Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to keep silent between the Takbir and the recitation of Qur'an and that interval of silence used to be a short one. I said to the Prophet (ﷺ) "May my parents be sacrificed for you! What do you say in the pause between Takbir and recitation?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I say, 'Allahumma, baa`id baini wa baina khatayaya kama baa`adta baina l-mashriqi wa l-maghrib. Allahumma, naqqini min khatayaya kama yunaqqa th-thawbu l-abyadu mina d-danas. Allahumma, ighsil khatayaya bi l-maa'i wa th-thalji wa l-barad (O Allah! Set me apart from my sins (faults) as the East and West are set apart from each other and clean me from sins as a white garment is cleaned of dirt (after thorough washing). O Allah! Wash off my sins with water, snow and hail.)"

The Prophet, Abu Bakr and `Umar used to start the prayer with "Al hamdu li l-lahi Rabbi l-`alamin (All praise is but to Allah, Lord of the Worlds).

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Perform the bowing and the prostrations properly. By Allah, I see you from behind me (or from behind my back) when you bow or prostrate."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "You see me facing the Qibla; but, by Allah, nothing is hidden from me regarding your bowing and submissiveness and I see you from behind my back."

The people were ordered to place the right hand on the left forearm in the prayer. Abu Hazim said, "I knew that the order was from the Prophet (ﷺ) ."

Whenever Ibn `Umar started the prayer with Takbir, he used to raise his hands: whenever he bowed, he used to raise his hands (before bowing) and also used to raise his hands on saying, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah", and he used to do the same on rising from the second rak`a (for the 3rd rak`a). Ibn `Umar said: "The Prophet (ﷺ) used to do the same."

I saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) opening the prayer with the Takbir and raising his hands to the level of his shoulders at the time of saying the Takbir, and on saying the Takbir for bowing he did the same; and when he said, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah ", he did the same and then said, "Rabbana wa laka lhamd." But he did not do the same on prostrating and on lifting the head from it."

I saw Malik bin Huwairith saying Takbir and raising both his hands (on starting the prayers and raising his hands on bowing and also on raising his head after bowing. Malik bin Huwairith said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) did the same."

I saw that whenever Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) stood for the prayer, he used to raise both his hands up to the shoulders, and used to do the same on saying the Takbir for bowing and on raising his head from it and used to say, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah". But he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.

My father said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to raise both his hands up to the level of his shoulders when opening the prayer; and on saying the Takbir for bowing. And on raising his head from bowing he used to do the same and then say "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah, Rabbana wa laka l-hamd." And he did not do that (i.e. raising his hands) in prostrations.