What is Sunan Ibn Majah 537 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them), narrated by Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin ‘Ata’ said:, states: "“I heard Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi say: ‘When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for prayer, he would face the prayer direction, raise his hands, and say: “Allahu Akbar (Allah is Most Great).”"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Ibn Majah, which contains 4,345 hadiths across 38 books. It is hadith number 537 in the Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them.

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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#536

#537

Sunan Ibn Majah

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Sunan Ibn Majah #537

Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الطَّنَافِسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الْحَمِيدِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَطَاءٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا حُمَيْدٍ السَّاعِدِيَّ، يَقُولُ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ إِذَا قَامَ إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ اسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ وَقَالَ ‏ "‏ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“I heard Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi say: ‘When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) stood up for prayer, he would face the prayer direction, raise his hands, and say: “Allahu Akbar (Allah is Most Great).”

Narrated by Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin ‘Ata’ said:

Context

In this hadith, Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi describes the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) when he initiated prayer. The Prophet would face the Qibla, raise his hands, and proclaim 'Allahu Akbar' to signify the start of the prayer. This action emphasizes the importance of intention and focus in worship.

Modern Application

In daily salah, Muslims today follow the same practice of facing the Qibla and raising their hands to begin their prayers. This act serves as a reminder to focus on the divine and prepare oneself mentally and spiritually for the prayer ahead.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer because it illustrates the specific actions taken by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) when starting the prayer.

Prayer

Related Ayahs

سُورَةُ مَرۡيَمَ

Maryam (Mary)

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

1 ayah

فَخَرَجَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْمِحْرَابِ فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَيْهِمْ أَن سَبِّحُوا۟ بُكْرَةًۭ وَعَشِيًّۭا

So he came out to his people from the prayer chamber and signaled to them to exalt [Allah] in the morning and afternoon.

سُورَةُ الجِنِّ

Al-Jinn (The Jinn)

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

1 ayah

وَأَنَّهُۥ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ ٱللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا۟ يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَدًۭا

And that when the Servant of Allah stood up supplicating Him, they almost became about him a compacted mass."

سُورَةُ البَقَرَةِ

Al-Baqara (The Cow)

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

2 ayahs

وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ وَإِنَّهُۥ لَلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّكَ ۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ

So from wherever you go out [for prayer, O Muhammad] turn your face toward al- Masjid al-Haram, and indeed, it is the truth from your Lord. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.

وَمِنْ حَيْثُ خَرَجْتَ فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا۟ وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُۥ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَيْكُمْ حُجَّةٌ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مِنْهُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَٱخْشَوْنِى وَلِأُتِمَّ نِعْمَتِى عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it in order that the people will not have any argument against you, except for those of them who commit wrong; so fear them not but fear Me. And [it is] so I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided.

سُورَةُ الشُّعَرَاءِ

Ash-Shu'araa (The Poets)

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

1 ayah

قَالَ هَلْ يَسْمَعُونَكُمْ إِذْ تَدْعُونَ

He said, "Do they hear you when you supplicate?

Common Words

74 total63 unique11 repeated

من2x

ٱلله2x

ومن2x

حيث2x

خرجت2x

فول2x

وجهك2x

شطر2x

ٱلمسجد2x

ٱلحرام2x

عليكم2x

فخرج1x

على1x

قومه1x

ٱلمحراب1x

فأوحى1x

إليهم1x

أن1x

سبحوا1x

بكرة1x

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About Sunan Ibn Majah

This hadith is #537 from Sunan Ibn Majah, in the Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them. It is graded Sahih and narrated by Muhammad bin ‘Amr bin ‘Ata’ said:.

Browse all Sunan Ibn Majah All Hadith Collections

Sunan Ibn Majah #537

Context

Modern Application

Topics

Related Ayahs

Common Words

Related Hadiths

About Sunan Ibn Majah

About This Hadith