer and the animals moved in front of us. We mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and he said: If anything equal to the back of a saddle is in front of you, then what walks in front, no harm would come to him. Ibn Numair said: No harm would come whosoever walks in front.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was asked about sutra of a worshipper; he said: Equal to the back of the saddle.

'A'isha reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was asked in the expedition of Tabuk about the sutra the worshipper; he said: Like the back of the saddle.

Ibn Umar reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) went out on the 'Id day, he ordered to carry a spear-and it was fixed in front of him, and he said prayer towards its (direction), and the people were behind him. And he did it in the journey, and that is the reason why the Amirs carried it.

Ibn Umar reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) set up (sutra), and Abu Bakr said: He implanted iron-tipped spear and said prayer towards its direction. Ibn Abu Shaiba made this addition to it:" Ubaidullah said that it was a spear."

Ibn 'Umar said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to place his camel (towards the Ka'ba) and said prayer in its direction.

Ibn 'Umar reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) used to say prayer towards his camel. Ibn Numair said: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said prayer towards the camel.

Abu Juhaifa reported it on the authority of his father: I came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) in Mecca and he was (at that time) at al- Abtah in a red leather tent. And Bilal stepped out with ablution water for him. (And what was left out of that water) some of them got it (whereas others could not get it) and (those who got it) rubbed themselves with it. Then the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) stepped out with a red mantle on him and I was catching a glimpse of the whiteness of his shanks. The narrator said: He (the Holy Prophet) performed the ablution. and Bilal pronounced Adhan and I followed his mouth (as he turned) this side and that as he said on the right and the left:" Come to prayer, come to success." ' A spear was then fixed for him (on the ground). He stepped forward and said two rak'ahs of Zuhr, while there passed in front of him a donkey and a dog, and these were not checked. He then said two rak'ahs of the 'Asr prayer, and he then continued saying two rak'ahs till he came back to Medina.

Abu Juhaifa reported on the authority of his father: I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) (in Mecca at al-Abtah) in a red leather tent. and I saw Bilal take the ablution water (left by Allah's Messenger), and I saw the people racing, with one another to get that ablution water. If anyone got some of it, he rubbed himself with it, and anyone who did not get any got some of the moisture from his companion's hand. I then saw Bilal take a staff and fix it in the ground, after which the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) came out quickly in a red mantle and led the people in two rak'ahs facing the staff, and I saw people and animals passing in front of the staff.

'Aun b. Abu Juhaifa narrated from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the authority of his father a hadith like that of Sufyan, and 'Umar b. Abu Za'ida made this addition: Some of them tried to excel the others (in obtaining water), and in the hadith transmitted by Malik b. Mighwal (the words are): When it was noon, Bilal came out and summoned (people) to (noon) prayer.

Abu Juhaifa reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) went at noon towards al-Batha', he performed ablution, and said two rak'ahs of the Zuhr prayer and two of the 'Asr prayer, and there was a spear in front of him. Shu'ba said and Aun made this addition to it on the authority of his father Abu Juhaifa: And the woman and the donkey passed behind it.

Shu'ba narrated the same on the basis of two authorities and in the hadith transmitted by Hakam (the words are): The people began to get water that was left out of his (the Prophet's) ablution.

Ibn 'Abbas reported: I came riding on a she-ass, and I was on the threshold of maturity, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was leading people in prayer at Mina. I passed in front of the row and got down, and sent the she-ass for grazing and joined the row, and nobody made any objection to it.

Abdullah b. Abbas reported that he came riding on a donkey, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) was leading the people in prayer at Mina on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage and (the narrator) reported: The donkey passed in front of the row and then he got down from it And joined the row along with the people.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn 'Uyaina on the authority of al-Zuhri with the same chain of transmitters and he reported: The Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) was leading prayer at 'Arafa.

This hadith has been reported by Ma'mar on the authority of al-Zuhri with the came chain of transmitters, but here no mention has been made of Mina or 'Arafa, and he said: It was in the Farewell Pilgrimage or on the Day of Victory.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you prays he should not let anyone pass in front of him (if there is no sutra), and should try to turn him away as far as possible, but if he refuses to go, he should turn him away forcibly for he is a devil.

Abu Salih al-Samman reported: I narrate to you what I heard and saw from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri: One day I was with Abu Sa'id and he was saying prayer on Friday turning to a thing which concealed him from the people when a young man from Banu Mu'ait came there and he tried to pass in front of him; he turned him back by striking his chest. He looked about but finding no other way to pass except in front of Abu Sa'id, made a second attempt. He (Abu Sa'id) turned him away by Striking his chest more vigorously than the first stroke. He stood up and had a scuffle with Abu Sa'id. Then the people gathered there He came out and went to Marwan and complained to him what had happened to him. Abu Sa'id too came to Marwan. Marwin said to him: What has happened to you and the son of your brother that he came to complain against you? Abu Sa'id said: I heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saying: When any one of you prays facing something which conceals him from people and anyone tries to pass in front of him, he should be turned away, but if he refuses, he should be forcibly restrained from it, for he is a devil.

'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you prays, he should not allow anyone to pass before him, and if he refuses, he should be then forcibly resisted, for there is a devil with him.

This hadith has been narrated by Ibn Umar by another chain of transmitters.

Busr b Sa'id reported that Zaid b Khalid al-Juhani sent him to Abu Juhaim in order to ask him what he had heard from the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) with regard to the passer in front of the worshipper. Abu Juhaim reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: If anyone who passes in front of a man who is praying knew the responsibility he incurs, he would stand still forty (years) rather than to pass in front of him Abu Nadr said: I do not know whether he said forty days or months or years.

This hadith has been narrated from Abu Juhaim Ansari by another chain of transmitters.

Sahl b. Sa'd al-Si'idi reported: Between the place of worship where the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) prayed and the wall, there was a gap through which a goat could pass.

Salama b. Akwa' reported: He sought the place (in the mosque) where the copies of the Qur'an were kept and glorified Allah there, and the narrator made a mention that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) sought that place and that was between the pulpit and the qibla-a place where a goat could pass.

Yazid reported: Salama sought to say prayer near the pillar which was by that place where copies of the Qur'an were kept. I said to him: Abu Muslim. I see you striving to offer your prayer by this pillar. He said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) seeking to pray by its side.

Abu Dharr reported: The Messenger of 'Allah (may peace be upon him) said: When any one of you stands for prayer and there is a thing before him equal to the back of the saddle that covers him and in case there is not before him (a thing) equal to the back of the saddle, his prayer would be cut off by (passing of an) ass, woman, and black Dog. I said: O Abu Dharr, what feature is there in a black dog which distinguish it from the red dog and the yellow dog? He said: O, son of my brother, I asked the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) as you are asking me, and he said: The black dog is a devil.

This hadith has been transmitted by Humaid b. Hilal on the authority of Yunus.