5Prayers

Some pearls of wisdom from the Salaf (Pious Predecessors]:

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allāh be pleased with him) that he used to pray optional prayers from ẓuhr (early afternoon prayer) up to ‘aṣr (late afternoon prayer) [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (1/304)].
It was narrated from Ṭāwūs that he said, “I never saw anybody pray like ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Umar, nor did I see anybody face the Kabah as resolutely as he did: his face, his hands and his feet would not move.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā (1/130)].
It was narrated from ‘Abdullāh Ibn Mas’ūd (may Allāh be pleased with him) that he said, “As long as you are in prayer, you are knocking on the King’s door, and the King’s door is opened for whoever knocks on it.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (1/130)].
It was also narrated that he said, “I haven’t performed a single prayer since I became Muslim without hoping that it would be an expiation.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (1/304)].
It was narrated from Thābit Al Bunā’ī that he said, “I strove upon prayer for twenty years and then enjoyed it for twenty years.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (2/3219)].
It was narrated from Abū Rajā Al ‘Uṭāridī that he said, “I am not sad about leaving anything behind me except getting my face dirty with earth five times every day and night for my Lord, the Supreme and Sublime” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā (2/306)].
Thābt Al Bunānī used to come out to us when we had sat in front of the qiblah (direction of prayer) and say, “O group of young men, you are coming between me and my Lord because I cannot prostrate to Him and prayer has been made beloved to me.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (2/322)].
It was narrated from Thābit Al Bunānī that he said, “I met some men from the tribe of Banī ‘Iddī and whenever any of them prayed, they would go to bed crawling.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (2/256)].
It was narrated from Khālid Al Ḥadhdhā’ that he said, “I said to Abū Qilābah, “What is this (meaning raising one’s hands in prayer)?” He said, “It is veneration.”” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (2286)].
For forty years Sa’īd Ibn Al Musayyib did not encounter the men having left the mosque and having finished prayer (Translator’s note: meaning that he never missed congregational prayer) [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (2/163)]
It was also narrated from him that he said, “Whenever prayer time came, I was ready for prayer and any time I had to make up an obligatory prayer I longed for it.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (2/163)].
It was narrated from Sa’īd Ibn Al Musayyib that he had a problem with his eyes, so somebody said to him, “O Abū Muḥammad, go to Al ‘Aqīq (The Ravine) and look at it. You will see its greenness and feel the wind of the land, and that will help your vision.” He said, “And what will I do about ‘ishā (night time prayer) and fajr (dawn prayer)? [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā (2/163)].
It was narrated from ‘Aṭā that he said, “Ibn Al Zubair was upright, firm and steadfast when he prayed” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā (2/163)].
It was narrated from Mujāhid that he said, “When ‘Abdullāh Ibn Al Zubair stood in prayer, it was as if he was a wooden pole and he would say that is khushū’ (submissiveness and humility) in prayer.” [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā` (1/335)].
It was narrated from Hishām Ibn Urwah that he said, “Ibn Al Munkadir said to me, “Had you seen ibn Al Zubair praying, you would have said, “He is the branch of a tree being blown by the wind and it would not bother him if stones from a catapult were landing all around him. [Ḥilyatu Al Awliyā (1/335)].
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that he said, “On the Day of Judgment, people will be called Manqūṣūn (deficient).” He was asked, “And what are Manqūṣūn O Abū AbdirRaḥmān?” He said, “They make their prayer deficient by way of [falling short in] their wudhū (ablution) and their attention.””