Narrated 'Aishah (RA) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to begin the Salat (prayer) with Takbir (Allahu Akbar - Allah is the Most Great) and the recitation with Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil' alamin (praise is to Allah, the Rabb of the universe)." And when he bowed down, he neither kept his head up nor bent it down, but kept it between that (two positions). When he raised his head from the bowing position, he did not prostrate till he had stood erect; and when he raised his head after a prostration, he did not prostrate again till he had sat up. And at the end of every two Rak'ah he said the Tahiyyah, and he used to sit on his left foot and position he right one vertically, and he prohibited the devil's way of sitting on the buttocks. He forbade people to spread out their arms like a wild beast. And he used to finish the prayer with the Taslim (i.e. saying As-Salamu 'alaikum). [Reported by Muslim and it has an 'illa (defect)].
The Prophet (ﷺ) used to raise his hands parallel to his shoulders when he started the prayer (by saying Allahu Akbar), when he uttered the Takbir to bow and when he raised his head from the Ruku' (bowing posture). [Agreed upon].
وَعَنْ اِبْنِ عُمَرَ -رَضِيَ اَللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا- { أَنَّ اَلنَّبِيَّ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -كَانَ يَرْفَعُ يَدَيْهِ حَذْوَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ إِذَا اِفْتَتَحَ اَلصَّلَاةَ , وَإِذَا كَبَّرَ لِلرُّكُوعِ , وَإِذَا رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ مِنْ اَلرُّكُوعِ } مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ [1]
Abu Dawud reported a Hadith narrated by Abu Humaid (RA) to the effect that he [Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)] used to raise his hands and bring them parallel to his shoulders, and then utter the Takbir.
And in another narration of Ahmad, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Hibban is:
"Perhaps you recite behind your Imam?" We replied, "Yes." He [the Prophet (ﷺ)] said, "Do not do so except when it is (Surat) Fatiha al-Kitab, for the Salat (prayer) of the one who does not recite it, is not accepted."
The negation (of recitation of the Bismillah) in the report of Muslim can be understood in light of this report (i.e. it was recited silently), as opposed to those who declared Muslim's report as being defective.
"I prayed behind Abu Hurairah (RA) and he recited Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, and then recited Umm-ul-Qur'an (Al-Fatiha) and when he reached walad-dallin, he said Amin; and then said Allahu Akbar, when he prostrated and when he stood up from his sitting position. And when he uttered the Taslim (i.e. As-Salamu 'Alaikum), he said, "I swear by the One (i.e. Allah) in Whose Hand my soul is, my Salat (prayer) resembles most that of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) than that of anyone among you." [Reported by an-Nasa'i and lbn Khuzaimah].
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: "Whenever you recite Surat Al-Fatiha, recite Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim, for it is one of its Ayat (Verses)." [Reported by ad-Daraqutni who verified it as Mawquf - the saying of Abu Hurairah (RA)].
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -{ إِذَا قَرَأْتُمْ اَلْفَاتِحَةِ فَاقْرَءُوا : ( بِسْمِ اَللَّهِ اَلرَّحْمَنِ اَلرَّحِيمِ ) , فَإِنَّهَا إِحْدَى آيَاتِهَا } رَوَاهُ اَلدَّارَقُطْنِيُّ , وَصَوَّبَ وَقْفَهُ . [1]
When Allah's Messenger (RA) completed the recitation of Surat Al-Fatiha, he raised his voice and said Amin. [Reported by ad-Daraqutni who graded it Hasan (good) and Al-Hakim who graded it Sahih (authentic)).
وَعَنْهُ قَالَ : { كَانَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -إِذَا فَرَغَ مِنْ قِرَاءَةِ أُمِّ اَلْقُرْآنِ رَفَعَ صَوْتَهُ وَقَالَ :
A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "I cannot memorize anything from the Qur'an, so teach me something which can be a substitute for me." He said, "Say Subhan Allah (Allah is Free of Imperfections) walhamdu lillah (and praise is to Allah), wa la ilaha illa-Allah (and there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah), wallahu akbar (and Allah is the Most Great), wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah al-'Ali al-'Adheem (and there is no might and no strength but in Allah, the Most High, the Supreme)" [Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i; and Ibn Hibban, ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim graded it Sahih (authentic)].
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to lead us in prayer and recite in the first two Rak'a of the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers Surat Al-Fatiha and two (other) Surah. And he would sometimes recite loud enough for us to hear the Verses. He would prolong the first Rak'a, and would recite in the last two Rak'a Surat Al-Fatiha (only). [Agreed upon].
وَعَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ : { كَانَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -يُصَلِّي بِنَا , فَيَقْرَأُ فِي اَلظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ - فِي اَلرَّكْعَتَيْنِ اَلْأُولَيَيْنِ - بِفَاتِحَةِ اَلْكِتَابِ وَسُورَتَيْنِ , وَيُسْمِعُنَا اَلْآيَةَ أَحْيَانًا , وَيُطَوِّلُ اَلرَّكْعَةَ اَلْأُولَى , وَيَقْرَأُ فِي اَلْأُخْرَيَيْنِ بِفَاتِحَةِ اَلْكِتَابِ. } مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ . [1]
We used to estimate the length of the standing position of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers, and we estimated that he stood in the first two Rak'a of the Zuhr prayer as long as it takes to recite Alif-Lam-Mim, Tanzil (Surat As-Sajdah) and in the last two Rak'a, half the time of that. And in the first two Rak'a of 'Asr, he used to stand as long as the last two of the Zuhr. And the last two Rak'a of 'Asr used to be of about half the time of the first two." [Reported by Muslim).
So-and-so used to prolong the first two Rak'a of the Zuhr prayer and shorten the 'Asr prayer, and recite the short Surah of Mufassal at Maghrib prayer, its medium Surah at the 'Isha' prayer, and its long ones at the Fajr prayer. Then Abu Hurairah (RA) said: "I never prayed behind anyone whose prayer more closely resembles that of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) than this person." [Reported by an-Nasa'i with a Sahih (authentic) Isnad].
وَعَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ يَسَارٍ - رضى الله عنه - [1] قَالَ : { كَانَ فُلَانٍ يُطِيلُ اَلْأُولَيَيْنِ مِنْ اَلظُّهْرِ, وَيُخَفِّفُ اَلْعَصْرَ, وَيَقْرَأُ فِي اَلْمَغْرِبِ بِقِصَارِ اَلْمُفَصَّلِ وَفِي اَلْعِشَاءِ بِوَسَطِهِ وَفِي اَلصُّبْحِ بِطُولِهِ . فَقَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ : "مَا صَلَّيْتُ وَرَاءِ أَحَدٍ أَشْبَهَ صَلَاةِ بِرَسُولِ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -مِنْ هَذَا } . أَخْرَجَهُ النَّسَائِيُّ بِإِسْنَادٍ صَحِيحٍ [2]
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) reciting at-Tur (the Mountain - Surat No. 52) in the Maghrib (sunset) prayer. [Agreed upon).
وَعَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ مُطْعِمٍ - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ : { سَمِعْتَ رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -يَقْرَأُ فِي اَلْمَغْرِبِ بِالطُّورِ } مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ . [1]
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to recite during the Fajr prayer of Friday Alif-Lam-Mim, Tanzil... (as-Sajdab - Surat no. 32) and Hal ata 'alal-Insani... (al-Insan - Surat no. 76), which is also called Surat ad-Dahr). [Agreed upon].
وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ : { كَانَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -يَقْرَأُ فِي صَلَاةِ اَلْفَجْرِ يَوْمَ اَلْجُمْعَةِ : (الم تَنْزِيلُ ) اَلسَّجْدَةَ , و (هَلْ أَتَى عَلَى اَلْإِنْسَانِ) } مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ [1]
I prayed with the Prophet (ﷺ) and (noticed that) whenever he came to a verse which spoke of mercy, he stopped and made supplication, and whenever he came to a verse which spoke of punishment, he stopped and sought refuge in Allah against it." [Reported by Al-Khamsah, and at-Tirmidhi graded it Hasan (good)].
وَعَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ - رضى الله عنه - قَالَ : { صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ اَلنَّبِيِّ - صلى الله عليه وسلم -فَمَا مَرَّتْ بِهِ آيَةُ رَحْمَةٍ إِلَّا وَقَفَ عِنْدَهَا يَسْأَلُ, وَلَا آيَةُ عَذَابٍ إِلَّا تَعَوَّذَ مِنْهَا } أَخْرَجَهُ اَلْخَمْسَةُ , وَحَسَّنَهُ اَلتِّرْمِذِيُّ [1]