✍ Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
❀ Description of Sujood in Light of the Sunnah
Sujood is a pillar of Salah in which utmost submission and humility before Allah ﷻ is manifested. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ demonstrated a specific and precise manner of performing Sujood, which is preserved through authentic Ahadith.
① Placing the Hands Before the Knees
It is narrated from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“When one of you prostrates, let him not go down like a camel. Rather, let him place his hands before his knees.”
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 746; Abū Dāwūd: 840; Aḥmad: 2/381; Dārimī: 1/303; Nasā’ī: 20732; Dāraquṭnī: 1/244; Bayhaqī: 2/100; Sharḥ al-Sunnah: 2/249]
✔ Imām Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله reconciled this with other narrations and supported this view.
📖 [Bulūgh al-Marām: 331; Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/82; Subul al-Salām: 1/316]
② Supporting Narration from Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما
Nāfiʿ رحمه الله narrated that Ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما would place his hands before his knees, saying that the Prophet ﷺ did the same.
📚 [Ibn Khuzaymah: 628; Dāraquṭnī: 1/344; Bayhaqī: 2/100; Ḥākim: 1/226; Bukhārī (Taʿlīq): 2/298]
✔ Those who argue for placing knees before hands rely on a narration from Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr, but:
📚 [Ḍaʿīf: Abū Dāwūd: 838; Tirmidhī: 267; Nasā’ī: 2/234; Ibn Mājah: 882; Dāraquṭnī: 1/345; Ibn Khuzaymah: 626]
✔ This narration has been graded weak, and is adopted mainly by the Ḥanafī scholars and the majority (jumhūr) based on preference, not authenticity.
③ Seven Body Parts Must Touch the Ground in Sujood
From ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“When a servant prostrates, seven bones prostrate with him: the face (including nose), both hands, both knees, and the toes of both feet.”
📚 [Muslim: 491; Abū Dāwūd: 891; Nasā’ī: 2/208; Ibn Mājah: 775; Aḥmad: 1/206; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1/6; Ibn Ḥibbān: 1921]
✔ Another narration adds:
“I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones…” — and the Prophet ﷺ pointed to his nose along with his forehead.
📚 [Bukhārī: 812, 815; Muslim: 230; Abū Dāwūd: 889; Tirmidhī: 273; Nasā’ī: 2/208; Ibn Mājah: 1040]
✔ Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله emphasized the importance of the nose touching the ground, quoting:
“There is no prayer for the one whose nose does not touch the ground as the forehead does.”
📚 [Tamām al-Minnah: p. 170]
④ Palms on the Ground, Elbows Raised
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When you prostrate, place your palms on the ground and raise your elbows.”
📚 [Muslim: 494; Aḥmad: 4/283; Ibn Khuzaymah: 656; Bayhaqī: 2/113]
⑤ Heels Should Be Joined in Sujood
📚 [Ḥākim: 1/228; Ibn Khuzaymah: 654]
⑥ Toes Pointed Toward the Qiblah and Feet Upright
📚 [Bukhārī: 828; Abū Dāwūd: 732]
⑦ Body Elevated: Arms, Thighs, and Abdomen Not Touching
The Prophet ﷺ kept:
✔ Hands away from the sides,
✔ Chest raised from the thighs,
✔ Thighs raised from the legs.
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 670; Abū Dāwūd: 730, 963]
⑧ Fingers Should Be Kept Together in Sujood
It is narrated:
“When the Prophet ﷺ prostrated, he would join his fingers.”
📚 [Ṣaḥīḥ: Ḥākim: 1/244]
⑨ It Is Permissible to Prostrate on a Garment if Needed
From Anas رضي الله عنه:
“In intense heat, we would lay our garment down and prostrate on it.”
📚 [Bukhārī: 385; Muslim: 620; Abū Dāwūd: 660; Tirmidhī: 584; Nasā’ī: 2/216; Ibn Mājah: 1033]
❀ Note for Women:
✔ There is no separate method of Sujood for women authentically proven in any Hadith.
✔ The correct method for women is the same as that of men, with modesty and covering observed.
✅ Summary of Rulings:
❖ Place hands before knees while going into Sujood (based on stronger Hadith).
❖ Seven body parts must touch the ground: forehead (and nose), both hands, both knees, both feet.
❖ Keep elbows off the ground, and fingers together.
❖ Toes pointed to the Qiblah, heels joined, and feet upright.
❖ Maintain body elevation from ground — do not rest stomach, chest, or arms on thighs.
❖ In necessity, prostration on cloth is permissible.
