Uncovering The Organs Of Prostration, By Sh. Mashhur Hasan Aal-Salmaan

Uncovering The Organs Of Prostration

By Sh. Mashhur Hasan Aal-Salmaan

Some hold that it is an obligation to uncover some of the parts upon which a muslim prostrates him self while doing Sujud, and that one must do Sujud on the earth or whatever is of its kind.

’Anas (ra) said: ‘We used to perform Salaat led by the prophet (saw) under the scorching heat of the sun. Whenever we did Sujud, we used to spread a part of our clothes on the ground to prostrate on due to the ground’s burning heat’.(1)

Ash-Shawkaani said: ‘[The Fuqahaa’] infered from this hadith the permissibility for the one performing Salaat to prostrate himself on a part of his clothes. An-Nawawi stated that this opinion was held by Abu Hanifah and the Jumhur. Ash-Shafi‘i held the same opinion provided that the cloth on which one prostrates be separated from one’s own clothes.

There is no contradiction whatsoever between the aforementioned hadith and the one that states: ‘We complained to the prophet (saw) from the scorching heat of the ground that our fore heads and hands got hurt from, but he (saw) did not respond to our complaint’.(2)

The Sahaabah complained for the prophet (saw) that he may delay performing the Salat till the heat decreases when the sun declines; they did not ask his permission to use a piece of cloth on which one may prostrate for this was already permitted; for it is affirmed that he (saw) used to perform his Salaat on a khumrah [piece of cloth]’.(3)

The aforementioned hadith that begins with “I was ordered to prostrate my self on seven [bones]…” indicates that one does not have to uncover these parts when doing prostration for prostration means that these parts should touch the ground.

Accordingly, doing Salaat wearing gloves is permissible,(4) just like wearing socks or shoes.

FOOTNOTES:

(1) Narrated by: Al-Bukhari in his “Sahih” (no. 385), (542) and (1208).

(2) Narrated by Al-Baihaqi in “As-Sunnan Al-Kubraa” (vol. 2 / pp. 104 – 5, 107) through an authentic chain of narrators as stated by Ibn Al-Mulaqqin in “Tuhfatul Muhtaaj” (vol. 1 / p. 309). The hadith is also narrated in “Sahih” Muslim” (vol. 1 / p. 433), “Al-Mujtabaa” by An-Nasaa’i (vol. 1 / p. 427), Ibn Maajah in “As-Sunnan” (vol. 1 / p. 222), Ahmad in his “Musnad” (vol. 5 / p. 108, 110) without the words “our

(3) “Naylul Awtaar” (vol. 2 / pp. 289 – 90).

(4) Al-Bukhaari narrated in his “Sahih” (vol. 1 / p. 492) from Al-Hasan to have said:
‘People [i.e. the Sahaabah] used to do Sujud covering their hands with a part of their clothes’ [due to the burning heat of the groud]. Abdur Razzaaq narrated the same hadith through a connected chain of narrators (vol. 1 / p. 40) (no. 1566) and Ibn Abi Shaibah in “Al-Musannaf” (vol. 1 / p. 266).