The manner of descending into prostration and rising from it
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Your Eminence! A new movement has appeared among some of the worshippers in prayer that was not done before. Some of the elderly, when they descend into prostration, rely on their hands first, but with the backs of their fingers placed down, as if they are kneading—Meaning: on the backs of three of the fingers—and likewise when they rise from the second prostration. As for some of the other worshippers, when they rise from the middle sitting or from the sitting of rest, they also place the backs of their fingers down and rely on them, then they raise their hands and place them on their knees, relying on their knees to stand up. What is the ruling on these extra movements in prayer?
It is prescribed for a person to pray as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prayed, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): (Pray as you have seen me praying) Malik ibn Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned: [that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) praying, and when he was in an odd number of his prayer, he did not stand up until he was sitting upright] meaning: he sits in the first rak'ah, then stands for the second, sits in the third, then stands for the fourth. The scholars called this sitting the sitting of rest. Malik ibn Huwayrith also mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) [used to rely on his hands when he wanted to stand up] But is it in the manner of a kneader or not? This depends on the authenticity of the hadith reported regarding this. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) denied the authenticity of this hadith in al-Majmu',Meaning: that he stands up like a kneader, and some of the later scholars authenticated it.
In any case, what appears from the condition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is that he would sit; because he had grown old and gained weight, so he could not stand up completely from prostration to standing. So he would sit, and then when he wanted to rise and stand, he would rely on his hands to make it easier for him. This is what appears from the condition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). For this reason, the stronger opinion regarding this sitting—I mean: the sitting of rest—is that if one needs it due to old age, heaviness, illness, pain in the knees, or something similar, let him sit. Then, if he needs to rely on his hands when standing up, let him rely on whatever manner is easiest, whether he relies on the backs of his fingers,Meaning: gathers his fingers like this and relies on them, or on his palms, or otherwise. The important thing is that if he needs to rely on something, let him rely on it, and if he does not need it, he should not rely on it.
As for descending into prostration, the correct view is that a person should start with his knees before his hands; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade a person from placing his hands before his knees, where he said: (When one of you prostrates, let him not kneel like a camel kneels) and we observe that when a camel kneels, it places its hands forward, and this is clear. Some scholars understood that the intended meaning is that one should not place his knees forward, and said: the camel's knees are in its hands, so if one places his knees forward during prostration, he has knelt like a camel kneels. This understanding is questionable. The point of question is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not say: "So do not kneel on what the camel kneels on,"If he had said: on what it kneels on. We said, do not kneel on the knees.Rather He said: (So do not kneel like a camel kneels) The prohibition is regarding the manner and form. Consequently, if a man places his hands before his knees, he has knelt like a camel kneels.
If someone were to say: Supporting the first understanding is that in this hadith it says: (and let him place his hands before his knees).
The answer to this is that this phrase is not authentic; because it does not align with the beginning of the hadith. Rather, it is inverted upon the narrator, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) clarified in Zad al-Ma'ad. And on this basis, prostration is done on the knees. If a person needs to place his hands before his knees, such as if it is difficult for him, there is no harm in placing the hands before the knees.
And the fact that when he wants to rise from the first tashahhud, he places his hands on the ground and relies on them, and then when he places his hands, he raises them and then relies on his knees—this has no basis, and I do not know of any report of it in the hadith.
It is prescribed for a person to pray as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prayed, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): (Pray as you have seen me praying) Malik ibn Huwayrith (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned: [that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) praying, and when he was in an odd number of his prayer, he did not stand up until he was sitting upright] meaning: he sits in the first rak'ah, then stands for the second, sits in the third, then stands for the fourth. The scholars called this sitting the sitting of rest. Malik ibn Huwayrith also mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) [used to rely on his hands when he wanted to stand up] But is it in the manner of a kneader or not? This depends on the authenticity of the hadith reported regarding this. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) denied the authenticity of this hadith in al-Majmu',Meaning: that he stands up like a kneader, and some of the later scholars authenticated it.
In any case, what appears from the condition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is that he would sit; because he had grown old and gained weight, so he could not stand up completely from prostration to standing. So he would sit, and then when he wanted to rise and stand, he would rely on his hands to make it easier for him. This is what appears from the condition of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). For this reason, the stronger opinion regarding this sitting—I mean: the sitting of rest—is that if one needs it due to old age, heaviness, illness, pain in the knees, or something similar, let him sit. Then, if he needs to rely on his hands when standing up, let him rely on whatever manner is easiest, whether he relies on the backs of his fingers,Meaning: gathers his fingers like this and relies on them, or on his palms, or otherwise. The important thing is that if he needs to rely on something, let him rely on it, and if he does not need it, he should not rely on it.
As for descending into prostration, the correct view is that a person should start with his knees before his hands; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) forbade a person from placing his hands before his knees, where he said: (When one of you prostrates, let him not kneel like a camel kneels) and we observe that when a camel kneels, it places its hands forward, and this is clear. Some scholars understood that the intended meaning is that one should not place his knees forward, and said: the camel's knees are in its hands, so if one places his knees forward during prostration, he has knelt like a camel kneels. This understanding is questionable. The point of question is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not say: "So do not kneel on what the camel kneels on,"If he had said: on what it kneels on. We said, do not kneel on the knees.Rather He said: (So do not kneel like a camel kneels) The prohibition is regarding the manner and form. Consequently, if a man places his hands before his knees, he has knelt like a camel kneels.
If someone were to say: Supporting the first understanding is that in this hadith it says: (and let him place his hands before his knees).
The answer to this is that this phrase is not authentic; because it does not align with the beginning of the hadith. Rather, it is inverted upon the narrator, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) clarified in Zad al-Ma'ad. And on this basis, prostration is done on the knees. If a person needs to place his hands before his knees, such as if it is difficult for him, there is no harm in placing the hands before the knees.
And the fact that when he wants to rise from the first tashahhud, he places his hands on the ground and relies on them, and then when he places his hands, he raises them and then relies on his knees—this has no basis, and I do not know of any report of it in the hadith.