Muhammad's Prayer

The worship practices of the Prophet centered on praying by reciting the Quran, both for the prescribed prayers (maktuba) and during the last third of the night (tahajjud). Alongside the obligatory prayers, he would regularly observe ten additional rakʿas (the prescribed movements with Quranic recitation): two before Dhuhr (the afternoon prayer) and two after it, two after Maghrib (the sunset prayer), two after ʿIsha (the last prayer in the evening before going to bed), and two before Fajr (the early morning prayer before sunrise). He also maintained a habit of praying four rakʿas at the time the sun begins to decline from its zenith. His preference was to pray in his home except for the obligatory prayers, as he said: "Do not make your houses into graves."
He would sleep in a state of remembrance (dhikr) and reflection (fikr), and wake in the same manner. Each time he awoke from sleep, he would engage in seeking forgiveness (istighfar) and recitation. The first thing he did was use the siwak [to brush his teeth], after which he would pray the night prayer in the final third of the night. It is narrated that he would wake up around midnight, sometimes a little before or after, wipe sleep from his face, and recite the concluding ten verses of Surah Al Imran: "Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth… [until the end of the verses]" (3:190–200). He would then perform ablution meticulously and stand for prayer.
He prayed two rakʿas, followed by another two, then another two-[up to]six times in total - before praying Witr. Afterward, he would lie down until the call to prayer came, at which point he would stand, pray two light rakʿas, and proceed to lead the Fajr prayer. This is one form of his night prayer (tahajjud). In another variation, he would pray two light rakʿas, followed by two long rakʿas, then two slightly shorter, and so on, until he had completed twelve rakʿas, concluding with a single (Witr) rakʿa.
Aisha narrated another variation: “He prayed four rakʿas, - do not ask about their beauty and length, then another four of similar nature, before finishing with three rakʿas.”
It is also reported that when he began his tahajjud prayer, he said: “Allahu Akbar, Possessor of Sovereignty, Might, Majesty, and Grandeur.” He then recited Surah al-Baqarah, then he bowed (rakaʿa), and his bowing (rukuʿ) was nearly as long as his standing. During the bowing, he would repeat: “Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent. Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent.” (Subhana Rabbiya Al-Azim. Subhana Rabbiya Al-Azim) Then he raised his head and stood upright, and this standing was nearly as long as his bowing. He would say: “To my Lord belongs all praise. To my Lord belongs all praise.” (Le Rabbiya Al-Hamd. Le Rabbiya Al-Hamd).
Then he prostrated (sajada), and his prostration (sujud) was as lengthy as his standing, and during it, he said: “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High. Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.” (Subhana Rabbiya Al-‘la. Subhana Rabbiya Al-‘la) Then he raised his head from prostration, and his sitting between the two prostrations was almost as long as the prostration itself, and he would supplicate: “My Lord, forgive me. My Lord, forgive me.” (Rabbi Aghfir Lee. Rabbi Aghfir Lee.)
In this prayer, he recited Surah al-Baqarah, Aal Imran, Al-Nisa, and either Al-Ma'idah or Al-Anʿam.
Among the supplications he made during tahajjud was: “O Allah, to You belongs all praise; You are the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all within them. To You belongs all praise; You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and all within them. To You belongs all praise; You are the Sovereign of the heavens and the earth and all within them. To You belongs all praise; You are the Truth, and Your promise is truth, and the meeting with You is truth, and Your words are truth, and Paradise is truth, and the Fire is truth, and the Prophets are truth, and Muhammad is truth, and the Hour is truth. O Allah, to You I have submitted, in You I have believed, upon You I have relied, to You I have turned, and by You I have argued, and to You I have brought my case. So, forgive me for what I have done and what I have delayed, what I have concealed and what I have disclosed. You are the One who brings forward, and You are the One who defers; there is no god but You, and there is no power or strength except with Allah.” He would then resume recitation.
During his prostration, he made supplications and prolonged his position, sometimes for the duration of reciting fifty verses. He would pause to seek mercy when reciting a verse about mercy and to seek refuge when reciting a verse about punishment.
After witr, he would say: “Most Holy, Most Holy, Lord of the angels and the spirit” (Subbuh, Quddus, Rabb al-mala’ikah wal-ruh), repeating it twice, and on the third occasion, raising his voice.
He would never abandon the night prayer, whether at home or while traveling, nor would he alter it during Ramadan or at any other time. If something prevented him from performing it at night, he would pray twelve rakʿas during the day. If he was unable to pray standing, he prayed seated, standing only for the final thirty or forty verses before bowing and prostrating. Toward the end of his life, most of his prayer was performed while seated.
He recited the Quran with deliberate pacing, pausing at the end of each verse to prolong the surah, and he recited with clear enunciation, letter by letter. His voice was audible but soft, not exceeding the rooms around him. He would stand for such a long time that his feet would swell. His prayer varied between three and thirteen rakʿas, in multiple forms, to accommodate his body’s condition and energy [level]. This ensured that prayer did not become a habitual, mechanical act devoid of presence. As it is said, "The bane of every act of worship is that it becomes a [mindless] habit."
Such variation enables the follower to nurture their self, protect themself from the routine of habit, and diversify his [or her] worship. Praying in any of these forms is sufficient, but performing all of these forms at different times achieves completeness. This flexibility allows one to train the self gradually, draw strength from discipline within limits, and combat the stagnation from habitual actions by using variety.