The Shaykh’s response to Ibn al-Qayyim’s objection that prostrating on the hands causes the back to be higher than the head during prostration, which resembles the way a camel kneels.

The Shaykh : We are able to refute the objection, Ibn al-Qayyim’s objection. We say it is not necessary for the prostrator’s back to be higher than his head; this is the thing Ibn al-Qayyim denies and uses to reject the hadith. We are able to reconcile the apparent meaning of the hadith and reject the image he is trying to refute, and we reject it with him. Now, the prostration we are practicing: does it mean there is a difference between us and those who prostrate on their knees? There is no difference between us and them in the sense that our back does not end up above our head. Rather, the first thing we place on the ground is our hands, instead of them placing their knees.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes, ... .

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : And I repeat to Abu Muhammad: what do the others do who touch the ground?

The questioner : The prostration of the others is like this.


The Shaykh : So this objection, I think, has become clear to you all. Ibn al-Qayyim’s objection is not valid against the hadith, because he assumes that placing the hands before the knees necessitates prostrating in such a way that his back is above his head. This is not necessary. All that happens is that the prostrator, instead of placing his knees on the ground and having a jolt beneath him due to his prostration—a jolt resembling that of a camel, especially if it is loaded with heavy weights—instead of this phenomenon which is not befitting the calmness and tranquility in prayer, this prostrator places his hands on the ground. Thus, that jolt and that impact on the ground are avoided.
So we do not differ with Ibn al-Qayyim, nor with anyone who opposes this authentic hadith of Abu Hurayrah, which states that one should place his hands before his knees. We do not differ with him, because it is not permissible to prostrate in such a way that his head is on the ground and, what is it? No offense, his back is above it. We agree with him that this is not prescribed, because from another angle it resembles the camel. But we say to him: what do you say about this form you have seen? His back did not rise above his head, which is what Ibn al-Qayyim denies. Rather, he placed his hands on the ground. This is the explicit meaning of the hadith , because the camel places its knees on the ground and cannot do otherwise. But the human being, as the Exalted said, was created in the best form, so he can act more than the animal. He can kneel on his knees and he can kneel on his hands. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the one praying to resemble the camel by placing his knees on the ground before his hands.
So this is the answer to the difficulty or objection of Ibn al-Qayyim against those who held to the hadith of Abu Hurayrah .
Then he says "This is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade". We say no. If the hadith were only "When one of you prostrates, let him not kneel as the camel kneels" and nothing else, then it might be said that the demonstrative pronoun and the restriction mean "this is what the Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade." We say no. He clarified what he forbade, so he said . So what is forbidden? Placing the knees before the hands, because what is commanded is the opposite: placing the hands before the knees.
So his statement "this is what is forbidden" is a response to the second part of the hadith, which is . But in reality, Ibn al-Qayyim’s excuse is that he says there is an error in the hadith. In the full text of his speech, he says the narrator intended to say but made a mistake and said . This is Ibn al-Qayyim’s viewpoint when he says "this is what the Messenger (peace be upon him) forbade," which is that one prostrates with his head lower than his middle.
We say the hadith is clear where it says . Then it says "And the first thing to touch the ground from him was the closest part, then the next closest, and he was". Here, this exact wording is not authentic; rather, it is a summary of the hadith of Wa’il ibn Hujr mentioned earlier through the route of Shurayk, and you have known its weakness. Then he added to that and said "And the first thing to rise from the ground was the highest part, then the next highest". This means he is rejecting another authentic hadith, which is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he rose from an odd number of his prayer, would rise relying on his hands. He illustrated the correct way of rising and the incorrect way of rising.

The questioner : ... relying on his hands, like this, he rises like this relying on his hands, this means ... regarding raising the hands, the prayer of the others ... like this, the last thing they raise from the ground are their hands. And as for the others ... they do it like this.

The Shaykh : This is based on the hadith of Wa’il ibn Hujr. This second image is based on the weak hadith of Wa’il ibn Hujr, which Shurayk narrated alone.