Joining the Fingers in Sujood – Complete Research
Source: Fatāwā ‘Ilmiyyah, Volume 3 – Issues Related to Prayer, Page 89Question:
Should the fingers of the hands be joined together during prostration, or should they be left naturally apart?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh. Ammā ba‘d:
Evidence from the Sunnah:
Ḥadīth of Wā’il ibn Ḥujr (رضي الله عنه):
"أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ إِذَا سَجَدَ ضَمَّ أَصَابِعَهُ"
"The Prophet ﷺ, when he prostrated, would join his fingers together."
References:
- Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah 642
- Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 1917 (other ed. 1020)
- al-Mustadrak al-Ḥākim 1/227 (826) – al-Ḥākim: “Ṣaḥīḥ upon the conditions of Muslim”, agreed by al-Dhahabī
- al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī 2/112
- al-Mu‘jam al-Kabīr al-Ṭabarānī 22/19 (26) – al-Haythamī: “Its chain is ḥasan” (Majma‘ al-Zawā’id 2/135)
- Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī 1/339 (1268)
- al-Badr al-Munīr of Ibn al-Mulaqqin 3/668 – “This ḥadīth is ṣaḥīḥ”
- al-Awsaṭ Ibn al-Mundhir 3/169
- Ṣifat Ṣalāt al-Nabī ﷺ by al-Albānī 2/722–726 – “Its chain is ḥasan”
Scholarly Critique:
Although many scholars graded it ṣaḥīḥ or ḥasan, the narrator Hushaym ibn Bashīr al-Wāsiṭī is a mudallis, and the narration here is in ‘an‘anah form without explicit hearing. Hence, due to lack of direct proof of hearing, the chain is weak. (See: Bulūgh al-Marām p. 237 – with researcher’s notes)
Clarification Regarding Earlier Books:
The author of this fatwa has clarified repeatedly that only books published by Maktabah al-Ḥadīth Hazro or Maktabah Islāmiyyah Faisalabad/Lahore, or those with his signature, should be relied upon.
- This narration is absent in the Darussalam revised edition of Ṣalāt al-Nabī (pp. 224–226).
Another Related Ḥadīth:
From al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضي الله عنه):
"وَإِذَا سَجَدَ وَجَّهَ أَصَابِعَهُ قِبَلَ القِبْلَةِ"
"When the Prophet ﷺ prostrated, he directed his fingers towards the qiblah."
References:
- Naṣb al-Rāyah 1/374
- al-Sunan al-Kubrā lil-Bayhaqī 2/113
- Ṣifat Ṣalāt al-Nabī ﷺ by al-Albānī 2/639 – “Its chain is ṣaḥīḥ” (al-Dirāyah p. 79)
Chain Issue:
- Abū Isḥāq al-Sabī‘ī – mudallis, narrated in ‘an‘anah form (Ṭabaqāt al-Mudallīsīn 3/91)
- Zakariyyā ibn Abī Zā’idah – mudallis, narrated in ‘an‘anah form (al-Fatḥ al-Mubīn p. 38)
Thus, this narration is also weak.
Weak Supporting Evidence:
- al-Awsaṭ Ibn al-Mundhir 3/169 – contains Ḥārithah ibn Muḥammad, who is weak.
- Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/264 (2712) – also contains weaknesses.
If the principle of ḥasan li-ghayrih is applied, combining these weak reports may raise the level of authenticity.
Practical Point:
When all fingers are pointed towards the qiblah, they naturally come together. Keeping them far apart may make it difficult to direct them towards the qiblah.
Reports from the Tābi‘īn and Early Scholars:
- Imām Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn (trustworthy tābi‘ī):
"People liked to join the fingers in prostration." (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/260 – ṣaḥīḥ chain) - Imām Ḥafṣ ibn ‘Āṣim advising ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Qāsim (trustworthy tābi‘ al-tābi‘ī):
"Join your fingers in prostration and direct them towards the qiblah, for the hands prostrate along with the face."
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/260 – ṣaḥīḥ chain) - Imām Sufyān al-Thawrī – would join his fingers in sujood. (Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/260 – ṣaḥīḥ chain)
- Ibn ‘Umar (رضي الله عنهما) – would place his palms towards the qiblah in sujood. (Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 1/264 – ṣaḥīḥ chains)
Conclusion:
Placing the hands in sujood with the fingers joined and directed towards the qiblah is closer to the Sunnah and the stronger view, supported by the practice of many companions and early scholars, even though the marfū‘ aḥādīth are not free from weakness.
وَالله أعلم
8 November 2009
