Method of Sajdah al-Tilawah, Recommended Supplications, and the Ruling on Purification
Taken from: Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
Sajdah al-Tilawah refers to the prostration performed upon reciting or hearing certain specific verses in the Qur’an that contain the command of prostration. These verses are well-known in the Qur’an, and whenever a person recites or hears them, it is legislated to perform Sajdah al-Tilawah.
When a person wishes to perform Sajdah al-Tilawah:
◈ Say Allāhu Akbar and go into prostration.
◈ While in prostration, recite any of the following Masnoon Supplications:
❀ «سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْاَعْلٰی»
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb as-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Yaqūlu ar-Rajul fī Rukūʿihi wa-Sujūdihi, ḥadīth no. 871)
“Glory is to my Lord, the Most High.”
❀ «سُبْحَانَکَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِکَ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِی»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adhān, Bāb ad-Duʿāʾ fī ar-Rukūʿ, ḥadīth no. 794)
“O Allah! Our Lord, all glory and praise be to You. O Allah! Forgive me.”
❀ «اَللّٰهُمَّ لَکَ سَجَدْتُّ وَبِکَ آمَنْتُ وَلَکَ أَسْلَمْتُ سَجَدَ وَجْهِی لِلَّذِی خَلَقَه وَصَوَّرَه وَشَقَّ سَمْعَه وَبَصَرَه تَبَارَکَ اللّٰهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, Bāb Ṣalāt an-Nabī wa-Duʿāʾihi bil-Layl, ḥadīth no. 771)
“O Allah! I have prostrated to You, believed in You, and submitted to You. My face has prostrated to the One Who created it, shaped it, and gave it hearing and sight. Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators.”
❀ «اَللّٰهُمَّ اکْتُبْ لِی بِهَا عِنْدَکَ أَجْرًا وَضَعْ عَنِّی بِهَا وِزْرًا وَاجْعَلْهَا لِی عِنْدَکَ ذُخْرًا وَتَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّی کَمَا تَقَبَّلْتَهَا مِنْ عَبْدِکَ دَاوُدَ»
(Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Jumuʿah, Bāb Mā Jāʾa Mā Yaqūlu fī Sujūd al-Qurʾān, ḥadīth no. 579)
“O Allah! Record for me a reward for it with You, remove from me a sin because of it, make it for me a treasure with You, and accept it from me just as You accepted it from Your servant Dāwūd (ʿalayhi as-salām).”
◈ Simply lifting the head from prostration is sufficient.
◈ There is no need for Takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) or Taslīm (salutation) after it.
If the Imam recites a verse of prostration during Salah:
◈ It is obligatory for him to say Allāhu Akbar when going into the prostration and when rising from it.
◈ This is because those who described the Salah of the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that whenever he bowed or rose, he would say “Allāhu Akbar.”
◈ Whether it is a regular prayer prostration or Sajdah al-Tilawah, the manner is the same.
◈ Some people say Allāhu Akbar only when going down and not when rising, but there is no clear evidence from the Sunnah or the statements of scholars to support this.
◈ Scholars differ on this matter:
➊ Some consider purification to be necessary.
➋ Others say it is not a condition.
◈ It is narrated that ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما performed Sajdah al-Tilawah without Wudu.
◈ However, it is preferable to perform Sajdah with Wudu as a precaution.
It is better to observe purification for Sajdah al-Tilawah and to recite the mentioned supplications during it. In congregational prayer, the Imam must say Takbīr when going into and rising from the prostration.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
Taken from: Fatawa Arkan al-Islam
❖ What is Sajdah al-Tilawah?
Sajdah al-Tilawah refers to the prostration performed upon reciting or hearing certain specific verses in the Qur’an that contain the command of prostration. These verses are well-known in the Qur’an, and whenever a person recites or hears them, it is legislated to perform Sajdah al-Tilawah.
❖ Method of Performing Sajdah al-Tilawah:
When a person wishes to perform Sajdah al-Tilawah:
◈ Say Allāhu Akbar and go into prostration.
◈ While in prostration, recite any of the following Masnoon Supplications:
Recommended Supplications for Sajdah al-Tilawah
❀ «سُبْحَانَ رَبِّیَ الْاَعْلٰی»
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb as-Ṣalāh, Bāb Mā Yaqūlu ar-Rajul fī Rukūʿihi wa-Sujūdihi, ḥadīth no. 871)
“Glory is to my Lord, the Most High.”
❀ «سُبْحَانَکَ اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِکَ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِی»
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adhān, Bāb ad-Duʿāʾ fī ar-Rukūʿ, ḥadīth no. 794)
“O Allah! Our Lord, all glory and praise be to You. O Allah! Forgive me.”
❀ «اَللّٰهُمَّ لَکَ سَجَدْتُّ وَبِکَ آمَنْتُ وَلَکَ أَسْلَمْتُ سَجَدَ وَجْهِی لِلَّذِی خَلَقَه وَصَوَّرَه وَشَقَّ سَمْعَه وَبَصَرَه تَبَارَکَ اللّٰهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb Ṣalāt al-Musāfirīn, Bāb Ṣalāt an-Nabī wa-Duʿāʾihi bil-Layl, ḥadīth no. 771)
“O Allah! I have prostrated to You, believed in You, and submitted to You. My face has prostrated to the One Who created it, shaped it, and gave it hearing and sight. Blessed is Allah, the Best of Creators.”
❀ «اَللّٰهُمَّ اکْتُبْ لِی بِهَا عِنْدَکَ أَجْرًا وَضَعْ عَنِّی بِهَا وِزْرًا وَاجْعَلْهَا لِی عِنْدَکَ ذُخْرًا وَتَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّی کَمَا تَقَبَّلْتَهَا مِنْ عَبْدِکَ دَاوُدَ»
(Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Jumuʿah, Bāb Mā Jāʾa Mā Yaqūlu fī Sujūd al-Qurʾān, ḥadīth no. 579)
“O Allah! Record for me a reward for it with You, remove from me a sin because of it, make it for me a treasure with You, and accept it from me just as You accepted it from Your servant Dāwūd (ʿalayhi as-salām).”
❖ After the Prostration:
◈ Simply lifting the head from prostration is sufficient.
◈ There is no need for Takbīr (Allāhu Akbar) or Taslīm (salutation) after it.
❖ In Congregational Prayer:
If the Imam recites a verse of prostration during Salah:
◈ It is obligatory for him to say Allāhu Akbar when going into the prostration and when rising from it.
◈ This is because those who described the Salah of the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that whenever he bowed or rose, he would say “Allāhu Akbar.”
❖ Similarity Between Normal Prostrations and Sajdah al-Tilawah:
◈ Whether it is a regular prayer prostration or Sajdah al-Tilawah, the manner is the same.
◈ Some people say Allāhu Akbar only when going down and not when rising, but there is no clear evidence from the Sunnah or the statements of scholars to support this.
❖ Is Purification (Wudu) a Condition for Sajdah al-Tilawah?
◈ Scholars differ on this matter:
➊ Some consider purification to be necessary.
➋ Others say it is not a condition.
◈ It is narrated that ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما performed Sajdah al-Tilawah without Wudu.
◈ However, it is preferable to perform Sajdah with Wudu as a precaution.
❖ Conclusion:
It is better to observe purification for Sajdah al-Tilawah and to recite the mentioned supplications during it. In congregational prayer, the Imam must say Takbīr when going into and rising from the prostration.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
