Prostration of Recitation and Prostration of Gratitude

Read the bilingual lesson for Prostration of Recitation and Prostration of Gratitude and test your understanding with a focused quiz.

Lesson

1. Sujud al-Tilawah: Status and Triggers

سَبَبُ السُّجُودِ التِّلَاوَةِ التَّالِي وَالسَّامِعُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ وَهُوَ وَاجِبٌ
• Legal Status: Performing the prostration of recitation (Sujud al-Tilawah) is legally Wajib (obligatory).
• Triggers: This obligation is established in two scenarios:
◦ Al-Tali (The Reciter): Upon the individual who recites the prostration verse.
◦ Al-Sami' (The Listener): Upon the individual who hears the prostration verse, whether they listened to it intentionally or heard it unintentionally.
• Non-Arabic Recitation: If the translation or meaning of a prostration verse is recited or heard in a language other than Arabic (such as Persian), and the person understands its meaning, performing the prostration remains Wajib.

2. The Fourteen Prostration Verses

وَآيَاتُهَا أَرْبَعَ عَشْرَةَ آيَةً
• The Count: According to the authoritative Hanafi position, there are exactly fourteen (14) prostration verses in the entire Quran.
• The Locations: These verses are located in the following chapters:
◦ Al-A'raf, Al-Ra'd, Al-Nahl, Al-Isra', Maryam, Al-Hajj (first prostration), Al-Furqan, Al-Naml, Al-Sajdah, Sad, Fussilat, Al-Najm, Al-Inshiqaq, and Al-Alaq.
• The Hajj Exception: The second prostration located at the end of Surah al-Hajj is not classified as a prostration of recitation in the Hanafi school. It is treated as an emphasized command to perform the standard prostration of worship inside prayer; thus, the total count remains fourteen.

3. Performance Inside and Outside Prayer

وَتُؤَدَّى بِرُكُوعٍ أَوْ سُجُودٍ فِي الصَّلَاةِ... وَشَرْطُ لِصِحَّتِهَا شَرَائِطُ الصَّلَاةِ
• Outside prayer: The basic conditions applicable to prayer, such as ritual purity, covering and facing the Qiblah, apply to Sujud al-Tilawah.
◦ A recommended method is to begin standing, say the Takbir without raising the hands, make one prostration, then say the Takbir while rising from it.
• Inside prayer: A separate prostration may be made after an ayah of prostration.
◦ If the worshipper proceeds promptly into the prayer's normal bowing, that bowing can fulfil Sujud al-Tilawah with the relevant intention; if there is a substantial interval, a separate prostration is made.

4. Repetition in a Single Sitting

وَتَتَكَرَّرُ فِي مَجْلِسٍ وَاحِدٍ بِتَبَدُّلِ الْمَجْلِسِ لَا التِّلَاوَةِ
• Core Rule: The repetition of Sujud al-Tilawah revolves strictly around the unity or alteration of the physical location (Majlis):
◦ Single Sitting (Muttahid al-Majlis): If a person repeatedly recites or hears the same prostration verse while remaining in the exact same sitting/location, only one prostration is legally Wajib.
◦ Altered Sitting (Tabaddul al-Majlis): If they change their location and recite the same verse again (e.g., reciting once in the room and then in the courtyard), a new prostration becomes Wajib due to the change of location.
• Different Verses: If different prostration verses are recited in the exact same sitting, a separate prostration is Wajib for each distinct verse.

5. The Prostration of Gratitude (Sujud al-Shukr)

سَجْدَةُ الشُّكْرِ مَكْرُوهَةٌ عِنْدَ الإِمَامِ... وَقَالَا هِيَ قُرْبَةٌ يُثَابُ عَلَيْهَا
• Sujud al-Shukr: A prostration of gratitude on receiving a new blessing or being delivered from a hardship.
• According to Imam Abu Hanifah: The supplied text classifies it as disliked.
• According to the Sahibayn: Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad regard it as an act of devotion for which a person is rewarded.
• Method: On the view permitting it, its basic form and conditions follow those of Sujud al-Tilawah.

Practice questions

Question 1

Upon whom is performing Sujud al-Tilawah legally Wajib when a prostration verse is recited?

Only upon the one who recites the verse.
Only upon the one who listens to it with intention.
Upon both the reciter (Tali) and the listener (Sami'), whether the hearing was intentional or unintentional.
Only upon the Imam of the mosque.

Question 2

If a person recites the translation of a prostration verse in Persian and understands its meaning, Sujud al-Tilawah is NOT Wajib upon them.

True
False

Question 3

How many prostration verses are officially recognized in the entire Quran according to the Hanafi school?

Eleven (11) verses.
Twelve (12) verses.
Fourteen (14) verses.
Fifteen (15) verses.

Question 4

The second prostration verse located at the end of Surah al-Hajj is classified as an official prostration of recitation in the Hanafi school.

True
False

Question 5

If a prostration verse is recited inside prayer, and the worshipper performs the standard bowing (Ruku') of the prayer immediately after (within 3 verses), can the Ruku' satisfy the Tilawah prostration?

No, a separate prostration is always mandatory.
Yes, performing the Ruku' satisfies the obligation, provided the worshipper intends it.
It only satisfies it if they are praying in a ship.
It satisfies it only if the prayer is voluntary (Nafal).

Question 6

If a person repeats the same prostration verse multiple times while sitting in the exact same location, only one prostration is legally Wajib.

True
False

Question 7

What is the ruling regarding the Prostration of Gratitude (Sujud al-Shukr) according to Imam Abu Hanifah?

It is Wajib (necessary).
It is Sunnah Mu'akkadah.
It is legally disliked (Makruh).
It is completely forbidden (Haram).

Question 8

Match the location and verse scenarios with the correct number of required prostrations:

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