What is the ruling on placing the hands before the knees during prostration, and what is the meaning of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: “And let him place his hands before his knees”?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner asks: What is the ruling on placing the hands before the knees during prostration? And if placing the knees first is correct, what is the meaning of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: “And let him place his hands before his knees”?

Answer:
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) discussed this in his book *Zad al-Ma'ad* and elaborated on it, stating that the narration “And let him place his hands before his knees” is a reversed narration, and the correct one is “And let him place his knees before his hands.” The evidence for this is that he prohibited imitating the camel, and the camel places its hands before its knees, and we are prohibited from imitating the camel. This is the summary of what the Imam Ibn al-Qayyim established. However, if a person is unable, sick, or of advanced age and needs to place his hands before his knees to rely on them, there is no harm in that due to necessity. Yes.