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  

" I perceive as if I am seeing the gap between the fingers of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as he was bowing."  

عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ وَالأَسْوَدِ أَنَّهُمَا دَخَلاَ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بِمَعْنَى حَدِيثِ أَبِي مُعَاوِيَةَ وَفِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ مُسْهِرٍ وَجَرِيرٍ فَلَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى اخْتِلاَفِ أَصَابِعِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ رَاكِعٌ  

Have (people) behind you said prayer? They said: Yes. He stood between them ('Alqama and Aswad). One was on his right aide and the other was on his left. We then bowed and placed our hands on our knees. He struck our hands and then putting his hands together, palm to palm, placed them between his thighs. When he completed the prayer he said: This is how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do.  

عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ وَالأَسْوَدِ أَنَّهُمَا دَخَلاَ عَلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ أَصَلَّى مَنْ خَلْفَكُمْ قَالاَ نَعَمْ فَقَامَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَجَعَلَ أَحَدَهُمَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ وَالآخَرَ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ ثُمَّ رَكَعْنَا فَوَضَعْنَا أَيْدِيَنَا عَلَى رُكَبِنَا فَضَرَبَ أَيْدِيَنَا ثُمَّ طَبَّقَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ جَعَلَهُمَا بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهِ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى قَالَ هَكَذَا فَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ  

I said prayer by the side of my father and placed my hands between my knees. My father said to me: Place your hands on your knees. I repeated that (the previous act) for the second time, and he struck at my hands and said: We have been forbidden to do so and have been commanded to place our palms on the knees.  

لِي أَبِي اضْرِبْ بِكَفَّيْكَ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْكَ قَالَ ثُمَّ فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى فَضَرَبَ يَدَىَّ وَقَالَ إِنَّا نُهِينَا عَنْ هَذَا وَأُمِرْنَا أَنْ نَضْرِبَ بِالأَكُفِّ عَلَى الرُّكَبِ  

We have been forbidden from it and no mention of that has been made what follows it.  

عَنْ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ فَنُهِينَا عَنْهُ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرَا مَا بَعْدَهُ  

I bowed and my hands were in this state, i. e. they were put together, palm to palm, and were placed between his thighs. My father said: We used to do like this but were later on commanded to place them on the knees.  

رَكَعْتُ فَقُلْتُ بِيَدَىَّ هَكَذَا يَعْنِي طَبَّقَ بِهِمَا وَوَضَعَهُمَا بَيْنَ فَخِذَيْهِ فَقَالَ أَبِي قَدْ كُنَّا نَفْعَلُ هَذَا ثُمَّ أُمِرْنَا بِالرُّكَبِ  

I said prayer by the side of my father. When I bowed I intertwined my fingers and placed them between my knees. He struck my hands. When he completed the prayer he said: We used to do that but then were commanded to lift (our palms) to the knees.  

صَلَّيْتُ إِلَى جَنْبِ أَبِي فَلَمَّا رَكَعْتُ شَبَّكْتُ أَصَابِعِي وَجَعَلْتُهُمَا بَيْنَ رُكْبَتَىَّ فَضَرَبَ يَدَىَّ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى قَالَ قَدْ كُنَّا نَفْعَلُ هَذَا ثُمَّ أُمِرْنَا أَنْ نَرْفَعَ إِلَى الرُّكَبِ