The perfect [number of] tasbih is seven, the medium is five, and its minimum is three. Al-Qadi said: The perfect [number] of tasbih, if one is praying alone, is that which does not lead him into forgetfulness, and for the Imam, [it is] that which does not cause hardship to those praying behind him. It is possible that perfection is ten tasbihs, because Anas reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to pray like the prayer of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz. They estimated (4) that as ten tasbihs (5). Some of our companions said: Perfection is to perform tasbih equal to his standing, because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had [a prayer] narrated from him by al-Bara' who said: I watched Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, while he was praying, and I found his standing, his bowing, his rising after bowing, his prostration, his sitting between the two prostrations, his prostration, and his sitting between the taslim and the departure [from prayer] to be nearly equal. Muttafaq 'alayh (6), except that al-Bukhari said: Except for the standing and sitting, [they are] nearly equal.
Section: If he says: "Subhana Rabbiya al-'Azim wa bi-hamdih" (Glory be to my Lord the Almighty and with His praise), there is no harm, for Ahmad ibn Nasr (7) narrated from Ahmad that he was asked about the tasbih of bowing and prostration: Is "Subhana Rabbiya al-'Azim" more pleasing to you, or "Subhana Rabbiya al-'Azim wa bi-hamdih"? He replied: Both this and that have been transmitted, and I do not reject anything from it. He also said: If he says "wa bi-hamdih" in bowing and prostration, I hope there is no harm in it; this is because Hudhayfah (8) narrated in
(4) Hazaru: They estimated and conjectured. (5) Recorded by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter on the duration of bowing and prostration, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/205. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter on the number of tasbihs in prostration, from the Book of al-Tatbiq. Al-Mujtaba 2/187. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 3/163. (6) Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: Chapter on the limit of completing the bowing, the standing after it, and the tranquility, from the Book of Adhan. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/200. And Muslim, in: Chapter on the moderation of the pillars of prayer and lightening it in perfection, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/343. It was also recorded by Abu Dawud, in: Chapter on the length of standing after bowing and between the two prostrations, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/196. And al-Nasa'i, in: Chapter on the Imam's sitting between the taslim and the departure, from the Book of Forgetfulness. Al-Mujtaba 3/56. And al-Darimi, in: Chapter on how long the Prophet used to stay after raising his head, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan al-Darimi 1/307. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 4/294. (7) Abu Hamid Ahmad ibn Nasr al-Khaffaf. Abu Bakr al-Khallal mentioned him and said: He possessed a volume containing excellent issues in which he narrated rare reports. See: Tabaqat al-Hanabilah 1/82. (8) The takhrij (verification) of the hadith of Hudhayfah was previously provided on page 168, and with the addition of "wa bi-hamdih" it was recorded by Abu Dawud, from 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir,
