2/124. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 736 — Knees Before Hands in Sujud
The Beginning Of The Prayer
Knees Before Hands in Sujud: A Hadith on Prostration Movement
Sunan Abi Dawud : 736
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 736
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَعْمَرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ مِنْهَالٍ، حَدَّثَنَا هَمَّامٌ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جُحَادَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ بْنِ وَائِلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ فَلَمَّا سَجَدَ وَقَعَتَا رُكْبَتَاهُ إِلَى الأَرْضِ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَقَعَ كَفَّاهُ - قَالَ - فَلَمَّا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ جَبْهَتَهُ بَيْنَ كَفَّيْهِ وَجَافَى عَنْ إِبْطَيْهِ . قَالَ حَجَّاجٌ وَقَالَ هَمَّامٌ وَحَدَّثَنَا شَقِيقٌ حَدَّثَنِي عَاصِمُ بْنُ كُلَيْبٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِمِثْلِ هَذَا وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَحَدِهِمَا - وَأَكْبَرُ عِلْمِي أَنَّهُ حَدِيثُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جُحَادَةَ - وَإِذَا نَهَضَ نَهَضَ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَاعْتَمَدَ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ .
Wa’il b. Hujr Narrated from:
Wa’il b. Hujr reported in this tradition from the Prophet(ﷺ): When he prostrated, his knees touched the ground before his palms touched it; when he prostrated himself, he placed his forehead on the ground between his palms, and kept his armpits away from his sides.Hajjaj reported from Hammam and Shaqiq narrated a similar tradition to us from ‘Asim b. Kulaib on the authority of his father from the Prophet(ﷺ). And another version narrated by one of them has-and I think in all probability that this version has been narrated by Muhammad b. Juhadah-when he got up (after prostration), he got up with his knees and gave his weight on his thighs.
[1] He said: “the greater of my knowledge is that”. And he says this again related to this particular topic after number 839.Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 736In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 346English translation : Book 2, Hadith 735
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 736
This hadith about knees before hands in sujud reports a specific movement from the Prophet's prayer. Wa'il ibn Hujr says that when the Prophet prostrated, his knees touched the ground before his palms. The narration also says he placed his forehead on the ground between his palms and kept his armpits away from his sides. Another part of the report mentions rising after prostration with the knees and giving weight on the thighs. The hadith is about observed prayer form. It should be explained as a report of what Wa'il narrated, without adding extra claims not found in the text.
What we learn from this hadith
- The report says the knees reached the ground before the palms in prostration.
- It describes the forehead being placed between the palms.
- It mentions keeping the armpits away from the sides in sujud.
