Is the prostration of one whose hand does not touch the ground valid?

Question:
May Allah reward you. Your Eminence, father, the questioner says: I prayed as the imam, and in one of the prostrations I did not place one of my hands on the ground. What is the ruling on my prayer and the prayer of those behind me?

Answer:
We do not know what he means by “he did not place his hands on the ground.” Does it mean there was a mat or a barrier between him and the ground, or that he held his hands up so they did not descend onto a mat or anything else? This does not invalidate his prayer, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I was commanded to prostrate and the two knees and the two feet.” So he must prostrate on seven limbs. If he raised his hands and did not place them on the ground, neither directly nor over a barrier, then his prayer is not valid, unless this was due to an excuse, such as being unable to place his hands down because of pain in his hand, or a fracture, or because they were raised and he could not lower them. In that case, it is excused. But if he is sound and has no ailment, and he did not place his hands, then it is not valid.