The Sunnah for the one praying when he lowers himself for prostration is to place his knees before his hands

Q: Is it better to place the knees before the hands when lowering oneself for prostration, or is the opposite better? And how are the two narrations reported on this matter reconciled?

A: The Sunnah for the one praying when he lowers himself for prostration is to place his knees before his hands, if he is able to do so, which is the most correct of the scholars' opinions and the opinion of the majority; based on the narration of Wa'il ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) and what came in its meaning in other narrations.
As for the narration of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) , it does not actually contradict that, but rather agrees with it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the one praying from prostrating like the prostration of a camel, and it is known that whoever places his hands first has resembled the camel. As for his statement at the end: , the most likely explanation is that a transposition occurred in the narration with some of the narrators, and the correct version is: . By this, the narrations are reconciled, and the end of the mentioned narration agrees with its beginning, and the contradiction is removed. The distinguished scholar Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) pointed to this meaning in his book: (Zad al-Ma'ad).
As for the one who is unable to place his knees first due to illness or old age, there is no blame on him for placing his hands first, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted: [al-Taghabun: 16], and the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , which is agreed upon as authentic. And success is from Allah.