The Section on Prayer · 124 – Those Who Do Not Hold the View of Clearly Reciting the Opening Verse (Bismillah)
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) – along with Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them all) – would begin their recitation in prayer with "All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the Worlds." [485]
EXPLANATION:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) began his recitation in prayer with Surat al-Fatiha. He recited the basmala silently. The scholars have differed regarding the basmala.
1 – The basmala is not a verse of Surat al-Fatiha. This is the view of Imam al-A’zam and Imam Malik.
2 – The basmala is a verse of Surat al-Fatiha, and not from any other surah. This is the view of Ash-Shafi'i and Ahmad bin Hanbal.
3 – The basmala is not a verse of any surah in the Qur’an. Only the basmala in Surat an-Naml is a verse of that surah. This is the view of Imam al-A’zam, Ahmad bin Hanbal, and Malik ibn Anas. (‘Awn al-Ma’bud, vol. 1, p. 285)
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) would begin the prayer with takbir and commence recitation with Al-Fatiha. When he performed rukū’, he did not raise his head upwards nor incline it downwards, but kept it in a position between them. When he raised his head from rukū’, he would not prostrate until his feet were upright. And when he raised his head from the first prostration, he would not proceed to the second prostration until he sat upright.
In both rak’ahs (he would recite at-tahiyyat, and when he sat, he would place his right foot upright and extend his left foot, forbidding sitting upon the heels like Satan and stretching out [the feet] like predatory animals, and he would conclude the prayer with the greeting [salam].
EXPLANATION:
*Lemyushhis:* He would not raise.
*Lamyusawwib:* He would not incline.
*Akab ash-Shaytan:* Sitting upon the heels in a manner of sitting (of Satan).
*Farasat as-sabūg:* It is termed the stretching out [of feet] of predatory animals.
This honorable hadith is among those that summarize how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) moved in the pillars of prayer. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him), when sitting in qada’, would not sit upon his heels. He would lay down his left foot, sit upon it, and place his right foot upright. In prostration, he would place his hands on the ground, protecting [his] face between his hands, without laying his elbows on the ground, nor adhering his knees and flanks to them.
Muhtar bin Fulful (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: I heard Anas bin Malik say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said to me, “A chapter has been revealed to me.” And he recited the Surah al-Kawthar until its end, [namely], “(In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Indeed, We have given you abundance.)” Then he said, "Do you know what the Kawthar is?" They said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said, “It is a river that my Lord has promised me in Paradise." [487]
COMMENTARY
From this honorable hadith, it may be understood that the Bismillah is the first verse of Surah al-Kawthar. However, just as the Bismillah is recited at the beginning of each chapter to distinguish them and for blessing, it was also recited at the beginning of this chapter in the same manner.
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: She recounted the incident of the slander and said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) sat down, his face appearing from beneath a veil (smiling), and he said: “I seek refuge in Allah, the Knower, the Hearer, from the devil.”
He recited the verse: "Those who spread falsehood among them are a group from amongst you."
Abu Dawud says: This hadith is anomalous. A group narrated this hadith from Zuhri, and they did not mention this statement in connection with it. I fear that the request for refuge (istianah) is due to something Humayd said.