5/19. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 882 — Knees Before Hands in Prostration
Prostration
Knees Before Hands in Sujood Hadith
Sunan Ibn Majah : 882
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 882
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْخَلاَّلُ، حَدَّثَنَا يَزِيدُ بْنُ هَارُونَ، أَنْبَأَنَا شَرِيكٌ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ كُلَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ وَائِلِ بْنِ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ إِذَا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ قَبْلَ يَدَيْهِ وَإِذَا قَامَ مِنَ السُّجُودِ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ قَبْلَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ .
Wa'il bin Hujr Narrated from:
I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) when he prostrated and put his knees on the ground before his hands, and when he stood up after prostrating, he took his hands off the ground before his knees.”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 882In-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 80English translation : Vol. 1, Book 5, Hadith 882
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 882
This Hadith speaks about knees before hands in sujood through the direct observation of Wa’il bin Hujr. He says that when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prostrated, he placed his knees on the ground before his hands. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم stood up after prostrating, he lifted his hands before his knees. The wording is short and focused, so the explanation should stay focused too. It describes an observed movement in prayer, not a full discussion of every view on how to go down into sujood. For readers searching for hadith about placing knees before hands, this narration gives the basic text and the sequence mentioned by the narrator.
What we learn from this hadith
- Wa’il bin Hujr reported what he personally saw in the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم prayer.
- The narration describes knees touching the ground before hands when going into sujood.
- When rising, the hands were lifted before the knees.
- The text teaches careful attention to movement in salah.
