Is ritual purity obligatory for the prostration of recitation and other prostrations?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : Is ritual purity obligatory for the prostration of recitation and other prostrations?
The Shaykh : This depends on whether the prostration of recitation is a prayer or not. If we say it is a prayer, then ritual purity is obligatory for it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 60Sahih (Al-Albani). And if we say it is not a prayer, then ritual purity is not obligatory for it. There is scholarly disagreement among the scholars regarding this issue.
What we see is that a person does not perform the prostration of recitation unless he is in a state of ritual purity; otherwise, he does not prostrate. As for the prostration of gratitude, it comes upon a person suddenly, and he may not be in a state of ablution. In this case, there is nothing wrong with his prostrating. We see a distinction between the prostration of recitation and the prostration of gratitude. One indication of this distinction is that the prostration of gratitude is not permissible during prayer. That is, if a person is praying and is informed of the birth of a child, he does not prostrate in gratitude. However, if he is reciting the Qur'an and comes upon a verse of prostration, he prostrates. This is what I see in this issue: that ritual purity is necessary for the prostration of recitation, while ritual purity is not a condition for the prostration of gratitude.
The Shaykh : This depends on whether the prostration of recitation is a prayer or not. If we say it is a prayer, then ritual purity is obligatory for it, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Allaah, the Exalted, does not accept the prayer of any of you when you are defiled until you performed ablution.
لا يقبل الله صلاة أحدكم إذا أحدث حتى يتوضأWhat we see is that a person does not perform the prostration of recitation unless he is in a state of ritual purity; otherwise, he does not prostrate. As for the prostration of gratitude, it comes upon a person suddenly, and he may not be in a state of ablution. In this case, there is nothing wrong with his prostrating. We see a distinction between the prostration of recitation and the prostration of gratitude. One indication of this distinction is that the prostration of gratitude is not permissible during prayer. That is, if a person is praying and is informed of the birth of a child, he does not prostrate in gratitude. However, if he is reciting the Qur'an and comes upon a verse of prostration, he prostrates. This is what I see in this issue: that ritual purity is necessary for the prostration of recitation, while ritual purity is not a condition for the prostration of gratitude.