The People of Kufa complained against Saʿd to ʿUmar and the latter dismissed him and appointed ʿAmmar as their chief . They lodged many complaints against Saʿd and even they alleged that he did not pray properly. ʿUmar sent for him and said, "O Aba 'Is-haq! These people claim that you do not pray properly." Abu 'Is-haq said, "By Allah, I used to pray with them a prayer similar to that of Allah's Apostle and I never reduced anything of it. I used to prolong the first two rakʿat of ʿIsha prayer and shorten the last two rakʿat." ʿUmar said, "O Aba 'Is-haq, this was what I thought about you." And then he sent one or more persons with him to Kufa so as to ask the people about him. So they went there and did not leave any mosque without asking about him. All the people praised him till they came to the mosque of the tribe of Bani ʿAbs; one of the men called Usama bin Qatada with a surname of Aba Saʿda stood up and said, "As you have put us under an oath; I am bound to tell you that Saʿd never went himself with the army and never distributed (the war booty) equally and never did justice in legal verdicts." (On hearing it) Saʿd said, "I pray to Allah for three things: O Allah! If this slave of yours is a liar and got up for showing off, give him a long life, increase his poverty and put him to trials." (And so it happened). Later on when that person was asked how he was, he used to reply that he was an old man in trial as the result of Saʿd's curse. ʿAbdul Malik, the sub narrator, said that he had seen him afterwards and his eyebrows were overhanging his eyes owing to old age and he used to tease and assault the small girls in the way.  

شَكَا أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ سَعْدًا إِلَى عُمَرَ ؓ فَعَزَلَهُ وَاسْتَعْمَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ عَمَّارًا فَشَكَوْا حَتَّى ذَكَرُوا أَنَّهُ لاَ يُحْسِنُ يُصَلِّي فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ هَؤُلاَءِ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّكَ لاَ تُحْسِنُ تُصَلِّي قَالَ أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ أَمَّا أَنَا وَاللَّهِ فَإِنِّي كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ صَلاَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أَخْرِمُ عَنْهَا أُصَلِّي صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ فَأَرْكُدُ فِي الأُولَيَيْنِ وَأُخِفُّ فِي الأُخْرَيَيْنِ قَالَ ذَاكَ الظَّنُّ بِكَ يَا أَبَا إِسْحَاقَ فَأَرْسَلَ مَعَهُ رَجُلاً أَوْ رِجَالاً إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ فَسَأَلَ عَنْهُ أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ وَلَمْ يَدَعْ مَسْجِدًا إِلاَّ سَأَلَ عَنْهُ وَيُثْنُونَ مَعْرُوفًا حَتَّى دَخَلَ مَسْجِدًا لِبَنِي عَبْسٍ فَقَامَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ أُسَامَةُ بْنُ قَتَادَةَ يُكْنَى أَبَا سَعْدَةَ قَالَ أَمَّا إِذْ نَشَدْتَنَا فَإِنَّ سَعْدًا كَانَ لاَ يَسِيرُ بِالسَّرِيَّةِ وَلاَ يَقْسِمُ بِالسَّوِيَّةِ وَلاَ يَعْدِلُ فِي الْقَضِيَّةِ قَالَ سَعْدٌ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لأَدْعُوَنَّ بِثَلاَثٍ اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ عَبْدُكَ هَذَا كَاذِبًا قَامَ رِيَاءً وَسُمْعَةً فَأَطِلْ عُمْرَهُ وَأَطِلْ فَقْرَهُ وَعَرِّضْهُ بِالْفِتَنِ وَكَانَ بَعْدُ إِذَا سُئِلَ يَقُولُ شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ مَفْتُونٌ أَصَابَتْنِي دَعْوَةُ سَعْدٍ قَالَ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ فَأَنَا رَأَيْتُهُ بَعْدُ قَدْ سَقَطَ حَاجِبَاهُ عَلَى عَيْنَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِبَرِ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَتَعَرَّضُ لِلْجَوَارِي فِي الطُّرُقِ يَغْمِزُهُنَّ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Whoever does not recite Al-Fatiha in his prayer, his prayer is invalid."  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ لاَ صَلاَةَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَقْرَأْ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ  

Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered the mosque and a person followed him. The man prayed and went to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet ﷺ returned the greeting and said to him, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." The man went back prayed in the same way as before, returned and greeted the Prophet who said, "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." This happened thrice. The man said, "By Him Who sent you with the Truth, I cannot offer the prayer in a better way than this. Please, teach me how to pray." The Prophet ﷺ said, "When you stand for Prayer say Takbir and then recite from the Holy Qur'an (of what you know by heart) and then bow till you feel at ease. Then raise your head and stand up straight, then prostrate till you feel at ease during your prostration, then sit with calmness till you feel at ease (do not hurry) and do the same in all your prayers.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَدَخَلَ رَجُلٌ فَصَلَّى فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَرَدَّ وَقَالَ ارْجِعْ فَصَلِّ فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَلِّ فَرَجَعَ يُصَلِّي كَمَا صَلَّى ثُمَّ جَاءَ فَسَلَّمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ ارْجِعْ فَصَلِّ فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَلِّ ثَلاَثًا فَقَالَ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أُحْسِنُ غَيْرَهُ فَعَلِّمْنِي فَقَالَ إِذَا قُمْتَ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ فَكَبِّرْ ثُمَّ اقْرَأْ مَا تَيَسَّرَ مَعَكَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ ثُمَّ ارْكَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ رَاكِعًا ثُمَّ ارْفَعْ حَتَّى تَعْتَدِلَ قَائِمًا ثُمَّ اسْجُدْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ سَاجِدًا ثُمَّ ارْفَعْ حَتَّى تَطْمَئِنَّ جَالِسًا وَافْعَلْ ذَلِكَ فِي صَلاَتِكَ كُلِّهَا  

Saʿd said, "I used to pray with them a prayer similar to that of Messenger of Allah ﷺ (the prayer of Zuhr and ʿAsr) reducing nothing from them. I used to prolong the first two rakʿat and shorten the last two rakʿat." ʿUmar said to Saʿd "This was what we thought about you."  

سَعْدٌ كُنْتُ أُصَلِّي بِهِمْ صَلاَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَتَىِ الْعَشِيِّ لاَ أَخْرِمُ عَنْهَا أَرْكُدُ فِي الأُولَيَيْنِ وَأَحْذِفُ فِي الأُخْرَيَيْنِ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ ؓ ذَلِكَ الظَّنُّ بِكَ