Mu'meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

The way to pray is not given in th Holy Quran, the number of rakats etc., then wherefrom did the muslims, shiah & sunni alike learn it.All pray the same no. of rakats for the farz of each time & almost in the same way except for keeping hands down or on the chest.
Which is the book that has given this method of prayer. 

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Answer:

Where is the way to pray documented?

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Apart from a few minor and insignificant differences, the whole Muslim Ummah prays in exactly the same manner. All the sects and schools of thought of the Muslim Ummah are unanimous regarding the times of prayer, the number of rakahs in each prayer, the names of each prayer, the sequence of each prayer, the method of each prayer, etc.

When Allah Subhanah commanded the believers to offer the prayers in the Glorious Quran, He arranged for the prayers to be taught to His Prophet (saws) by Hadrat Jibrael (a.s.); and the Prophet (saws) in turn taught it to the believers. The prayer was an act the Prophet of Allah (saws) performed and was witnessed and followed by tens of thousands of believers thousands of times in the life of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

It is the Sunnah or Way of Allah Subhanah, that whenever He sends His Divine Books, He also appoints a Prophet amongst mankind who himself obeys, follows, and guides those who believe in practical terms how to obey and follow the commands and guidance of their Lord and Creator.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) himself prayed and taught the believers how to pray, and his noble companions in turn prayed and taught their children, and their children prayed and taught this tradition to their children, and so on! Long after the death of the Prophet (saws) some scholars documented the way to pray in their collection of sayings and deeds of the Messenger of Allah (saws) as a reference to future generations; and that is where we find the exact way and method of offering the prayers as practiced by the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan