✅ Answer: At the request of one of our dear ones, the famous Hadith of Hammad bin Isa, which describes the way Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) performed the prayer, is provided below with each part translated separately:

1⃣عَلِیُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِیمَ عَنْ أَبِیهِ عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِیسَی قَالَ قَالَ لِی أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ یَوْماً یَا حَمَّادُ تُحْسِنُ أَنْ تُصَلِّیَ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ یَا سَیِّدِی أَنَا أَحْفَظُ کِتَابَ حَرِیزٍ فِی الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ لَا عَلَیْکَ یَا حَمَّادُ قُمْ فَصَلِّ

Hammad bin Isa said: One day, Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to me: O Hammad, do you know how to pray well? I said: O my master, I have memorized the book of Hariz on prayer (and I act upon it)! The Imam said: It is okay, stand and pray.

قَالَ فَقُمْتُ بَیْنَ یَدَیْهِ مُتَوَجِّهاً إِلَی الْقِبْلَةِ فَاسْتَفْتَحْتُ الصَّلَاةَ فَرَکَعْتُ وَ سَجَدْتُ فَقَالَ یَا حَمَّادُ لَا تُحْسِنُ أَنْ تُصَلِّیَ مَا أَقْبَحَ بِالرَّجُلِ مِنْکُمْ یَأْتِی عَلَیْهِ سِتُّونَ سَنَةً أَوْ سَبْعُونَ سَنَةً فَلَا یُقِیمُ صَلَاةً وَاحِدَةً بِحُدُودِهَا تَامَّةً قَالَ حَمَّادٌ فَأَصَابَنِی فِی نَفْسِی الذُّلُّ فَقُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاکَ فَعَلِّمْنِی الصَّلَاةَ

Hammad said: I stood facing the qibla in front of the Imam, started the prayer, and performed the bowing and prostration. Then the Imam said: O Hammad! You do not pray well (you do not pray properly)! How disgraceful it is for someone among you (Shia) that sixty or seventy years pass by, yet he has not prayed a single prayer with its complete rules! Hammad said: I felt humiliated and said: Teach me the prayer, may I be your ransom!

فَقَامَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُسْتَقْبِلَ الْقِبْلَةِ مُنْتَصِباً فَأَرْسَلَ یَدَیْهِ جَمِیعاً عَلَی فَخِذَیْهِ قَدْ ضَمَّ أَصَابِعَهُ وَ قَرَّبَ بَیْنَ قَدَمَیْهِ حَتَّی کَانَ بَیْنَهُمَا قَدْرُ ثَلَاثِ أَصَابِعَ مُنْفَرِجَاتٍ وَ اسْتَقْبَلَ بِأَصَابِعِ رِجْلَیْهِ جَمِیعاً الْقِبْلَةَ لَمْ یُحَرِّفْهُمَا عَنِ الْقِبْلَةِ وَ قَالَ بِخُشُوعٍ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ

Then Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him):

1. Stood facing the qibla, upright.

2. Let both hands hang down on the thighs, with the fingers close together.

3. Brought his feet together, leaving a gap of three fingers between them.

4. Pointed all his toes towards the qibla, without turning them away, and with humility and modesty said: ALLAHU AKBAR.

ثُمَّ قَرَأَ الْحَمْدَ بِتَرْتِیلٍ وَ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ثُمَّ صَبَرَ هُنَیَّةً بِقَدْرِ مَا یَتَنَفَّسُ وَ هُوَ قَائِمٌ ثُمَّ رَفَعَ یَدَیْهِ حِیَالَ وَجْهِهِ وَ قَالَ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ وَ هُوَ قَائِمٌ

5. Then recited Surah al-Hamd and Surah al-Ikhlas (Surah 112) with proper intonation.

6. After the recitation, he paused briefly while standing to take a breath.

7. Then, while still standing, he raised his hands up to his face and said: ALLAHU AKBAR.

ثُمَّ رَکَعَ وَ مَلَأَ کَفَّیْهِ مِنْ رُکْبَتَیْهِ مُنْفَرِجَاتٍ وَ رَدَّ رُکْبَتَیْهِ إِلَی خَلْفِهِ حَتَّی اسْتَوَی ظَهْرُهُ حَتَّی لَوْ صُبَّ عَلَیْهِ قَطْرَةٌ مِنْ مَاءٍ أَوْ دُهْنٍ لَمْ تَزُلْ لِاسْتِوَاءِ ظَهْرِهِ وَ مَدَّ عُنُقَهُ وَ غَمَّضَ عَیْنَیْهِ ثُمَّ سَبَّحَ ثَلَاثاً بِتَرْتِیلٍ فَقَالَ سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْعَظِیمِ وَ بِحَمْدِهِ

8. Then he went into bowing (ruku), placing his palms on his knees with fingers spread apart.

9. He pushed his knees back so that his back was straight, such that if a drop of water or oil was placed on his back, it would remain in place due to the perfect straightness of his back.

10. He stretched his neck and lowered his eyes.

11. Then he glorified three times with tranquility: SUBHANA RABBI AL-ADHEEM WA BIHAMDIHI.

ثُمَّ اسْتَوَی قَائِماً فَلَمَّا اسْتَمْکَنَ مِنَ الْقِیَامِ قَالَ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ ثُمَّ کَبَّرَ وَ هُوَ قَائِمٌ وَ رَفَعَ یَدَیْهِ حِیَالَ وَجْهِهِ

12. Then he stood up straight, and once fully upright, he said: SAMI'ALLAHU LIMAN HAMIDAH.

13. Then, while still standing, he said: ALLAHU AKBAR, raising his hands up to his face.

ثُمَّ سَجَدَ وَ بَسَطَ کَفَّیْهِ مَضْمُومَتَیِ الْأَصَابِعِ بَیْنَ یَدَیْ رُکْبَتَیْهِ حِیَالَ وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ- سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْأَعْلَی وَ بِحَمْدِهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ وَ لَمْ یَضَعْ شَیْئاً مِنْ جَسَدِهِ عَلَی شَیْ ءٍ مِنْهُ وَ سَجَدَ عَلَی ثَمَانِیَةِ أَعْظُمٍ الْکَفَّیْنِ وَ الرُّکْبَتَیْنِ وَ أَنَامِلِ إِبْهَامَیِ الرِّجْلَیْنِ وَ الْجَبْهَةِ وَ الْأَنْفِ وَ قَالَ سَبْعَةٌ مِنْهَا فَرْضٌ یُسْجَدُ عَلَیْهَا وَ هِیَ الَّتِی ذَکَرَهَا اللَّهُ فِی کِتَابِهِ فَقَالَ وَ أَنَّ الْمَساجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَداً وَ هِیَ الْجَبْهَةُ وَ الْکَفَّانِ وَ الرُّکْبَتَانِ وَ الْإِبْهَامَانِ وَ وَضْعُ الْأَنْفِ عَلَی الْأَرْضِ سُنَّةٌ

14. Then he went into prostration (sujood), placing his hands in line with his knees, with fingers close together, and said three times: SUBHANA RABBI AL-A'LA WA BIHAMDIHI.

15. He did not rest any part of his body on another part during prostration.

16. He prostrated on eight bones: both palms, both knees, both big toes, forehead, and nose, and said: Seven of these are obligatory for prostration as mentioned in the Quran: 'The places of prostration are for Allah alone, so do not invoke anyone along with Allah,' which are the forehead, both palms, both knees, and both big toes. Placing the nose on the ground is Sunnah.

ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ السُّجُودِ فَلَمَّا اسْتَوَی جَالِساً قَالَ اللَّهُ أَکْبَرُ ثُمَّ قَعَدَ عَلَی فَخِذِهِ الْأَیْسَرِ وَ قَدْ وَضَعَ ظَاهِرَ قَدَمِهِ الْأَیْمَنِ عَلَی بَطْنِ قَدَمِهِ الْأَیْسَرِ وَ قَالَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ رَبِّی وَ أَتُوبُ إِلَیْهِ ثُمَّ کَبَّرَ وَ هُوَ جَالِسٌ وَ سَجَدَ السَّجْدَةَ الثَّانِیَةَ وَ قَالَ کَمَا قَالَ فِی الْأُولَی

17. Then he raised his head from prostration, and when he was fully upright, he said: ALLAHU AKBAR.

18. Then he sat on his left thigh, placing his right foot on his left foot, and said:

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ رَبِّی وَ أَتُوبُ إِلَیْهِ

19. Then, while still sitting, he said: ALLAHU AKBAR and went into the second prostration, saying the same words as in the first prostration.

وَ لَمْ یَضَعْ شَیْئاً مِنْ بَدَنِهِ عَلَی شَیْ ءٍ مِنْهُ فِی رُکُوعٍ وَ لَا سُجُودٍ وَ کَانَ مُجَّنِّحاً وَ لَمْ یَضَعْ ذِرَاعَیْهِ عَلَی الْأَرْضِ فَصَلَّی رَکْعَتَیْنِ عَلَی هَذَا وَ یَدَاهُ مَضْمُومَتَا الْأَصَابِعِ وَ هُوَ جَالِسٌ فِی التَّشَهُّدِ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ مِنَ التَّشَهُّدِ سَلَّمَ فَقَالَ یَا حَمَّادُ هَکَذَا صَلِّ

20. He did not rest any part of his body on another part during bowing or prostration.

21. He kept his hands away from his body during bowing and prostration.

22. He did not place his forearms and elbows on the ground during prostration.

23. While sitting for the Tashahhud, he kept his fingers close together.

24. When he finished the Tashahhud, he said the Salam and then said: O Hammad, pray in this manner!

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 311

✅ With careful reflection on the above hadith, let us perform our prayers like Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), InshaAllah.

✅ There are many other etiquettes of prayer mentioned in other narrations, which should be utilized, InshaAllah.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

وَ عَجِّلْ لِوَلِیِّکَ الْفَرَجَ وَ الْعَافِیَةَ وَ النَّصْرَ