Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 1098
أَخْبَرَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ الْمَكِّيُّ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الزُّهْرِيُّ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ ابْنِ طَاوُسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أُمِرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَسْجُدَ عَلَى سَبْعٍ - وَنُهِيَ أَنْ يَكْفِتَ الشَّعْرَ وَالثِّيَابَ - عَلَى يَدَيْهِ وَرُكْبَتَيْهِ وَأَطْرَافِ أَصَابِعِهِ . قَالَ سُفْيَانُ قَالَ لَنَا ابْنُ طَاوُسٍ وَوَضَعَ يَدَيْهِ عَلَى جَبْهَتِهِ وَأَمَرَّهَا عَلَى أَنْفِهِ . قَالَ هَذَا وَاحِدٌ وَاللَّفْظُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ .
Muhammad ibn Mansur al-Makki and ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Zuhri reported to us; both said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibn Tawus, from his father, from Ibn ‘Abbas: The Prophet (ﷺ) was commanded to prostrate on seven [points]—and was forbidden to gather up the hair or clothes—on his hands, knees, and the tips of his toes. Sufyan said: Ibn Tawus told us, placing his hands on his forehead and moving them over his nose. He said, ‘These are one [point],’ and the wording is Muhammad’s.
Translation notes
The report uses “seven” elliptically and lists the hands, knees, and toe tips; Ibn Tawus's gesture over the forehead and nose explains how these count as one point. وَاللَّفْظُ لِمُحَمَّدٍ identifies Muhammad's wording.
أُمِرَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنْ يَسْجُدَ عَلَى سَبْعٍ - وَنُهِيَ أَنْ يَكْفِتَ الشَّعْرَ وَالثِّيَابَ - عَلَى يَدَيْهِ وَرُكْبَتَيْهِ وَأَطْرَافِ أَصَابِعِهِ .
The text says “prostrate on seven” without an explicit noun such as points or bones, then lists only hands, knees, and toe tips before a later gesture explains the forehead and nose as one.
Is “seven points” the best rendering of the elliptical wording here?