The hadiths that encourage excellence in performing the prayer and warn against doing it poorly:
To motivate those imams to persist in perfecting their prayer and to increase in that goodness—and, at the same time, to caution those who offer Tarawih and other prayers carelessly—I shall cite a number of sound hadiths that commend proper performance and warn against negligence. I say:
(Authentic)
- Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A man entered the mosque to pray while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting in another part of the mosque. When the man finished, he came and greeted the Prophet with salam. The Prophet replied, “And upon you be peace. Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” So the man returned, performed the prayer again, and then greeted him. The Prophet said, “And upon you be peace. Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.” The third time the man said, “Then teach me.” The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When you stand for prayer, perform wuduʾ (ablution) thoroughly, then face the qiblah and pronounce the takbir. Recite whatever is easy for you from the Quran. Then bow until you are at ease in bowing; rise until you are standing upright; prostrate until you are at ease in prostration; sit until you are balanced and at ease; prostrate again until you are at ease; then rise until you stand upright. Do that throughout your entire prayer.”
Related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, and others. ⦗116⦘