Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
nasai:1268Sūwayd b. Naṣr > ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak > Zāʾidah > ʿĀṣim b. Kulayb from my father > Wāʾil b. Ḥujr

"I am going to watch the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and see how he prays. So, I watched him." And he described (his prayer): "Then he sat and lay his left foot on the ground, and placed his left hand on his left thigh and knee. He put his right elbow on his right thigh, then he made a circle with two fingers of his (right) hand, then he raised his finger and I saw him moving it, supplicating with it."  

النسائي:١٢٦٨أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ زَائِدَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي أَنَّ وَائِلَ بْنَ حُجْرٍ قَالَ

قُلْتُ لأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلاَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَوَصَفَ قَالَ 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 أُصْبُعَهُ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُحَرِّكُهَا يَدْعُو بِهَا مُخْتَصَرٌ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, Bayhaqī
nasai:889Sūwayd b. Naṣr > ʿAbdullāh b. al-Mubārak > Zāʾidah > ʿĀṣim b. Kulayb from my father > Wāʾil b. Ḥujr

"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."  

النسائي:٨٨٩أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ زَائِدَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي أَنَّ وَائِلَ بْنَ حُجْرٍ

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  

nasai-kubra:1192Sūwayd b. Naṣr > ʿAbdullāh / Ibn al-Mubārak > Zāʾidah > ʿĀṣim b. Kulayb from my father > Wāʾil b. Ḥujr

"I am going to watch the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and see how he prays. So, I watched him." And he described (his prayer): "Then he sat and lay his left foot on the ground, and placed his left hand on his left thigh and knee. He put his right elbow on his right thigh, then he made a circle with two fingers of his (right) hand, then he raised his finger and I saw him moving it, supplicating with it." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 1268)  

الكبرى للنسائي:١١٩٢أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْمُبَارَكِ عَنْ زَائِدَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي أَنَّ وَائِلَ بْنَ حُجْرٍ قَالَ

قُلْتُ لَأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي؟ فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَوَصَفَ قَالَ ثُمَّ «قَعَدَ وَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ كَفَّهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَرُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَجَعَلَ حَدَّ مَرْفَقِهِ الْأَيْمَنِ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ قَبَضَ اثْنَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِهِ وَحَلَّقَ حَلْقَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ إِصْبُعَهُ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُحَرِّكُهَا يَدْعُو بِهَا مُخْتَصَرٌ»  

nasai-kubra:965Sūwayd b. Naṣr > ʿAbdullāh > Zāʾidah > ʿĀṣim b. Kulayb from my father > Wāʾil b. Ḥujr

"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." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 889)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٩٦٥أَخْبَرَنَا سُوَيْدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ عَنْ زَائِدَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي أَنَّ وَائِلَ بْنَ حُجْرٍ

أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ «قُلْتُ لَأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَيْفَ يُصَلِّي فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَامَ فَكَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حَتَّى حَاذَتَا بِأُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ وَضْعَ يَدِهِ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى كَفِّهِ الْيُسْرَى وَالرُّسْغِ وَالسَّاعِدِ ثُمَّ لَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ مَثَلَهَا» قَالَ «وَوَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ ثُمَّ لَمَّا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ مَثَلَهَا ثُمَّ سَجَدَ فَجَعَلَ كَفَّيْهِ بِحِذَاءِ أُذُنَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ وَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ كَفَّهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَرُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَجَعَلَ حَدَّ مِرْفَقِهِ الْأَيْمَنِ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ قَبَضَ اثْنَتَيْنِ مِنْ أَصَابِعِهِ وَحَلَّقَ حَلَقَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ إصْبُعَهُ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُحَرِّكُهَا يَدْعُو بِهَا»  

bayhaqi:2787Wāʾil b. Ḥujr Kamā 2787 > Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū Bakr b. Isḥāq > Muḥammad b. Aḥmad b. al-Naḍr > Muʿāwiyah b. ʿAmr > Zāʾidah > ʿĀṣim b. Kulayb from my father > Wāʾil b. Ḥujr

[Machine] He informed him saying, I said: "I want to observe the prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ ." So he mentioned the narration and said in it, then he sat down and stretched out his left leg and placed his left hand on his left thigh and knee, and placed the edge of his right elbow on his right thigh. Then he clenched three of his fingers and made a circle, and then raised his index finger. I saw him moving it, using it as a means of supplication. It is possible that the intention of the movement is a gesture, not a repetition of the movement. This would be in accordance with the narration of Ibn Zubair. And Allah knows best.  

البيهقي:٢٧٨٧وَرُوِيَ عَنْ وَائِلِ بْنِ حُجْرٍ كَمَا 2787 أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ أنبأ أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ أنبأ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ النَّضْرِ ثنا مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو ثنا زَائِدَةُ ثنا عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي أَنَّ وَائِلَ بْنَ حُجْرٍ

أَخْبَرَهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ لَأَنْظُرَنَّ إِلَى صَلَاةِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ وَقَالَ فِيهِ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ فَافْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى وَوَضَعَ كَفَّهُ الْيُسْرَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَرُكْبَتِهِ الْيُسْرَى وَجَعَلَ حَدَّ مِرْفَقِهِ الْأَيْمَنِ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُمْنَى ثُمَّ قَبَضَ ثَلَاثَةً مِنْ أَصَابِعِهِ وَحَلَّقَ حَلْقَةً ثُمَّ رَفَعَ إِصْبَعَهُ فَرَأَيْتُهُ يُحَرِّكُهَا يَدْعُو بِهَا فَيُحْتَمَلُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمُرَادُ بِالتَّحْرِيكِ الْإِشَارَةَ بِهَا لَا تَكْرِيرَ تَحْرِيكِهَا فَيَكُونَ مُوَافِقًا لِرِوَايَةِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ وَاللهُ تَعَالَى أَعْلَمُ