Sujud
Encyclopedia
Sajdah or sujūd is an Arabic word meaning prostration to God
in the direction of the Kaaba
at Mecca
which is usually done during the daily prayers (salah). While in sujud, a Muslim
is to praise Allah
and glorify Allah. The position involves having the forehead, nose, both hands, knees and all toes touching the ground together.
. A single act of sujud is called a sajdah (plural sajadāt). Muslims do sujud in each prayer many times depending upon the Raka'ah
of prayer. A raka'ah is a unit of set actions that have to be performed in a prayer. The shortest (fard
or obligatory) Muslim prayer consists of two raka'ah. The raka'ah can be described as follows:
Points 1-6 define one raka'ah. So the shortest Muslim prayer (2 raka'ah) has a total of 4 sajdahs.
of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
that whenever he used to hear news which would make him happy, he would make sujud to thank Allah .
there are fourteen places where, when Muhammad recited a certain ayah
(verse), he prostrated to God. Whenever Muslims recites any of these fourteen verses (indicated with ۩ in most copies of the Qur'an), they may also prostrate in order to follow the Sunnah
(example) of Muhammad.
, but make their sujud to God, not the Kaaba. The Kaaba is only a united direction that Muslims face as it is the order of God in the Qur'an. If any person claiming to be Muslim makes a sujud to any thing/deity/person other than God, he is considered a disbeliever.
s (prayers for God's help), hamd
(praising of God), tasbih
(glorifying God) and statements of Muhammad which make a person humble. Muslims are not allowed to recite the Qur'an during sujud.
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
in the direction of the Kaaba
Kaaba
The Kaaba is a cuboid-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham, or Ibraheem, in Arabic, and his son Ishmael, or Ismaeel, as said in Arabic, after he had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque...
at Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
which is usually done during the daily prayers (salah). While in sujud, a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
is to praise Allah
God in Islam
In Islamic theology, God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordainer, and judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular . God is unique and inherently One , all-merciful and omnipotent. According to the Islamic...
and glorify Allah. The position involves having the forehead, nose, both hands, knees and all toes touching the ground together.
Overview
Sujud is one of the main pillars of daily prayer in IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. A single act of sujud is called a sajdah (plural sajadāt). Muslims do sujud in each prayer many times depending upon the Raka'ah
Raka'ah
Rakaʿah are the prescribed movements and words followed by Muslims during salah .After turning to God in mind and ritual cleansing , the worshipper will stand quietly while reciting the first verses of the Qur'an. The second part of the rak'ah involves bowing low with hands on knees, as if...
of prayer. A raka'ah is a unit of set actions that have to be performed in a prayer. The shortest (fard
Fard
also is an Islamic term which denotes a religious duty. The word is also used in Persian, Turkish, and Urdu in the same meaning....
or obligatory) Muslim prayer consists of two raka'ah. The raka'ah can be described as follows:
- Standing
- Ruku'Ruku'Rukūʿ refers to the bowing down following the recitation of the Qur'an in the standing position while praying according to Islamic ritual . There is a consensus on the obligatory nature of the ruku...
(bowing) down with hands resting on knees - Standing up from bowing
- Going in prostration (sajdah) once
- Lifting the face up from prostration but sitting on the ground
- Doing a second prostration (sajdah) and then getting up for the second, third, or fourth raka'ah
Points 1-6 define one raka'ah. So the shortest Muslim prayer (2 raka'ah) has a total of 4 sajdahs.
Sajdah of thankfulness
This is from the sunnahSunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
of the Islamic prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
that whenever he used to hear news which would make him happy, he would make sujud to thank Allah .
Sajdah of recitation
During the recitation of the Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
there are fourteen places where, when Muhammad recited a certain ayah
Ayah
Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth...
(verse), he prostrated to God. Whenever Muslims recites any of these fourteen verses (indicated with ۩ in most copies of the Qur'an), they may also prostrate in order to follow the Sunnah
Sunnah
The word literally means a clear, well trodden, busy and plain surfaced road. In the discussion of the sources of religion, Sunnah denotes the practice of Prophet Muhammad that he taught and practically instituted as a teacher of the sharī‘ah and the best exemplar...
(example) of Muhammad.
Sajdah of forgetfulness
During the ritual salah prayer, if a person forgets to do one of the actions of prayer he can make up for certain actions by performing two sujud at the end of the prayer. This can only be done if specific types of actions are forgotten by the person praying.Rule of direction of the sujud
Sujud is only made to God alone and none other. In prayer, Muslims face the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, but make their sujud to God, not the Kaaba. The Kaaba is only a united direction that Muslims face as it is the order of God in the Qur'an. If any person claiming to be Muslim makes a sujud to any thing/deity/person other than God, he is considered a disbeliever.
Sayings during sujud
There are numerous things that a Muslim can say during sujud as is evident from the example of Muhammad. Among them are duaDua
In the terminology of Islam, Duʿāʾ Plural: Dow'āt literally meaning invocation, is an act of supplication. The term is derived from an Arabic word meaning to 'call out' or to 'summon', and Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. This is when Muslim people from all over connect with God...
s (prayers for God's help), hamd
Hamd
A Hamd is a poem or song in praise of Allah. A hamd is usually written in Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, or Urdu. The word "hamd" comes from the Qur'an, which Muslims believe to be Allah's Word; its English translation is "Praise"....
(praising of God), tasbih
Tasbih
A misbaha , subha , Tasbih , or tespih is a string of prayer beads which is traditionally used by Muslims to keep track of counting in tasbih....
(glorifying God) and statements of Muhammad which make a person humble. Muslims are not allowed to recite the Qur'an during sujud.