In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Rukūʿ and Sujūd (In the Light of Ḥadīth)

Ḥaḍrat al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the rukūʿ and sujūd of the Prophet ﷺ, the sitting between the two prostrations, the standing after rising from rukūʿ (qawmah), and the sitting (qaʿdah) were all nearly equal in duration.
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Behold, I have been prohibited from reciting the Noble Qur’an in rukūʿ and sujūd. Therefore, in rukūʿ, proclaim the greatness of Allah, and in sujūd, exert yourselves abundantly in supplication; thus, it is most likely that your supplication will be accepted.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

Ḥaḍrat Masʿūd al-Anṣārī (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The prayer of a person is not valid until he straightens his back properly in rukūʿ and sujūd.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Sunan al-Nasāʾī, Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī)

From this ḥadīth it is established that composure (iṭmiʾnān) in rukūʿ and sujūd is obligatory. Whoever does not maintain proper balance and straightness of the back in rukūʿ and sujūd, his prayer is not valid. Those who consider merely bending for rukūʿ and merely placing the forehead on the ground for sujūd to be sufficient are in opposition to explicit textual evidence. And Allah knows best.

Ibn Bujayr narrated that he heard Ḥaḍrat Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) say: “After the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I did not perform prayer behind anyone whose prayer resembled that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ except this young man, ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz.” Ibn Bujayr said that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) stated: “We estimated the duration of his rukūʿ and sujūd, and in them there were ten tasbīḥāt.”
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Sunan al-Nasāʾī)

Reciting three tasbīḥāt in rukūʿ and sujūd is the minimum required for their completion. However, from this ḥadīth it is known that the Noble Messenger ﷺ would recite tasbīḥ ten times. This was likely equivalent to the duration in which ten tasbīḥāt could be recited while he ﷺ remained in rukūʿ or sujūd. Yet it is commonly observed that during the time people spend in rukūʿ or sujūd, even three tasbīḥāt can scarcely be completed. This falls under disrespect. For this reason, people often say that they do not find concentration in prayer. If prayer is performed with proper balance and composure, the state of the heart will certainly be different.

Shakīq narrated that he thought Ḥudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a man who was not completing his rukūʿ and sujūd properly. When he finished the prayer, Ḥudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) called him and said: “You have not prayed.” The man replied: “I think I prayed correctly.” Shakīq said that he thought Ḥudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: “If you were to die in this state, you would die upon other than the fiṭrah upon which Allah created Muḥammad ﷺ.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)

Abū Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “The worst thief among the people is the one who steals from his prayer.” They asked: “O Messenger of Allah, how does one steal from his prayer?” He ﷺ said: “He does not complete its rukūʿ and sujūd.”
(Musnad Aḥmad)