Disagreeing with the Imam in Placing the Knees Before the Hands
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If the Imam is one of those who places his knees before his hands when he goes down into prostration, is it considered disagreeing with the Imam for the follower to place his hands before his knees in this situation?
It appears to me that this is not a disagreement; because he has not lagged behind him nor moved ahead of him. This is unlike the resting sitting, where if the Imam does not sit for a rest, it is prescribed for the follower not to sit, because by sitting he would lag behind. As for this, he neither lags behind nor moves ahead. It is like if the Imam held the view that the tawruk sitting is prescribed in every final tashahhud, even in a two-rak'ah prayer, or if he held the view that the iftirash sitting is prescribed even in the second tashahhud of a prayer that has two tashahhuds, and the follower disagreed with him. In that case, it is not considered a disagreement. So it appears that this is not a disagreement, and there is no blame on the follower for placing his hands before his knees.
However, I advise the follower not to place his hands before his knees; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited that and said: (When one of you prostrates, let him not place himself down as a camel places itself down) And when a camel places itself down, it places its hands first, and everyone knows that. The hadith does not say (do not place yourself down as the camel places itself down) If it had said: as the camel places itself down, we would say: do not place yourself down on your knees; because the camel places itself down on its knees.But he said: So do not place yourself down as it places itself down. The prohibition is regarding the manner and the description. So let a person look: if he places his hands down before his knees, he becomes exactly like a camel. Therefore, we advise our brothers to reflect fully on the hadith, to know its implications, and then to act according to what its wording indicates. We see that he should place his knees before his hands, and this is also the natural order. For the first thing to touch the ground, which is fixed there from the start, is: the knee, then the hands, then the forehead and the nose. Just as when standing up, he raises the forehead and the nose, then the hands, then the knees.
It appears to me that this is not a disagreement; because he has not lagged behind him nor moved ahead of him. This is unlike the resting sitting, where if the Imam does not sit for a rest, it is prescribed for the follower not to sit, because by sitting he would lag behind. As for this, he neither lags behind nor moves ahead. It is like if the Imam held the view that the tawruk sitting is prescribed in every final tashahhud, even in a two-rak'ah prayer, or if he held the view that the iftirash sitting is prescribed even in the second tashahhud of a prayer that has two tashahhuds, and the follower disagreed with him. In that case, it is not considered a disagreement. So it appears that this is not a disagreement, and there is no blame on the follower for placing his hands before his knees.
However, I advise the follower not to place his hands before his knees; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited that and said: (When one of you prostrates, let him not place himself down as a camel places itself down) And when a camel places itself down, it places its hands first, and everyone knows that. The hadith does not say (do not place yourself down as the camel places itself down) If it had said: as the camel places itself down, we would say: do not place yourself down on your knees; because the camel places itself down on its knees.But he said: So do not place yourself down as it places itself down. The prohibition is regarding the manner and the description. So let a person look: if he places his hands down before his knees, he becomes exactly like a camel. Therefore, we advise our brothers to reflect fully on the hadith, to know its implications, and then to act according to what its wording indicates. We see that he should place his knees before his hands, and this is also the natural order. For the first thing to touch the ground, which is fixed there from the start, is: the knee, then the hands, then the forehead and the nose. Just as when standing up, he raises the forehead and the nose, then the hands, then the knees.