Does one who is not in a state of ritual purity prostrate for recitation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The brother M. M. S. from Latakia in Syria says in his question: If I am reading the Noble Qur'an and I am not facing the qiblah, and I come upon a verse containing a prostration of recitation, do I prostrate? Is it a condition for the prostration of recitation that a person be in a state of ritual purity? And if I am reading the Noble Qur'an while traveling by car or airplane, and I come upon a verse containing a prostration of recitation, do I prostrate while I am on the seat? And what if I come upon it while I am sitting on a chair in the office or the home? We ask you to be kind enough to answer—may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The Sunnah for one who comes upon a verse of prostration while reading is to prostrate, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) ; for he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite among his Companions, and when he came upon a verse containing a prostration, he would prostrate and they would prostrate with him.
The Sunnah is to face the qiblah if that is possible, and the prostration of recitation is not like the prayer; rather, it is a submission to Allah and following the example of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so the conditions of the prayer are not required for it, as there is no evidence for that.
And because he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite the Qur'an in his gathering among his Companions, and when he came upon a verse of prostration, he would prostrate and they would prostrate with him, and he did not say to them: "Do not prostrate except one who is in a state of ritual purity." The gatherings include those who are in a state of ritual purity and those who are not, so if purity had been a condition, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have drawn their attention to it; for he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most sincere of people, and Allah commanded him to convey the message. If purity had been a condition for the prostration of recitation, he would have conveyed that to them , and if he had conveyed it, they would have transmitted it to those after them, just as they transmitted his biography and his hadiths from him (peace and blessings be upon him).
So if the reader is in an airplane, a car, a ship, or on a mount while traveling, he prostrates in the direction of his travel, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do in his travels in the voluntary prayer. And if it is possible for him to face the qiblah during the voluntary prayer at the start of the prayer, and then he turns in the direction of his travel, that is better; for it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in some hadiths. And Allah is the guarantor of success.
The brother M. M. S. from Latakia in Syria says in his question: If I am reading the Noble Qur'an and I am not facing the qiblah, and I come upon a verse containing a prostration of recitation, do I prostrate? Is it a condition for the prostration of recitation that a person be in a state of ritual purity? And if I am reading the Noble Qur'an while traveling by car or airplane, and I come upon a verse containing a prostration of recitation, do I prostrate while I am on the seat? And what if I come upon it while I am sitting on a chair in the office or the home? We ask you to be kind enough to answer—may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
The Sunnah for one who comes upon a verse of prostration while reading is to prostrate, following the example of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) ; for he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite among his Companions, and when he came upon a verse containing a prostration, he would prostrate and they would prostrate with him.
The Sunnah is to face the qiblah if that is possible, and the prostration of recitation is not like the prayer; rather, it is a submission to Allah and following the example of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so the conditions of the prayer are not required for it, as there is no evidence for that.
And because he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite the Qur'an in his gathering among his Companions, and when he came upon a verse of prostration, he would prostrate and they would prostrate with him, and he did not say to them: "Do not prostrate except one who is in a state of ritual purity." The gatherings include those who are in a state of ritual purity and those who are not, so if purity had been a condition, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have drawn their attention to it; for he (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most sincere of people, and Allah commanded him to convey the message. If purity had been a condition for the prostration of recitation, he would have conveyed that to them , and if he had conveyed it, they would have transmitted it to those after them, just as they transmitted his biography and his hadiths from him (peace and blessings be upon him).
So if the reader is in an airplane, a car, a ship, or on a mount while traveling, he prostrates in the direction of his travel, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to do in his travels in the voluntary prayer. And if it is possible for him to face the qiblah during the voluntary prayer at the start of the prayer, and then he turns in the direction of his travel, that is better; for it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in some hadiths. And Allah is the guarantor of success.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.