The prostration of recitation in prayer and elsewhere, and the permissibility of bowing in place of it

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), concerning a surah at whose end there is a prostration of recitation, that he used to say: "Recite the verse of prostration and prostrate, then stand up again, recite something more, and then bow; and if you wish, in surahs such as Surah al-A'raf, Surah al-Najm and 'Recite in the name of your Lord who created' [Surah al-Alaq: 1], you may also bow directly (instead of prostrating)."
This chain is sahih (authentic), and this report is mawquf (a Companion's own statement).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), concerning two eminent men, both of whom were better and superior to Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), that he said: "One of them performed the prostration of recitation while reciting the surah 'When the sky is split open' [Surah al-Inshiqaq: 1] or the surah 'Recite in the name of your Lord' [Surah al-Alaq: 1], while the other did not prostrate. So the one who prostrated was more virtuous and better than the one who did not prostrate. And if that person who prostrated was not Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), then he was certainly better even than Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) (that is, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him))."
(24) And the hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) about performing the prostration of recitation in the surah "When the sky is split open" [Surah al-Inshiqaq: 1] has already passed in the chapter on recitation in the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): "Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) recited Surah al-Najm, and he prostrated; then (after finishing the prostration) he stood up and recited another surah."
The chain of this athar (report) is sahih (authentic), and Imam Malik recorded it in al-Muwatta.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: "The religious obligation of performing the prostration (of recitation) falls only on the person who sat (deliberately) for it (to recite or listen to it)."
Imam Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded this athar (report) in al-Musannaf (hadith: 3770). Although there is criticism of the narrator Abu al-Awwam al-Bahili in its chain, on the basis of corroborating chains and supporting reports this narration is acceptable and of hasan (good) grade.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abd al-Rahman bin Awf (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the prostration of recitation ten times (on different occasions) while reciting the surah 'When the sky is split open' [Surah al-Inshiqaq: 1]."
Imam Abu Ya'la says that Abu Bakr bin Abi Shaybah narrated the hadith to us, and then he related the same narration mentioned above.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "There is no prostration of recitation in the Mufassal (the last, shorter surahs of the Noble Qur'an)."
Imam Musaddad recorded it through Abd al-Warith, from Ayyub, from al-Hasan al-Basri and Abu Qilabah; and Hammad also narrated something similar from Abu Qilabah through Ayyub.

It is narrated from the paternal uncle of Ibn Khuzaymah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Khuzaymah (may Allah be pleased with him) saw a dream in his sleep that he had prostrated on the blessed forehead of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), to honour his dream, lay down (on his side) for him and said: "Fulfil your dream (that is, carry it out in practice)." So he prostrated on the blessed forehead of him (peace and blessings be upon him).
The chain of this hadith is jayyid (good), and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Imam Ibn Hibban and Imam al-Hakim also recorded it in their books, on the basis of which it has been declared sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I saw in a dream as if I were under a tree, and that tree was reciting Surah Sad [Surah Sad: 1]. Then, when it reached the verse of prostration, it prostrated and made this supplication in its prostration: 'Allahumma ighfir li biha dhanban, Allahumma hutta 'anni biha wizran, wa ahdith li biha shukran, wa taqabbalha minni kama taqabbalta min 'abdika Dawuda sajdatahu' "O Allah, by means of this prostration forgive me a sin; O Allah, through it remove a burden from me; by its blessing create in me gratitude; and accept it from me just as You accepted the prostration of Your servant Dawud (peace be upon him)." In the morning I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him of it. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "O Abu Sa'id, did you also prostrate?" I said: No. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "You were more deserving of prostrating than that tree." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself recited Surah Sad, and when he reached the verse of prostration he prostrated, and in his prostration he said the same words that the tree had said in its prostration.
Imam Abu Ya'la recorded it in his Musnad (554). There is criticism of its chain; however, the basis of this supplication is established in Sunan al-Tirmidhi (3424) and Sunan Ibn Majah (1053) through a reliable narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), which strengthens its meaning.