'Uthman b. 'Affan listened to the opinion of the people (which was not favourable) when he rebuilt the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Thereupon he said: You have not been fair to me for I have heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying: He who built a mosque for Allah, the Exalted, Allah would build for him a house in Paradise. Bukair said: I think he (the Holy Prophet) said: While he seeks the pleasure of Allah (by building the mosque). And in the narration of Ibn 'Isa (the words are):" (a house) like that (mosque) in Paradise."
We came to the house of 'Abdullah b. Mas'ud. He said: Have these people said prayer behind you? We said: No. He said: Then stand up and say prayer. He neither ordered us to say Adhan nor Iqama. We went to stand behind him. He caught hold of our hands and mode one of us stand on his right hand and the other on his left side. When we bowed, we placed our hands on our knees. He struck our hands and put his hands together, palm to palm, then put them between his thighs. When he completed the prayer he said. There would soon come your Amirs, who would defer prayers from their appointed time and would make such delay that a little time is left before sunset. So when you see them doing so, say prayer at its appointed time and then say prayer along with them as (Nafl), and when you are three, pray together (standing in one row), and when you are more than three, appoint one amongst you as your Imam. And when any one of you bows he must place his hands upon hie thighs and kneel down. and putting his palms together place (them within his thighs). I perceive as if I am seeing the gap between the fingers of the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him).
I said prayer by the side of my father and placed my hands between my knees. My father said to me: Place your hands on your knees. I repeated that (the previous act) for the second time, and he struck at my hands and said: We have been forbidden to do so and have been commanded to place our palms on the knees.
We asked Ibn Abbas about sitting on one's buttocks (in prayer). (ala alqad mein) He said: It is sunnah. We said to him: We find it a sort of cruelty to the foot. Ibn 'Abbas said: It is the sunnah of your Apostle (ﷺ).
While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), a man in the company sneezed. I said: Allah have mercy on you! The people stared at me with disapproving looks, so I said: Woe be upon me, why is it that you stare at me? They began to strike their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them urging me to observe silence (I became angry) but I said nothing. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had said the prayer (and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a leader who gave better instruction than he for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom). I swear that he did not scold, beat or revile me but said: Talking to persons is not fitting during the prayer, for it consists of glorifying Allah, declaring his Greatness. and recitation of the Qur'an or words to that effect. I said: Messenger of Allah. I was till recently a pagan, but Allah has brought Islam to us; among us there are men who have recourse to Kahins. He said, Do not have recourse to them. I said. There are men who take omens. That is something which they find in their breasts, but let it not turn their way (from freedom of action). I said: Among us there are men who draw lines. He said: There was a prophet who drew lines, so if they do it as they did, that is allowable. I had a maid-servant who tended goats by the side of Uhud and Jawwaniya. One day I happened to pass that way and found that a wolf had carried a goat from her flock. I am after all a man from the posterity of Adam. I felt sorry as they (human beings) feel sorry. So I slapped her. I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and felt (this act of mine) as something grievous I said: Messenger of Allah, should I not grant her freedom? He (the Holy Prophet) said: Bring her to me. So I brought her to him. He said to her: Where is Allah? She said: He is in the heaven. He said: Who am I? She said: Thou art the Messenger of Allah. He said: Grant her freedom, she is a believing woman.
We used to greet the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was engaged in prayer and he would respond to our greeting. But when we returned from the Negus we greeted him and he did not respond to us; so we said: Messenger of Allah. we used to greet you when you were engaged in prayer and you would respond to us. He replied: Prayer demands whole attention.
We used to talk while engaged in prayer and a person talked with a companion on his side in prayer till (this verse) was revealed:" And stand before Allah in devout obedience" (ii, 238) and we were commanded to observe silence (in prayer) and were forbidden to speak.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me on an errand. I (having done the business assigned to me came back and) joined him as he was going (on a ride). Qutaiba said that he was saying prayer while he rode. I greeted him. He gestured to me. When he completed the prayer. he called me and said: You greeted me just now while I was engaged in prayer. (Qutaiba said): His (Prophet's face) was towards the east, as he was praying.
A highly wicked one amongst the Jinn escaped yesternight to interrupt my prayer, but Allah gave me power over him, so I seized him and intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque in order that you, all together or all, might look at him, but I remembered the supplication of my brother Sulaiman:" My Lord, forgive me, give me such a kingdom as will not be possible for anyone after me" (Qur'an, xxxvii. 35).
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1104
Hadith 542
Chapter 8: The permissibility of cursing the Shaitan during prayer, and seeking refuge with Allah from him; and the permissibility of doing a few actions while in salat - كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood up (to pray) and we heard him say:" I seek refuge in Allah from thee." Then said:" curse thee with Allah's curse" three times, then he stretched out his hand as though he was taking hold of something. When he finished the prayer, we said: Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something during the prayer which we have not heard you say before, and we saw you stretch out your hand. He replied: Allah's enemy Iblis came with a flame of fire to put it in my face, so I said three times:" I Seek refuge in Allah from thee." Then I said three times:" I curse thee with Allah's full curse." But he did not retreat (on any one of these) three occasions. Thereafter I meant to seize him. I swear by Allah that had it not been for the supplication of my brother Sulaiman he would have been bound, and made an object of sport for the children of Medina.
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1106
Hadith 543
Chapter 5: The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer - كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
Abu Qatadi reported:
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قُلْتُ لِمَالِكٍ حَدَّثَكَ عَامِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سُلَيْمٍ الزُّرَقِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُصَلِّي وَهُوَ حَامِلٌ أُمَامَةَ بِنْتَ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَلأَبِي الْعَاصِ بْنِ الرَّبِيعِ فَإِذَا قَامَ حَمَلَهَا وَإِذَا سَجَدَ وَضَعَهَا قَالَ يَحْيَى قَالَ مَالِكٌ نَعَمْ .
I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying the prayer while he was carrying Umama, daughter of Zainab, daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). and Abu'l-'As b. al-Rabi'. When he stood up, he took her up and when he prostrated he put her down, Yahya said: Malik replied in the affirmative.
Some people came to Sahl b. Sa'd and began to differ about the wood of which the (Prophet's pulpit was made. He (Sahl b. Sa'd) said: By Allah, I know of which wood it is made and who made it, and the day when I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) seated himself on it on the first day. I said to him: O Abu Abbas (kunyah of Sabl b. Sa'd), narrate to us (all these facts), He said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a person to a woman asking her to allow her slave, a carpenter, to work on woods (to prepare a pulpit) so that I should talk to the people (sitting on it). Abu Hazim said: He (Sahl b. Sa'd) pointed out the name of (that lady) that day. So he (the carpenter) made (a pulpit) with these three steps. Then the Messengerof Allah (ﷺ) commanded it to be placed here (where it is lying now). It was fashioned out of the wood of al-Ghaba. And I saw the Messenger of Allah (may peace he upon him) standing upon it and glorifying Allah and the people also glorified Allah after him, while he was on the pulpit. He then raised (his head from prostration) and stepped back (on his heels) till he prostrated himself at the base of pulpit, and then returned (to the former place and this movement of one or two steps continued) till the prayer was complete. He then turned towards the people and said: O people, I have done it so that you should follow me and learn (my mode of) prayer.
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1111
Hadith 545
Chapter 11: It is disliked to put the hands on the waist during the prayer - كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
Abu Huraira reported from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he forbade keeping one's hand on one's waist while praying, and in the narration of Abu Bakr (the words are):
وَحَدَّثَنِي الْحَكَمُ بْنُ مُوسَى الْقَنْطَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، ح قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ، وَأَبُو أُسَامَةَ جَمِيعًا عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ نَهَى أَنْ يُصَلِّيَ الرَّجُلُ مُخْتَصِرًا . وَفِي رِوَايَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ قَالَ نَهَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saw spittle on the wall towards Qibla, and scratched it away and then turning to the people said: When any one of you prays, he must not spit in front of him, for Allah is in front of him when he is engaged in prayer.
The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) saw sputum sticking to the Qibla of the mosque. He scratched it off with a pebble and then forbade spitting on the right side or in front, but (it is permissible) to spit on the left side or under the left foot.
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1118
Hadith 549
Chapter 13: The prohibition of spitting in the masjid, during prayer and at other times. The prohibition of a praying person spitting in front of him or to his right - كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
'A'isha reported:
وَحَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ، فِيمَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِ عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَأَى بُصَاقًا فِي جِدَارِ الْقِبْلَةِ أَوْ مُخَاطًا أَوْ نُخَامَةً فَحَكَّهُ .
The Apostle of Allah (may, peace be upon him) saw spittle or snot or sputum, sticking to the wall towards Qibla and scratched it off.
How Is it that someone amongst you stands before his Lord and then spits out in front of Him? Does any one of you like that he should be made to stand in front of someone and then spit at his face? So when any one of you spits, he must spit on his left side under his foot. But if he does not find (space to spit) he should do like this. Qasim (one of the narrators) spat in his cloth and then folded it and rubbed it.
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1121
Hadith 551
Chapter 13: The prohibition of spitting in the masjid, during prayer and at other times. The prohibition of a praying person spitting in front of him or to his right - كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When any one of you is engaged in prayer, he is holding intimate conversation with his Lord, so none of you must spit in front of him, or towards his right side, but towards his left side under his foot.
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1124
Hadith 553
Chapter 13: The prohibition of spitting in the masjid, during prayer and at other times. The prohibition of a praying person spitting in front of him or to his right - كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) said: The deeds of my people, good and bad, were presented before me, and I found the removal of something objectionable from the road among their good deeds, and the sputum mucus left unburied in the mosque among their evil deeds.
The Apostle of Allah (ﷺ) prayed in a garment which had designs over it, so he (the Holy Prophet) said: Take it to Abu Jahm and bring me a plain blanket from him, because its designs have distracted me.