Sujood (Prostration)

1066. A person offering prayers should perform two Sajdahs after the Ruku, in each Rak’at of the obligatory as well as Mustahab prayers. Sajdah means that one should place one’s forehead and both the palms and the knees, and both the big toes are placed on the ground.

1067. Two Sajdahs together are a Rukn (elemental), and if a person omits to perform two Sajdah in one Rak’at of an obligatory prayers, whether intentionally or owing to forgetfulness, or adds two more Sajdahs, his prayers are void.

1068. If a person omits or adds one Sajdah intentionally, his prayers become void. And if he omits or adds one Sajdah forgetfully, the rules regarding it will be explained later.

1069. If a person who can keep his forehead on the ground, does not do so whether intentionally or forgetfully, he has not performed Sajdah, even if other parts of his body may have touched the ground. But if he places his forehead on the earth, but forgets to keep other parts of his body on the ground, or forgets to utter the Zikr, his Sajdah is in order.

1070. It is better in normal situation to say Subhanallah three times, or Subhana Rabbiy al-A’la wa bi hamdhi once. And it is Mustahab that Subhana Rabbiyal A’la wa bi hamdhi should be said three, five or seven times.

1071. In the Sajdah, the body should be steady, and one should not move or shake oneself purposely, and as a precaution, one should be totally steady in Sajdah even while one is not engaged in any obligatory Zikr.

1072. If a person intentionally utters the Zikr of Sajdah before his forehead reaches the ground, and his body becomes steady, or if he raises his head from Sajdah intentionally before the Zikr is completed, his prayers are void.

1073. If a person utters the Zikr of Sajdah by mistake, before his forehead reaches the ground and realizes his mistake before he raises his head from Sajdah, he should utter the Zikr again, when his body is steady.

1074. If after raising his head from Sajdah, a person realizes that he has done so before the completion of the Zikr of Sajdah, his prayers are in order.

1075. If at the time of uttering Zikr of Sajdah, a person intentionally lifts one of his seven limbs from the ground, his Namaz will be void. But if he lifts the limbs, other than the forehead, when he is not reciting anything, and then places them back again, there will be no harm.

1076. If a person raises his forehead from the ground by mistake, before the completion of the Zikr of Sajdah, he should not place it on the ground again; he should treat it as one Sajdah. However, if he raises other parts of the body from the ground by mistake, he should place them back on the ground and utter the Zikr.

1077. After the Zikr of the first Sajdah is completed, one should sit till the body is steady, and then perform Sajdah again.

1078. The place where a person places his forehead for Sajdah should not be higher or lower than four joined fingers, compared to where he places his knees and the tips of the toes.

1079. If a person prays on a sloped ground, whose slant may not be known exactly, as an obligatory precaution, his forehead should not be higher or lower than the place where he keeps his knees and tips of the toes by a span of four joined fingers.

1080. If a person places his forehead by mistake, on a thing which is higher than the span of four joined fingers compared to the place where his knees and the toes are, and if it is so high that it does not look like a normal Sajdah, he should raise his head and place on a thing which is as high as four fingers and he can touch that thing with his head, and if it is so high that it can be said that he is performing Sajdah, as an obligatory precaution, he must touch that thing which is as high as 4 fingers with his head and if this is not possible, as an obligatory precaution, he/she must complete the Namaz and pray again.

1081. It is necessary that there should be nothing between the forehead of the person offering prayers, and the thing on which he offers Sajdah. If the Mohr (Sajdagah) is so dirty that the forehead does not reach the Mohr itself, the Sajdah is void. But if only the color of Mohr has changed, there is no harm.

1082. In Sajdah a person offering prayers should place his two palms on the ground. In a state of helplessness, there will be no harm in placing the back of the hands on the ground, and if even this is not possible, he should place the wrists of hands on the ground. And if he cannot do even this, he should place any part of the body up to his elbow on the ground, and if even that is not possible, it is sufficient to place the arms on the ground.

1083. In Sajdah, a person should place his two big toes on the ground, if he places, instead other smaller toes on the ground, or if his big toes do not rest on the ground due to very long nails, his Namaz will be void.And if a person does not follow this rule due to ignorance or carelessness, he has to pray again, as an obligatory precaution.

1084. If a part of the big toe is cut off, one should place the remaining part of it on the ground, and if nothing of it has remained or what has remained is too short, he/she should, on the basis of precaution, place the other toes on the ground, but if he/she has no toes at all, he should place on the ground whatever part of the foot has remained.

1085. If a person performs Sajdah in an unusual manner, like if he/she rests his chest and stomach on the ground, as an obligatory precaution, should pray again if he/she stretches his/her feet, even if his/her seven limbs are on the ground, he/she should pray again.

1086. The Mohr (Sajdagah) or other thing on which a person performs Sajdah, should be Pak. If he places the Mohr on a Najis carpet, or if one side of the Mohr is Najis, and he places his forehead on its part, there is no harm in it.

1087. If there is a sore or a wound etc. in the forehead of a person, making him unable to rest his forehead on the ground, he should perform Sajdah with the unaffected part of the forehead.

1088. If the sore or the wound has covered the entire forehead, he should perform Sajdah with other parts of his face; he should perform Sajdah with his chin. If that is not possible, with one of the two sides of the forehead. When it is not possible to perform Sajdah with the face in any way and if not, he should perform Sajdah by the front of the head.

1089. If a person cannot make his forehead reach the ground, he should bow as much as he can, and should place the Mohr or any other allowable thing on something high, and place his forehead on it in such a way that it may be said that he has perform Sajdah, if he brings the Mohr up and touches his head, it is not in order. But if his palms, his knees, and toes should be on the ground as usual.

1090. A person who cannot bend at all, should sit for Sajdah and perform Sajdah by sign an if he/she cannot do that, he/she must make sign with his/her eyes and in both cases, as a precaution, he/she must raise the Mohr if possible and put it on his/her forehead. If he/she must make Niyyat in his/her heart and, as an obligatory precaution, he/she should make sign for Sajdah with hand or the like.

1091. A person who cannot sit, must make a Niyyat of Sajdah while standing and if he/she is able, he/she must make a sign by his/her head and if it is not possible, he/she must do it by eyes (i.e. close them for sign of Sajdah and open them with the intention of raising his/her head), and if this is not possible, he/she must make a Niyyat in his/her heart and, as an obligatory precaution, he/she must make a sign by his/her hand or the like.

1092. If the forehead of a person is raised involuntarily from the place of Sajdah, he should not, if possible, allow it to reach the place of Sajdah again, and this will be treated as one Sajdah even if he may not have uttered the Zikr of Sajdah. And if he cannot control his head, and it reaches the place of Sajdah again involuntarily, both of them will be reckoned as one Sajdah, and if he has not uttered the Zikr, he will do so.

1093. At a place where a person has to observe Taqayyah (concealing one’s faith in dangerous situation), he can perform Sajdah on a carpet or other similar things, and it is not necessary for him to go elsewhere, or delay the prayers so that he is able to pray freely at that place without Taqayyah. But if he finds that he can perform Sajdah on a mat, or any other allowed objects, without any impediment, then he should not perform Sajdah on a carpet or things like it.

1094. If a person performs Sajdah on something unstable, it is void; but on a mattress filled with feathers, or any other similar thing, which becomes steady after a little pressure, it is in order.

1096. It is better that following second Sajdah, if no Tashahhud is necessary like third Rak’at of Zuhr and Asr and Isha prayers, one sits a little and then rises for the rest, and this act is called intercession.

Things which are permissable for prostration
Recommended and unrecommended acts in prostration
Obligatory Sujood for the Holy Quran

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