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).

أَصَلَّى هَؤُلاَءِ خَلْفَكُمْ فَقُلْنَا لاَ قَالَ فَقُومُوا فَصَلُّوا فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنَا بِأَذَانٍ وَلاَ إِقَامَةٍ قَالَ وَذَهَبْنَا لِنَقُومَ خَلْفَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِأَيْدِينَا فَجَعَلَ أَحَدَنَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَالآخَرَ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا رَكَعَ وَضَعْنَا أَيْدِيَنَا عَلَى رُكَبِنَا قَالَ فَضَرَبَ أَيْدِيَنَا وَطَبَّقَ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ أَدْخَلَهُمَا بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى قَالَ إِنَّهُ سَتَكُونُ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَرَاءُ يُؤَخِّرُونَ الصَّلاَةَ عَنْ مِيقَاتِهَا وَيَخْنُقُونَهَا إِلَى شَرَقِ الْمَوْتَى فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُمْ قَدْ فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ فَصَلُّوا الصَّلاَةَ لِمِيقَاتِهَا وَاجْعَلُوا صَلاَتَكُمْ مَعَهُمْ سُبْحَةً وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ ثَلاَثَةً فَصَلُّوا جَمِيعًا وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ وَإِذَا رَكَعَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَفْرِشْ ذِرَاعَيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ وَلْيَجْنَأْ وَلْيُطَبِّقْ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ فَلَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى اخْتِلاَفِ أَصَابِعِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَرَاهُمْ

عَنِ الْأَسْوَدِ وَعَلْقَمَةَ قَالَا بَيْنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ فِي دَارِهِ فَقَالَ أَصَلَّى هَؤُلَاءِ ؟ قُلْنَا لَا قَالَ قُومُوا صَلُّوا فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنَا بِأَذَانٍ وَلَا إِقَامَةٍ قَالَ فَذَهَبْنَا نَقُومُ خَلْفَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِأَيْدِينَا فَأَقَامَنَا فَجَعَلَ أَحَدَنَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَالْآخَرَ عَنْ يَسَارِهِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا رَكَعَ وَضَعْنَا أَيْدِيَنَا عَلَى رُكَبِنَا قَالَ فَضَرَبَ أَيْدِيَنَا وَطَبَّقَ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ أَدْخَلَهُمَا بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهِ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى قَالَ إِنَّمَا سَتَكُونُ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَرَاءُ يُؤَخِّرُونَ الصَّلَاةَ عَنْ مِيقَاتِهَا إِلَى شَرِقَ الْمَوْتَى فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُمْ فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ فَصَلُّوا الصَّلَاةَ لِمِيقَاتِهَا ثُمَّ اجْعَلُوا صَلَاتَكُمْ مَعَهُمْ سُبْحَةً وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ ثَلَاثَةً فَصَلُّوا جَمِيعًا وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَتَقَدَّمْكُمْ أَكْبَرُكُمْ وَإِذَا رَكَعَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَفْتَرِشْ ذِرَاعَيْهِ وَفَخِذَيْهِ ثُمَّ طَبَّقَ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ فَلَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى اخْتِلَافِ أَصَابِعِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ قَدْ رَوَاهُ مَنْصُورٌ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ وَالْأَسْوَدِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِنَحْو مِنْ هَذَا وَحَدِيثُ الْأَعْمَشِ أَتَمُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ مَنْصُورٍ

[AI] He stood among us and then he prayed. When we prostrated and placed our hands on the knees, he struck them and they made a sound. When he completed the prayer, he said, "There will be leaders who will kill the prayer, choking it from the east of the dead. That is the prayer of someone who does not find any alternative, and it is worse than a donkey. So pray the prayer at its appointed time and pray it with them a collective prayer. If you are three, all of you should pray together, and if you are more, let one of you lead you in prayer. And when any of you bows, let him place his hands between his knees or between his thighs, and let him hold his fingers firmly together as if he is looking at the difference in the fingers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."

فَقَامَ بَيْنَنَا ثُمَّ صَلَّى فَلَمَّا رَكَعْنَا وَضَعْنَا أَيْدِينَا عَلَى الرُّكَبِ فَضَرَبَهَا فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ طَبَّقَ فَلَمَّا قَضَى الصَّلَاةَ قَالَ «إِنَّهَا سَتَكُونُ أُمَرَاءٌ يُمِيتُونَ الصَّلَاةَ يَخْنُقُونَهَا شَرَقَ الْمَوْتَى وَتِلْكَ صَلَاةُ مَنْ لَا يَجِدُ بُدًّا وَمَنْ هُوَ شَرٌّ مِنْ حِمَارٍ فَصَلَّوَا الصَّلَاةَ لِمِيقَاتِهَا وَصَلَّوْا مَعَهُمْ سُبْحَةً فَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ ثَلَاثَةً فَصَلَّوْا جَمِيعًا وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ أَكْثَرَ فَلْيَؤُمَّكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ وَإِذَا رَكَعَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَضَعْ يَدَيْهِ بَيْنَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ أَوْ بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهِ وَلْيُجَبِّ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى اخْتِلَافِ أَصَابِعِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ»

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). (Using translation from Muslim 534a)

قُومُوا فَصَلُّوا فَلَمْ يَأْمُرْنَا بِأَذَانٍ وَلَا إِقَامَةٍ فَذَهَبْنَا لِنَقُومَ خَلْفَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِأَيْدِينَا فَجَعَلَ أَحَدَنَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَالْآخَرَ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ فَلَمَّا رَكَعْنَا وَضَعْنَا أَيْدِيَنَا عَلَى رُكَبِنَا فَضَرَبَ أَيْدِيَنَا وَطَبَّقَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ أَدْخَلَهُمَا بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهِ فَلَمَّا صَلَّيْنَا قَالَ إِنَّهَا سَتَكُونُ عَلَيْكُمْ أُمَرَاءُ يُؤَخِّرُونَ الصَّلَاةَ عَنْ مَوَاقِيتِهَا وَيَخْنُقُونَهَا إِلَى شَرِقِ الْمَوْتَى يَعْنِي آخِرَ الْوَقْتِ فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُمْ قَدْ فَعَلُوا ذَلِكَ فَصَلُّوا الصَّلَاةَ لِوَقْتِهَا وَاجْعَلُوا صَلَاتَكُمْ مَعَهُمْ سُبْحَةً وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ ثَلَاثَةً فَصَلُّوا جَمِيعًا وَإِذَا كُنْتُمْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَقْدُمْكُمْ أَحَدُكُمْ فَإِذَا رَكَعَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيُفْرِشْ ذِرَاعَيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ ثُمَّ طَبَّقَ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ وَأَرَانَا قَالَ كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى اخْتِلَافِ أَصَابِعِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ هَذَا قَدْ تُرِكَ