How to perform Sajdah

Sajdah is an Arabic word, and its corresponding meaning is prostration, and the word Sajdah not means sjood or prostration during the prayer, but Sajdah is the prostration during recitation of Quran, lets know more about Sajdah.

What is Sajdah?

Sajdah as we mentioned, is a prostrating during recitation of Quran, and it is a Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad –peace and blessings be upon him- it happens when reading a verse of Quran containing the symbol of Sajdah which is as the following figure. So when you see this symbol during recitation of Quran , you may perform Sajdah.

Number of Sajdah in Quran:

Sajdah was repeated fifteen times in the Holy Quran, the first Sajdah in Quran came in Surat Al-Aaraf, in the last verse of Surat Al-Aaraf; { And for Him, they prostrate}. And the last Sajdah in Quran came in Surat Al-Alaq; {Prostrate and come closer}.

How to perform Sajdah?

Sajdah is only one prostration with one Takbeer ( to say God is greet with raising the hands beside the ears) before prostration, but there is no Tasleem ( to say peace be upon you while looking at your right shoulder and your left shoulder) after raising from prostration. Sajdah also doesn’t need ablution, but it need to be receiving the Qiblah ” Kaaba”, and to cover the nakedness, and In Sajdah, Muslim recite ( Glory be to God the highest, and praise) for three times, and asks Allah whatever he wants.

Ruling on Sajdah:

It is a certain Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad –peace and blessings be upon him, so it should not be neglected. And certain Sunnah is not obligatory and it is not a fault or a sin to leave it. However, Muslims should preserve performance of Sajdah as a revival of Sunnah. Supplications during performing Sajdah: Aisha –may God be pleased with her- narrated that the Messenger –peace and blessings be upon him- during the supplication of prostration of recitation, was saying: (My face prostrated to Who created it, and made its hearing and its sighting with His strength and power). There are many other supplications that Muslim may recite during Sajdah, as on the authority of Ali ibn Abi-Talib – may God be pleased with him_ he said that The Messenger of Allah –peace and blessings be upon him – when he got up for prayer……….. and when he prostrated, he said: (O, God, I prostrated to You, and I believed in You, and I converted to Islam, prostrating my face to the one who created it, and formed it, and made its hearing , and its sight, blessed be to the best of the creators). It is the sunnah of the Prophet in the prostration of the prayer, and Muslims can recite this supplication in the prostration of recitation too.

An alternative to Sajdah:

Even the prostration after reciting any verse containing the symbol of Sajdah is confirmed, but if it is impossible for him to perform Sajdah, in this situation Muslim may not prostrate as it is not obligatory, he can also delay prostration until he can perform it, or he may say: (Glory be to God, praise be to God, there is no god but God, and God is greatest) for four times, as an alternative to performing Sajdah.