Prostration During Recital of Qur'an

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; he said: Ghundar narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, who said: I heard al-Aswad, from ‘Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surat al-Najm in Makkah and prostrated during it, and those with him prostrated as well, except for an old man who took a handful of pebbles or soil, lifted it to his forehead, and said: ‘This is enough for me.’ I saw him later, killed as an unbeliever.

Muhammad ibn Yusuf narrated to us; Sufyan narrated to us, from Sa‘d ibn Ibrahim, from ‘Abd al-Rahman, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: On Fridays, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite in the dawn prayer: ‘Alif, Lam, Mim. The sending down…’—Surat al-Sajdah—and ‘Has there come upon man…’

Sulayman ibn Harb and Abu al-Nu‘man narrated to us; they said: Hammad narrated to us, from Ayyub, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: ‘Sad is not among the prescribed prostrations, though I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrate while reciting it.’

Hafs ibn ‘Umar narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from al-Aswad, from ‘Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited Surat al-Najm and prostrated during it. Everyone in the group prostrated, except for one man who took a handful of pebbles or soil, raised it to his face, and said: ‘This is enough for me.’ I later saw him killed as an unbeliever.

Musaddad narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Warith narrated to us; he said: Ayyub narrated to us, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrated at Surat al-Najm, and the Muslims, polytheists, jinn, and humans prostrated with him. Ibn Tahman also reported it from Ayyub.

Sulayman ibn Dawud Abu al-Rabi‘ narrated to us; he said: Isma‘il ibn Ja‘far narrated to us; he said: Yazid ibn Khusayfah informed us, from Ibn Qusayt, from ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar, who informed him that he had asked Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), who related that he had recited Surat al-Najm before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet did not prostrate during it.

Adam ibn Abi Iyas narrated to us; he said: Ibn Abi Dhi’b narrated to us; he said: Yazid ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Qusayt narrated to us, from ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar, from Zayd ibn Thabit, who said: I recited Surat al-Najm before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not prostrate during it.

Muslim and Mu‘adh ibn Fadalah narrated to us; they said: Hisham informed us, from Yahya, from Abu Salamah, who said: I saw Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) recite ‘When the sky is split open,’ and he prostrated during it. I said to Abu Hurayrah: ‘Did I not see you prostrating?’ He said: ‘Had I not seen the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrate, I would not have prostrated.’

Musaddad narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us, from ‘Ubayd Allah, who said: Nafi‘ narrated to me, from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite to us a surah containing a prostration, then prostrate, and we would prostrate with him, until some of us could not find a place for our foreheads.

Bishr ibn Adam narrated to us; he said: ‘Ali ibn Mushir narrated to us; he said: ‘Ubayd Allah informed us, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite Surat al-Sajdah while we were with him; he would prostrate, and we would prostrate with him. We would crowd together until none of us could find a place on which to prostrate his forehead.

Ibrahim ibn Musa narrated to us; he said: Hisham ibn Yusuf informed us that Ibn Jurayj informed them; he said: Abu Bakr ibn Abi Mulaykah informed me, from ‘Uthman ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Taymi, from Rabi‘ah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Hudayr al-Taymi—Abu Bakr said, ‘Rabi‘ah was among the best of people’—concerning what Rabi‘ah witnessed of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him): On Friday, ‘Umar recited Surat al-Nahl from the pulpit. When he reached the prostration verse, he descended, prostrated, and the people prostrated. The following Friday, when he recited it and reached the prostration verse, he said: ‘O people, we encounter prostrations. Whoever prostrates has done right, and whoever does not prostrate bears no sin.’ ‘Umar did not prostrate. Nafi‘ added, from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): ‘Allah has not made prostration obligatory; it is only if we choose to do so.’

Musaddad narrated to us; he said: Mu‘tamir narrated to us; he said: I heard my father say: Bakr narrated to me, from Abu Rafi‘, who said: I prayed the night prayer with Abu Hurayrah, and he recited ‘When the sky is split open’ and prostrated. I said: ‘What is this?’ He said: ‘I prostrated during it behind Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him), and I will keep prostrating during it until I meet him.’

Sadaqah narrated to us; he said: Yahya informed us, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would recite a surah containing a prostration, then prostrate, and we would prostrate with him, until none of us could find a place for our foreheads.