"I said: 'I am going to watch the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and see how he prays.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and faced the Qiblah, then he raised his hands until they were in level with his ears, then he held his left hand with his right. When he wanted to bow, he raised them (his hands) likewise, then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head from bowing, he raised them (his hands) likewise. When he prostrated he put his hands in the same position in relation to his head, then he sat up and lay his left foot on the ground. He placed his left hand on his left thigh and his right elbow on his right thigh, and made a circle with two of his fingers. And I saw him doing like this"- Bishr (one of the narrators) pointed with the forefinger of his right hand and made a circle with the thumb and middle finger.  

قُلْتُ لأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى حَاذَتَا أُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ شِمَالَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَوَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ بِذَلِكَ الْمَنْزِلِ مِنْ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ فَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَحَدَّ مِرْفَقَهُ الأَيْمَنَ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى وَقَبَضَ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَحَلَّقَ وَرَأَيْتُهُ يَقُولُ هَكَذَا وَأَشَارَ بِشْرٌ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ مِنَ الْيُمْنَى وَحَلَّقَ الإِبْهَامَ وَالْوُسْطَى  

"I said: 'I am going to watch how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prays.' So I watched him and he stood and said the takbir, and raised his hands until they were in the level with his ears, then he placed his right hand over his left hand, wrist and lower forearm. When he wanted to bow he raised his hands likewise. Then he prostrated and placed his hands in level with his ears. Then he sat up and placed his left leg under him; he put his left hand on his left thigh and knee, and he put the edge of his right elbow on his right thigh, then he held two of his fingers together and made a circle, and raised his forefinger, and I saw him moving it and supplicating with it."  

أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَامَ فَكَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى حَاذَتَا بِأُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى كَفِّهِ الْيُسْرَى وَالرُّسْغِ وَالسَّاعِدِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ مِثْلَهَا قَالَ وَوَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ ثُمَّ لَمَّا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ مِثْلَهَا ثُمَّ سَجَدَ فَجَعَلَ كَفَّيْهِ بِحِذَاءِ أُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ وَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ كَفَّهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَرُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَجَعَلَ حَدَّ مِرْفَقِهِ الأَيْمَنِ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ قَبَضَ اثْنَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِهِ وَحَلَّقَ حَلْقَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ إِصْبَعَهُ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُحَرِّكُهَا يَدْعُو بِهَا  

I said that I should look at the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ how he prays. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up and faced the qiblah (i.e. the direction of Ka'bah) and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great); then he raised his hands till he brought them in front of his ears; then he caught hold of his left hand with his right hand (i.e. folded his hands). When he was about to bow, he raised them (his hands) in a like manner. Then he sat, stretched out his left foot (to sit on it), placed his left hand on his left thigh, and kept away the tip of his right elbow from his right thigh, joined two fingers, formed a ring, to do so. And the narrator Bishr made a ring with the thumb and the middle finger.  

قُلْتُ لأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَكَبَّرَ فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى حَاذَتَا بِأُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ شِمَالَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ فَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَحَدَّ مِرْفَقَهُ الأَيْمَنَ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى وَقَبَضَ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَحَلَّقَ حَلَقَةً وَرَأَيْتُهُ يَقُولُ هَكَذَا وَحَلَّقَ بِشْرٌ الإِبْهَامَ وَالْوُسْطَى وَأَشَارَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ  

I purposely looked at the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, how he offered it. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up, faced the direction of the qiblah and uttered the takbir (Allah is most great) and then raised his hands in front of his ears, then placed his right hand on his left (catching each other). When he was about to bow, he raised them in the same manner. He then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head after bowing, he raised them in the like manner. When he prostrated himself he placed his forehead between his hands. He then sat down and spread his left foot and placed his left hand on his left thigh, and kept his right elbow aloof from his right thigh. He closed his two fingers and made a circle (with the fingers). I (Asim ibn Kulayb) saw him (Bishr ibn al-Mufaddal) say in this manner. Bishr made the circle with the thumb and the middle finger and pointed with the forefinger.  

قُلْتُ لأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي قَالَ فَقَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَكَبَّرَ فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى حَاذَتَا أُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ شِمَالَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ بِذَلِكَ الْمَنْزِلِ مِنْ بَيْنِ يَدَيْهِ ثُمَّ جَلَسَ فَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَحَدَّ مِرْفَقَهُ الأَيْمَنَ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى وَقَبَضَ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَحَلَّقَ حَلْقَةً وَرَأَيْتُهُ يَقُولُ هَكَذَا وَحَلَّقَ بِشْرٌ الإِبْهَامَ وَالْوُسْطَى وَأَشَارَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ  

[Machine] "I said, 'I will watch how the Messenger of Allah ﷺ prays.' So, he faced the qibla (direction of prayer) and raised his hands until they reached his ears. Then, he took his left hand with his right hand. When he wanted to bow, he raised them both like that, then placed his hands on his knees. When he raised his head from the bowing position, he raised them both like that. When he prostrated, he placed his head in that position in front of him.'"  

«قُلْتُ لَأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى حَاذَتَا بِأُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ شِمَالَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ وَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الرُّكُوعِ رَفَعَهُمَا مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ فَلَمَّا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ رَأْسَهُ بِذَلِكَ الْمَنْزِلِ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ»  

[Machine] I came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, "I want to see how you pray." He faced the qibla, said takbeer, and raised his hands until they were in line with his shoulders. Then he took his left hand with his right hand. When he wanted to bow, he raised his hands until they were in line with his shoulders. When he bowed, he placed his hands on his knees. When he wanted to raise from the rukoo', he raised his hands until they were in line with his shoulders. When he prostrated, he placed his hands from his face in that position. When he sat, he placed his left foot under him and placed his left hand on his left thigh and placed his right elbow on his right thigh and clasped two fingers and pointed with the index finger. This was narrated by Sufyan Ath-Thawri, Shu'bah bin Al-Hajjaj, Abu Awana, Ghilan bin Jamih, Abu Al-Ahwas, Zaidah bin Qudamah, and a group of narrators from Aasim bin Kulayb, except that some of them said it was the height of his ears, and Ibn Uyaynah agreed with Abdul Wahid bin Ziyad in regards to the position of the shoulders.  

أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ لَأَنْظُرَنَّ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ وَكَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى كَانَتَا حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ ثُمَّ أَخَذَ شِمَالَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى كَانَتَا حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ فَلَمَّا رَكَعَ وَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى كَانَتَا حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ فَلَمَّا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ ذَلِكَ الْمَوْضِعَ فَلَمَّا جَلَسَ افْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ حَدَّ مِرْفَقِهِ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى وَعَقَدَ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَحَلَّقَ وَاحِدَةً وَأَشَارَ بِالسَّبَّابَةِ وَرَوَاهُ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ وَشُعْبَةُ بْنُ الْحَجَّاجِ وَأَبُو عَوَانَةَ وَغِيلَانُ بْنُ جَامِعٍ وَأَبُو الْأَحْوَصِ وَزَائِدَةُ بْنُ قُدَامَةَ وَابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ وَجَمَاعَةٌ عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ كُلَيْبٍ إِلَّا أَنَّ بَعْضَهُمْ قَالَ حِذَاءَ أُذُنَيْهِ وَوَافَقَ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ بْنَ زِيَادٍ فِي الْمَنْكِبَيْنِ