Abu Huraira reported that God’s messenger told of Adam and Moses holding a disputation in their Lord’s presence and of Adam getting the better of Moses in argument. Moses said, “You are Adam whom God created with His hand, into whom He breathed of His spirit, to whom He made the angels do obeisance, and whom He caused to dwell in His garden; then because of your sin you caused mankind to come down to the earth.” Adam replied, “And you are Moses whom God chose to deliver His messages and to address, to whom He gave the tablets on which everything was explained, and whom He brought near as a confidant. How long before I was created did you find that God has written the Torah?” 1 Moses said, “Forty years.” Adam asked, “Did you find in it, ‘And Adam disobeyed his Lord and erred’?” 2 On being told that he did, he said, “Do you then blame me for doing a deed which God had decreed that I should do forty years before He created me?” God’s messenger said, “So Adam got the better of Moses in argument.” Muslim transmitted it. 1 At-Taurat, a general name for the first five books of the Old Testament. 2 These words are in Quran, xx, 121.

Abu Humaid as-Sa‘idi said that when God’s Messenger stood up to pray, he faced the qibla, raised his hands and said, “God is most great." Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira told how on an occasion when God’s Messenger led them in the noon prayer, there was a man at the back of the rows who performed the prayer badly. When he had said the taslim God’s Messenger called out to him, “So and so, do you not fear God? Do you not see how you should pray? You people think that part of what you are doing is hidden from me, but I swear by God that I see behind me just as I see in front of me." Ahmad transmitted it.

Abu Huraira said that God’s Messenger used to observe a period of silence between the takbir and the recitation of the Qur an, so he addressed him thus, “Messenger of God, for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom, what do you say during your period of silence between the takbir and the recitation?” He replied that he said, “O God, remove my sins far from me as Thou hast removed the East far from the West. O God, purify me from sins as a white garment is purified from filth. O God, wash away my sins with water, snow and hail.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Ali said that when the Prophet (ﷺ) stood up for prayer (a version saying, when he began the prayer) he said the takbir, then said, “I have turned my face as a hanif* towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not a polytheist. My prayer and my devotion, my life and my death belong to God the Lord of the universe, who has no partner. That is what I have been commanded, and I am a Muslim. O God, Thou art the King. There is no god but Thee. Thou art my Lord and I am Thy servant. I have wronged myself, but I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me all my sins, Thou who alone canst forgive sins; and guide me to the best qualities, Thou who alone canst guide to the best of them; and turn me from evil ones, Thou who alone canst turn from evil qualities. I come to serve and please Thee. All good is in Thy hands and evil does not pertain to Thee. I seek refuge in Thee and turn to Thee, who art blessed and exalted. I ask Thy forgiveness and turn to Thee in repentance.” When he bowed he said, “O God, to Thee I bow, in Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My hearing, my sight, my brain, my bone and my sinews humble themselves before Thee.” When he raised his head he said, “O God, to Thee belongs praise in the whole of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and in whatever Thou createst afterwards.” When he prostrated himself he said, “O God, to Thee I prostrate myself, in Thee I trust, and to Thee I submit myself. My face has prostrated itself before Him who created it, fashioned it, and brought forth its hearing and seeing. Blessed is God, the best of creators.” Then at the end of what he said between uttering the tahiyat and the taslim was, “O God, forgive me my former and latter sins, my open and my secret sins, my sins of negligence, and what Thou knowest better than I. Thou art He who puts forward and puts back. There is no god but Thee.” * A believer in one God. Cf. Al-Qur’an; 3

Anas said that a man came panting and entered the row of worshippers and said, “God is most great. Praise be to God, much, good and blessed.” When God’s Messenger finished his prayer he asked, “Which of you is the one who spoke the words?” but the people remained silent. He asked again, and when they still kept silence, he said, “Which of you said them? He said nothing wrong.” Then a man said, “I came and had difficulty in breathing, so I said them.” He replied, “I saw twelve angels racing one another to be the one to take them up to God.” Muslim transmitted it.

‘A’isha said that when God’s Messenger began to pray he said, “Glory be to Thee, O God, and with praise of Thee do I begin my worship. Blessed is Thy name, exalted is Thy majesty, and there is no god but Thee.” Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it from Abu Sa'id. Tirmidhi said, “This is a tradition which I know only from Haritha, and critical remarks have been made about his memory.”

Jubair b. Mut'im said that he saw God’s Messenger observing a prayer in which he said, “God is altogether great; God is altogether great; God is altogether great. Praise be to God in abundance; praise be to God in abundance; praise be to God in abundance. Glory be to God in the morning and afternoon (saying it three times). I seek refuge in God from the accursed devil, from his puffing up (nafkh), his magic (nafth) 1, and his evil suggestion (hamz) 2.” 1. Literally ‘sputtering’, but used of working magic by sputtering on knots. Cf. Qur’an, 113

Samura b. Jundub said that he remembered from God's Messenger two periods of silence, one when he said the takbir, and one when he finished reciting, “Not of those with whom Thou art angry, nor of those who go astray,”* and Ubayy b, Ka‘b corroborated him. *Al-Qur’an, 1

Abu Huraira said that when God's Messenger got up after the second rak'a he began the recitation with, “Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe,” without observing a period of silence. It is given thus in Muslim’s Sahih. Al-Humaidi mentioned it among those given by Muslim but not by Bukhari, as did the author of al-Jami' (Ibn Al-Athir) from Muslim alone.