12/1. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 1031 — Holding Knees in Ruku
Clasping one's hands together
Hadith About Holding the Knees in Ruku
Sunan an-Nasai : 1031
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 1031
أَخْبَرَنَا نُوحُ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا ابْنُ إِدْرِيسَ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ كُلَيْبٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الأَسْوَدِ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ عَلَّمَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الصَّلاَةَ فَقَامَ فَكَبَّرَ فَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَرْكَعَ طَبَّقَ يَدَيْهِ بَيْنَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَرَكَعَ فَبَلَغَ ذَلِكَ سَعْدًا فَقَالَ صَدَقَ أَخِي قَدْ كُنَّا نَفْعَلُ هَذَا ثُمَّ أُمِرْنَا بِهَذَا يَعْنِي الإِمْسَاكَ بِالرُّكَبِ .
`Abdullah Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us the prayer. He stood up and said the takbir, and when he wanted to bow, he put his hands together and put his hands between his knees and bowed. News of that reached Sa'd and he said: "My brother has spoken the truth. We used to do that, then we were commanded to do this," meaning to hold the knees.
Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 1031In-book reference : Book 12, Hadith 3English translation : Vol. 2, Book 12, Hadith 1032
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 1031
This Hadith begins with Abdullah saying that the Messenger of Allah taught them the prayer. He described standing, saying takbir, and then placing the hands together between the knees when bowing. When news of this reached Sa'd, he said that his brother had spoken the truth, meaning that they used to do that. Then he added that they were commanded to do this, meaning to hold the knees. The core topic is holding the knees in ruku. The Hadith is helpful because it reports both an earlier action and a later command as stated by Sa'd. For people searching for hadith about hands on knees in ruku, this narration clearly points to holding the knees as the command mentioned in the text.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet taught the prayer to his Companions.
- The narration mentions an earlier practice of putting hands between the knees.
- Sa'd stated that they were later commanded to hold the knees.
- Prayer practice may be learned through reports that explain what was done and what was later commanded.
