Narrated by Abu Hurairah
A man prayed quickly and greeted the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed." This happened three times. The man said: "By the One who sent you with the truth, I cannot do better, so teach me." He said: "When you stand to pray, say the takbir, then recite what is easy for you of the Qur'an, then bow until you are at rest in bowing, then rise until you stand straight, then prostrate until you are at rest in prostration, then rise until you are at rest sitting, then do that throughout your prayer."
Sahih al-Bukhari 757, Sahih Muslim 397
What this hadith teaches
Calm (tuma'ninah) in every position is a pillar of the prayer. A prayer rushed like pecking is not valid.
Reference and grade
- Grade
- Sahih: agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim
- Narrator
- Abu Hurairah
- Chapter
- How to pray
The hadith in Arabic نص الحديث
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
Arabic text of Sahih al-Bukhari 757, as given on sunnah.com.