◈ The Virtue of Performing Sajdat al-Shukr Upon Receiving a Blessing ◈
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Sajdat al-Shukr is legislated when a person:
➤ Receives a blessing
➤ Is relieved from hardship or distress
➤ Experiences a moment of joy or delight
"Whenever the Prophet ﷺ received glad tidings, he would fall in prostration before Allah."
[Ḥasan: Irwā’ al-Ghalīl: 2/226, 474; Abū Dāwūd: 2774, Kitāb al-Jihād; Tirmidhī: 1578; Ibn Mājah: 1394; Dāraqutnī: 1/410; Bayhaqī: 2/370]
"The Prophet ﷺ performed a lengthy prostration. Upon raising his head, he said: 'Jibrīl (علیه السلام) came to me with good news, so I fell in prostration before Allah in gratitude.'"
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Aḥmad: 1/191; Ḥākim: 1/550; Bayhaqī: 2/371]
– Imām Ḥākim declared this hadith ṣaḥīḥ according to the criteria of Bukhārī and Muslim
– Imām Bayhaqī agreed and added: "There is no more authentic hadith regarding Sajdat al-Shukr than this."
– Imām Haythamī said: "Its narrators are trustworthy."
– Declared Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣaghīr Ḥallāq
– Graded ḥasan by Shaykh Ḥāzim ‘Alī Qāḍī
[Majma‘ al-Zawā’id: 2/287; Ta‘līq ‘ala Sabil al-Salām: 1/582 & 48831]
"When the Prophet ﷺ received a letter from ‘Alī (رضی الله عنه) informing him of the people of Yemen embracing Islam, he read the letter and fell in prostration to thank Allah for it."
[Bayhaqī: 2/369]
– Imām Bayhaqī noted: Imām Bukhārī narrated the initial part of this hadith from Ibrāhīm ibn Yūsuf but did not record it in full.
– Bayhaqī asserted: The full narration is authentic by Bukhārī’s standards.
✔ Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله) and Imām al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله):
Declared Sajdat al-Shukr legislated (mashrū‘) and permissible.
✖ Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) and Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله):
Held that this prostration is neither recommended nor disliked.
[Al-Umm: 1/251; Radd al-Muḥtār: 2/597; Sabil al-Salām: 1/487; Kashshāf al-Qināʿ: 1/449]
Imām Shawkānī (رحمه الله) commented:
“Despite its authenticity from the Prophet ﷺ, the denial of Sajdat al-Shukr by the two Imāms (Mālik and Abū Ḥanīfah) is truly astonishing.”
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/343]
Sajdat al-Shukr is a proven Sunnah from the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It is a beautiful expression of gratitude upon receiving any divine favor or relief from harm.
Whether in moments of personal joy or communal victory, falling in prostration is a spiritual and physical acknowledgment of Allah’s mercy. This practice is endorsed by major scholars and richly supported by authentic narrations.
By: Imran Ayyub Lahori
❀ The Ruling of Sajdat al-Shukr (Prostration of Gratitude) ❀
Sajdat al-Shukr is legislated when a person:
➤ Receives a blessing
➤ Is relieved from hardship or distress
➤ Experiences a moment of joy or delight
➊ Hadith of Abu Bakrah (رضی الله عنه):
"Whenever the Prophet ﷺ received glad tidings, he would fall in prostration before Allah."
[Ḥasan: Irwā’ al-Ghalīl: 2/226, 474; Abū Dāwūd: 2774, Kitāb al-Jihād; Tirmidhī: 1578; Ibn Mājah: 1394; Dāraqutnī: 1/410; Bayhaqī: 2/370]
➋ Hadith of ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf (رضی الله عنه):
"The Prophet ﷺ performed a lengthy prostration. Upon raising his head, he said: 'Jibrīl (علیه السلام) came to me with good news, so I fell in prostration before Allah in gratitude.'"
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Aḥmad: 1/191; Ḥākim: 1/550; Bayhaqī: 2/371]
– Imām Ḥākim declared this hadith ṣaḥīḥ according to the criteria of Bukhārī and Muslim
– Imām Bayhaqī agreed and added: "There is no more authentic hadith regarding Sajdat al-Shukr than this."
– Imām Haythamī said: "Its narrators are trustworthy."
– Declared Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh Muḥammad Ṣaghīr Ḥallāq
– Graded ḥasan by Shaykh Ḥāzim ‘Alī Qāḍī
[Majma‘ al-Zawā’id: 2/287; Ta‘līq ‘ala Sabil al-Salām: 1/582 & 48831]
➌ Hadith of Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (رضی الله عنه):
"When the Prophet ﷺ received a letter from ‘Alī (رضی الله عنه) informing him of the people of Yemen embracing Islam, he read the letter and fell in prostration to thank Allah for it."
[Bayhaqī: 2/369]
– Imām Bayhaqī noted: Imām Bukhārī narrated the initial part of this hadith from Ibrāhīm ibn Yūsuf but did not record it in full.
– Bayhaqī asserted: The full narration is authentic by Bukhārī’s standards.
◈ Scholarly Positions on Sajdat al-Shukr ◈
✔ Imām Aḥmad (رحمه الله) and Imām al-Shāfiʿī (رحمه الله):
Declared Sajdat al-Shukr legislated (mashrū‘) and permissible.
✖ Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) and Imām Abū Ḥanīfah (رحمه الله):
Held that this prostration is neither recommended nor disliked.
[Al-Umm: 1/251; Radd al-Muḥtār: 2/597; Sabil al-Salām: 1/487; Kashshāf al-Qināʿ: 1/449]
Imām Shawkānī (رحمه الله) commented:“Despite its authenticity from the Prophet ﷺ, the denial of Sajdat al-Shukr by the two Imāms (Mālik and Abū Ḥanīfah) is truly astonishing.”
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 2/343]
✔ Conclusion:
Sajdat al-Shukr is a proven Sunnah from the life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It is a beautiful expression of gratitude upon receiving any divine favor or relief from harm.
Whether in moments of personal joy or communal victory, falling in prostration is a spiritual and physical acknowledgment of Allah’s mercy. This practice is endorsed by major scholars and richly supported by authentic narrations.
