In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. Prayers and salutations be upon the Master of the Messengers ﷺ, and upon his family and Companions. There is no power nor strength except through Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
The Mālikī fuqahāʾ held that placing the tips of the feet upon the ground during sujūd is a sunna.
ʿAllāma al-Dardīr (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“It is recommended to do sujūd upon the tips of one’s feet by placing the toes of the feet upon the ground while raising the heels, and to do sujūd upon the knees just as one does upon the hands—that is, upon the palms according to the sounder opinion. Thus, if one does sujūd with the dorsum surfaces or sides of the feet on the ground, or raises the knees from the ground, or places the palms upon the knees, for example, the ṣalāh is not invalidated.”
The Mālikī fuqahāʾ further discussed the ruling concerning one who repeatedly omits prostrating upon the feet or the knees, or deliberately abandons other sunna acts of the ṣalāh: whether such conduct invalidates the prayer or whether the person merely seeks Allah’s forgiveness without any further consequence.
The Ḥanafī fuqahāʾ differed regarding whether placing part of the foot upon the ground is farḍ.
Imām Ibn al-Humām (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“As for considering the placement of the foot farḍ, this is because sujūd while both feet are raised resembles playfulness more than reverence and glorification (in ṣalāh). It is sufficient to place a single toe upon the ground. In ‘al-Wajīz’ it is stated: ‘Placing both feet on the ground is farḍ. If one places one foot but not the other, it is valid though makrūh.’”
ʿAllāma Ibn ʿĀbidīn (Allah have mercy upon him) commented:
“In summary, the well-known position in the authoritative works of the Madhhab is that it is farḍ, whereas the stronger view in light of the textual evidence and legal principles is that it is not farḍ.”
The Shāfiʿī fuqahāʾ held that sujūd upon the forehead, the hands, the knees, and the feet is farḍ.
Imām al-Nawawī (Allah have mercy upon him) stated:
“The stronger opinion is that it is farḍ.”
Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“It is sufficient to place part of each of these limbs upon the ground, as with the forehead. Regarding the hands, what is considered is the inner surface of the palm, including both the fingers and the palm itself. Regarding the feet, what is considered is the plantar surface of the toes; neither the dorsum surface nor the side suffices, though uncovering them is not required.”
The Ḥanbalī fuqahāʾ held that placing any part of each of the six limbs is sufficient, whether the part touching the ground is the upper or lower surface, because the prophetic traditions make no distinction between the two.
Imām Ibn Qudāma (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“Sujūd upon all of these limbs is farḍ, except for the nose, concerning which there is a difference of opinion. This was also the view of Ṭāwūs, al-Shāfiʿī in one of his two opinions, and Isḥāq.”
ʿAllāma al-Buhūtī (Allah have mercy upon him) stated:
“For one capable of doing so, sujūd upon these seven limbs—the forehead, the hands, the knees, the feet, together with the nose—is an essential pillar of the ṣalāh. It is sufficient that part of each of these limbs touches the ground, since the ḥadīth does not specify otherwise. It is valid even if one does sujūd upon the back of the hand, the upper surface of the foot, or the like, just as it is valid to do sujūd upon the tips of the fingers or toes, because the apparent wording of the report indicates that one has indeed done sujūd upon one’s hands or feet. However, sujūd is invalid if some of the limbs of sujūd are placed upon others, such as placing the hands beneath the knees or resting the forehead upon the hands, because this results in the overlapping of the limbs designated for sujūd.”
Among the evidences cited for the view stating that placing the feet is not farḍ are:
- Allah, Exalted is He, says: ﴾Their mark is on their faces from the trace of sujūd﴿ [Qurʾān 48:29].
- The ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar (Allah be pleased with them both) in which the Prophet ﷺ replied to a man from Thaqīf: “When you do sujūd, firmly place your forehead.” Narrated by Ibn Ḥibbān in his ‘Ṣaḥīḥ’ §1887. The specific mention of the forehead indicates that it differs (in obligation) from the remaining limbs.
- They further argued that had placing the feet been farḍ, gesturing [īmāʾ] with them would likewise have been required when physically incapable of placing them upon the ground. Since no such gesture is required, their placement cannot be farḍ.
- They also reasoned that the objective of sujūd is to place the noblest part of the body upon the place trodden by the feet, and this objective is uniquely realised through the forehead.
- According to those who regard placing the feet as sunna, the wording of the ḥadīth, “I have been commanded to do sujūd upon seven bones,” is understood as encompassing both recommendation [nadb] and obligation [wujūb]. Thus, the command denotes wujūb regarding the forehead but nadb regarding the remaining limbs, or alternatively nadb in its entirety.
- Furthermore, the concluding words of the same narration, “and not to gather up the hair or garments,” demonstrate that the command is not necessarily one of farḍ, since gathering one’s clothing or hair does not invalidate the ṣalāh. Likewise, omitting sujūd upon the hands would not invalidate it.
- It should not be objected that the forehead is included among the seven limbs, yet abandoning it invalidates the ṣalāh, because its farḍ status is established through separate evidence, namely Allah’s statement: ﴾Make rukūʿ and sujūd﴿ [Qurʾān 22:77]. The very essence of sujūd consists in placing the forehead upon the ground.
- The Ḥanafī fuqahāʾ further maintained that the Qurʾānic command simply requires sujūd without specifying a particular limb. Ijmāʿ subsequently established that at least part of the face must be used. It is therefore impermissible to designate another limb by means of a solitary [āḥād] report, since, in their legal methodology, the unrestricted wording of the Qurʾān cannot be restricted by a solitary narration.
- Evidence for the view that placing the feet is obligatory
Among the evidences cited for the view stating that placing the feet is farḍ are:
- The ḥadīth of Ibn ʿAbbās (Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have been commanded to do sujūd upon seven bones: the forehead”—and he pointed with his hand to his nose—“the two hands, the two knees, and the tips of the feet; and not to gather up the garments or the hair.” Agreed upon: al-Bukhārī §812; and Muslim §490.
- Likewise, al-ʿAbbās b. ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “When the servant does sujūd, seven body parts do sujūd with him: his face, his two hands, his two knees, and his two feet.” Narrated by Muslim §491.
- They also cite the Prophet’s ﷺ consistent practice of doing sujūd in this manner as evidence supporting its farḍ nature.
Proper Conduct & Etiquette
It should be noted that the discussions of the fuqahāʾ are intended to clarify the legal rulings [aḥkām] in light of their evidence and legal consequences that follow in terms of the validity or invalidity of the ṣalāh. Nevertheless, proper etiquette before Allah remains essential. As Imām Ibn al-Humām (Allah have mercy upon him) remarked:
“Doing sujūd while raising both feet resembles playfulness more than it does reverence and veneration.”
Likewise, Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar (Allah have mercy upon him) said:
“The leading Companions and those who followed them were as consistent in observing the sunna as they were in observing the farḍ acts, making no distinction between them in seeking their reward. The fuqahāʾ only found it necessary to distinguish between them because of the legal consequences that follow, such as whether repetition of the ṣalāh is required or not, and whether liability for sin is incurred by omission or not.”
