The Messenger of Allah (saws) recited surah Sad on the pulpit. When he reached the place of prostration (in the surah), he descended and prostrated himself and the people prostrated with him. When the next day came, he recited it. When he reached the place of prostration (in the surah), the people became ready for prostration. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: This is the repentance of a Prophet ; but I saw you being ready for prostration. So he descended and prostrated himself and the people prostrated along with him.

Malik said, "The imam does not come down and prostrate when he recites a piece of Qur'an requiring a prostration while he is on the mimbar."

Malik said, "The position with us is that there are eleven prescribed prostrations in the Qur'an, none of which are in the mufassal."

Malik said, "No-one should recite any of the pieces of Qur'an that require a prostration after the prayers of subh and asr. This is because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade prayer after subh until after the sun had risen, and after asr until the sun had set, and prostration is part of the prayer. So no-one should recite any piece of Qur'an requiring a prostration during these two periods of time."

Malik was asked whether a menstruating woman could prostrate if she heard some-one reciting a passage of Qur'an requiring a prostration, and he said, "Neither a man nor a woman should prostrate unless they are ritually pure."

Malik was asked whether a man in the company of a woman who was reciting a passage of Qur'an requiring a prostration should prostrate with her, and he said, "He does not have to prostrate with her. The prostration is only obligatory for people who are with a man who is leading them. He recites the piece and they prostrate with him. Some one who hears a piece of Qur'an that requires a prostration being recited by a man who is not leading him in prayer does not have to do the prostration."

Whenever the Prophet recited the Sura which contained the prostration of recitation he used to prostrate and then, we, too, would prostrate and some of us did not find a place for prostration.

The prostration in Sura-Sa`d is not amongst the compulsory prostrations, though I saw the Prophet prostrating on reciting it.

Then the other section came; they stood up and uttered the takbir and bowed by themselves. The Messenger of Allah (saws) prostrated himself and they also prostrated with him. Then the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up and they performed the second prostration by themselves. Then both the sections stood up and prayed with the Messenger of Allah (saws). He bowed and they also bowed, and then he prostrated himself and they also prostrated themselves. Then he returned and performed the second prostration and they also prostrated with him as quickly as possible, showing no slackness in quick prostration. The Messenger of Allah (saws) then uttered the salutation. After that the Messenger of Allah (saws) stood up. Thus everyone participated in the entire prayer.

Abu Dawud said: Musaddad said: His bowing and his moderation in bowing and prostration, and his prostration and his sitting between the two prostrations, and his prostration and sitting between the salutation and going away (after finishing the prayer) were nearly equal.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that Umar ibn al-Khattab once recited a piece of Qur'an requiring a prostration while he was on the mimbar on the day of jumua, and he came down and prostrated, and everyone prostrated with him. Then he recited it again the next jumua and everybody prepared to prostrate but he said, "At your ease. Allah has not prescribed it for us, unless we wish." He did not prostrate, and he stopped them from prostrating.

In the year of Conquest the Messenger of Allah (saws) recited a verse at which a prostration should be made and all the people prostrated themselves. Some were mounted, and some were prostrating themselves on the ground, and those who were mounted prostrated themselves on their hands.

I saw Abu Huraira reciting Idha-Sama' un-Shaqqat and he prostrated during its recitation. I asked Abu Huraira, "Didn't I see you prostrating?" Abu Huraira said, "Had I not seen the Prophet prostrating, I would not have prostrated."

The first Sura in which a prostration was mentioned, was Sura An-Najm (The Star). Allah's Apostle prostrated (while reciting it), and everybody behind him prostrated except a man whom I saw taking a hand-full of dust in his hand and prostrated on it. Later I saw that man killed as an infidel, and he was Umaiya bin Khalaf.

When the Prophet recited a Sura that contained the prostration he would prostrate and we would do the same and some of us (because of the heavy rush) could not find a place for prostration.

`Umar bin Al-Khattab recited Surat-an-Nahl on a Friday on the pulpit and when he reached the verse of Sajda he got down from the pulpit and prostrated and the people also prostrated. The next Friday `Umar bin Al-Khattab recited the same Sura and when he reached the verse of Sajda he said, "O people! When we recite the verses of Sajda (during the sermon) whoever prostrates does the right thing, yet it is no sin for the one who does not prostrate." And `Umar did not prostrate (that day). Added Ibn `Umar "Allah has not made the prostration of recitation compulsory but if we wish we can do it."

(and he was not a liar) When Allah's Apostle said, "Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah" none of us bent his back (for prostration) till the Prophet prostrated and then we would prostrate after him.

When the Prophet recited Surat As-Sajda and we were with him, he would prostrate and we also would prostrate with him and some of us (because of the heavy rush) would not find a place (for our foreheads) to prostrate on.

I went to al-Hirah and saw them (the people) prostrating themselves before a satrap of theirs, so I said: The Messenger of Allah (saws) has most right to have prostration made before him. When I came to the Prophet (saws), I said: I went to al-Hirah and saw them prostrating themselves before a satrap of theirs, but you have most right, Messenger of Allah, to have (people) prostrating themselves before you. He said: Tell me , if you were to pass my grave, would you prostrate yourself before it? I said: No. He then said: Do not do so. If I were to command anyone to make prostration before another I would command women to prostrate themselves before their husbands, because of the special right over them given to husbands by Allah.

The Prophet recited Surat An-Najam and prostrated, and there was nobody who did not prostrate then except a man whom I saw taking a handful of pebbles, lifting it, and prostrating on it. He then said, "This is sufficient for me." No doubt I saw him killed as a disbeliever afterwards.

The prostration of Sa`d is not a compulsory one but I saw the Prophet prostrating while reciting it.

The time taken by the Prophet in prostrations, bowing, and the sitting interval between the two prostrations was about the same.

Once Allah's Apostle led us in the Zuhr prayer and got up (after the prostrations of the second rak`a) although he should have sat (for the Tashahhud). So at the end of the prayer, he prostrated twice while sitting (prostrations of Sahu).

The bowing, the prostrations, the period of standing after bowing and the interval between the two prostrations of the Prophet used to be equal in duration .

The Prophet I prostrated while reciting An-Najm and with him prostrated the Muslims, the pagans, the jinns, and all human beings.

I asked Mujahid regarding the prostration in Surat Sa`d. He said, "I asked Ibn `Abbas, 'What evidence makes you prostrate?' He said, "Don't you recite:--'And among his progeny, David and Solomon..(6.84). Those are they whom Allah had guided. So follow their guidance.' (6.90) So David was the one of those prophets whom Prophet (Muhammad) was ordered to follow. David prostrated, so Allah's Apostle (Muhammad) performed this prostration too.'

The Prophet said, "Be straight in the prostrations and none of you should put his forearms on the ground (in the prostration) like a dog."

The Prophet once offered the eclipse prayer. He stood for a long time and then did a prolonged bowing. He stood up straight again and kept on standing for a long time, then bowed a long bowing and then stood up straight and then prostrated a prolonged prostration and then lifted his head and prostrated a prolonged prostration. And then he stood up for a long time and then did a prolonged bowing and then stood up straight again and kept on standing for a long time. Then he bowed a long bowing and then stood up straight and then prostrated a prolonged prostration and then lifted his head and went for a prolonged prostration. On completion o the prayer, he said, "Paradise became s near to me that if I had dared, I would have plucked one of its bunches for you and Hell became so near to me that said, 'O my Lord will I be among those people?' Then suddenly I saw a woman and a cat was lacerating her with it claws. On inquiring, it was said that the woman had imprisoned the cat till it died of starvation and she neither fed it no freed it so that it could feed itself."

We went out with the Messenger of Allah (saws) from Mecca making for Medina. When we were near Azwara', he alighted, then raised his hands, and made supplication to Allah for a time, after which he prostrated himself, remaining a long time in prostration. Then he stood up and raised his hands for a time, after which he prostrated himself, remaining a long time in prostration.

He then stood up and raised his hands for a time, after which he prostrated himself. Ahmad mentioned it three times.

He then said: I begged my Lord and made intercession for my people, and He gave me a third of my people, so I prostrated myself in gratitude to my Lord. Then I raised my head and begged my Lord for my people, and He gave me a third of my people, so I prostrated myself in gratitude to my Lord. Then I raised my head and begged my Lord for my people and He gave me the remaining third, so I prostrated myself in gratitude to my Lord.

Abu Dawud said: When Ahmad b. Salih narrated this tradition to us, he omitted the name of Ash'ath b. Ishaq, but Musa b. Sahl al-Ramli narrated it to us through him.

The Prophet performed a prostration when he finished reciting Surat-an-Najm, and all the Muslims and pagans and Jinns and human beings prostrated along with him.

Allah's Apostle finished his prayer after offerings two rak`at only. Dhul-Yaddain asked him whether the prayer had been reduced, or you had forgotten?" The Prophet said, "Is Dhul-Yaddain speaking the truth?" The people said, "Yes." Then Allah's Apostle stood up and performed another two rak`at and then finished prayer with Taslim, and then said the Takbir and performed a prostration similar to or longer than his ordinary prostrations; then he raised his head, said Takbir and prostrated and then raised his head (Sahu prostrations).

I heard the Prophet saying, "Our Lord Allah will lay bare His Shin, and then all the Believers, men and women, will prostrate themselves before Him, but there will remain those who used to prostrate in the world for showing off and for gaining good reputation. Such people will try to prostrate (on the Day of Judgment) but their back swill be as stiff as if it is one bone (a single vertebra).

The bowing, the prostration the sitting in between the two prostrations and the standing after the bowing of the Prophet but not qiyam (standing in the prayer) and qu`ud (sitting in the prayer) used to be approximately equal (in duration).

The Prophet said, "Perform the bowing and the prostrations properly. By Allah, I see you from behind me (or from behind my back) when you bow or prostrate."

I said to the Messenger of Allah (saws): Are there two prostrations in Surah al-Hajj? He replied: Yes; if anyone does not make two prostrations, he should not recite them.

I asked Zaid bin Thabit about prostration on which he said that he had recited An-Najm before the Prophet, yet he (the Prophet) had not performed a prostration.

Anas said, "I will leave no stone unturned in making you offer the prayer as I have seen the Prophet making us offer it." Anas used to do a thing which I have not seen you doing. He used to stand after the bowing for such a long time that one would think that he had forgotten (the prostrations) and he used to sit in-between the prostrations so long that one would think that he had forgotten the second prostration.