"The Prophet(ﷺ) prayed Zuhr with five rak'ahs, and it was said to him: 'Has something been added to the prayer?' He said: 'Why are you asking?' They said: 'You prayed five.' So he turned around and prostrated twice."
The Prophet (ﷺ) led them in praying Zuhr with five (rak'ahs). They said: 'You prayed five.' So he prostrated twice after he had said the taslim, while he was sitting.
"Alqamah prayed five (rak'ahs) and was told about that. He said: 'Did I really do that?' I nodded yes. He said: 'What about you, O odd-eyed one?' I said: 'Yes'. So he prostrated twice, then he narrated to us from 'Abdullah that the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed five (rak'ahs), and the people whispered to one another, then they said to him: 'Has something been added the prayer?' He said: 'No.' So they told him, and he turned around and prostrated twice, then he said: 'I am only human; I forget as you forget.'"
"I heard Ash-Sha'bi say: 'Alqamah bin Qais forgot (and made a mistake) in his prayer, and they told him about that after he had spoken, He said: 'Is that true, O odd-eyed one?' He said: 'Yes.' So he undid his cloak, then he performed two prostrations of forgtfulness,and said: 'This is what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did.' He said: And I heard Al-Hakam say: 'Alqamah had prayed five.'"
"Alqamah prayed five (rak'ahs) and when he said the taslim, Ibrahim bin Suwaid said : 'O Abu Shibl, you prayed five!' He said: 'Is that true, O odd-eyed one?' Then he prostrated two prostrations of forgetfulness, then he said: 'This is what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did.'"
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) offered one of the afternoon prayers with five (rak'ahs), and it was said to him: "Has something been added to the prayer?" He said: 'Why are you asking?' They said: 'You prayed five.' He said: 'I am only human, I forget as you forget, and I remember as you remember.' Then he prostrated twice then ended his prayer.
It was narrated from Muhammad bin Yusuf, the freed slave of Uthman, from his father Yusuf, that:
Mu'awiyah prayed in front of them, and he stood up during the prayer when he should have sat. The people said tasbih, but he remained standing, then he prostrated twice while he was sitting, after he completed the prayer. Then he sat on the Minbar and said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Whoever forgets something in his prayer, let him prostrate twice like this.'
Abdullah bin Buhainah told him that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up following two rak'ahs of Zuhr and did not sit down (for tashahhud). When he finished the prayer he prostrated twice, saying Takbir for each prostration, while he was sitting, before he said the taslim, and the people prostrated with him. (He did that) in place of the sitting that he had forgotten.
"At the end of the last two rak'ahs of the prayer, the Prophet (ﷺ) would move his left foot forward and sit on his left buttock, Mutawarrikan, then he would say the taslim.
"I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) raise his hands when he started to pray, and when he bowed, and when he raised his head from bowing. And when he sat, he would ay his left foot on the ground and keep his right foot upright, and he placed his left hand on his left thigh, and his right hand on his right thigh, making a circle with his middle finger and thumb, and pointing."
He saw the Prophet (ﷺ) sitting during the prayer. He lay his left foot on the ground and placed his forearms on his thighs, and pointed with his forefinger, supplicating with it.
"I said: 'I am going to watch the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and see how he prays.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up and faced the Qiblah, then he raised his hands until they were in level with his ears, then he held his left hand with his right. When he wanted to bow, he raised them (his hands) likewise, then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head from bowing, he raised them (his hands) likewise. When he prostrated he put his hands in the same position in relation to his head, then he sat up and lay his left foot on the ground. He placed his left hand on his left thigh and his right elbow on his right thigh, and made a circle with two of his fingers. And I saw him doing like this"- Bishr (one of the narrators) pointed with the forefinger of his right hand and made a circle with the thumb and middle finger.
"I prayed beside Ibn Umar and I turned over the pebbles. Ibn Umar said to me: 'Do not turn over the pebbles, for turning over the pebbles comes from Shaitan. Do what I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do.' I said: 'What did you see the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) do?' He said; 'This'- and he held his right foot upright and lay his left foot on the ground, and placed his right hand on his right thigh and his left hand on his left thigh, and pointed with his forefinger."
"Ibn Umar saw me playing with the pebbles while praying. When he finished (praying), he told me not to do that and said: 'Do what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do.' I said: 'What did he used to do?' He said: 'When he sat during the prayer, he placed his right hand on his thigh and clenched all his fingers, and pointed with the finger that is next to the thumb, and he put his left hand on his left thigh."
"I am going to watch the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and see how he prays. So, I watched him." And he described (his prayer): "Then he sat and lay his left foot on the ground, and placed his left hand on his left thigh and knee. He put his right elbow on his right thigh, then he made a circle with two fingers of his (right) hand, then he raised his finger and I saw him moving it, supplicating with it."
When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat during the prayer, he put his hands on his knees and raised the finger that is next to the thumb, and supplicates with it, and his left hand was on his knee laid on it.
Chapter 35: Laying the left hand on the knee - كتاب السهو
أَخْبَرَنَا أَيُّوبُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْوَزَّانُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجٌ، قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ أَخْبَرَنِي زِيَادٌ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَجْلاَنَ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ يُشِيرُ بِأُصْبُعِهِ إِذَا دَعَا وَلاَ يُحَرِّكُهَا . قَالَ ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ وَزَادَ عَمْرٌو قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي عَامِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدْعُو كَذَلِكَ وَيَتَحَامَلُ بِيَدِهِ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى رِجْلِهِ الْيُسْرَى .
It was narrated from Abdullah bin Az-Zubair:
That the Prophet (ﷺ) used to point with his finger when he supplicated, but he did not move it. Ibn Jurayj said: "And 'Amr added: 'Amir bin 'Abdullah bin Az-Zubair told me that his father saw the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicating like that, putting his weight on his left arm, leaning on his left leg.'"
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by me when I was supplicating with my fingers and he said: 'Make it one, make it one' and pointed with his forefinger."
Malik bin Numair Al-Khuza'I, one of the inhabitants of Al-Basrah, narrated that:
His father told him that he saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sitting when praying, putting his right forearm on his right thigh and raising his forefinger, which he had bent slightly, and he was supplicating.
It was narrated from 'Amir bin Abdullah bin Az-Zubair, from his father, that:
When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat to say the tashahhud, he placed his left hand on his left thigh and pointed with his forefinger, and his gaze did not go beyond he finger with which he was pointing.
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "People should certainly stop lifting their gaze to the sky when they supplicate during the prayer, or they will lose their eyesight."
"Before the tashahhud was enjoined, when we prayed we used to say: 'Peace (As-Salam) be upon Allah (SWT), pace be upon Jibril, peace be upon Mika'il.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Do not say this, for indeed Allah (SWT), the Mighty and Sublime, is As-Salam. Rather say: "At-tahiyyatu lillahi wasalawatu wat-tayibaat, as-salamu 'alaika ayah-Nabiyyu wa rahmatAllahi wa baraktuhu. As-salamu 'alaina a 'ala ibad illahis-salihin, ashadu an la ilaha ill Allah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan 'abduhu wa rasuluhu. (All compliments, prayers and pure words are due to Allah. Peace be upon you O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings. Peace be upon us and upon the righteous slaves of Allah. I bear witness that that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.)"