this is the hadith of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: upon the forehead”—and he pointed with his hand to his nose—“the two hands, the two knees, and the tips of the feet; and we are not to gather up our clothing or hair.” (1)

Here, if the nose were part of the forehead both legally and in actual fact, he would not have pointed to it. And if it were an independent limb, he would have expressly mentioned it and made it separate, in which case the limbs would have been eight. Thus, it is subordinate: it is part of the forehead in legal ruling, not in actual fact. This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, pointed to it.

His statement, “then his hands,” means his palms, as stated in the hadith; for when mentioned without qualification, “the hand” refers only to the palm. This is as in Allah’s saying: “As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands as a recompense for what they have earned” [al-Ma'idah 5:38]; and His saying: “But if you cannot find water, then perform dry ablution with clean earth, wiping your faces and hands with it” [al-Ma'idah 5:6]. In both verses, what is meant by “the hands” is the palms. This is why the thief’s hand is cut off at the wrist joint. With regard to dry ablution, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, showed Ammar ibn Yasir how to wipe the hands: he wiped the outer surface of his palms, wiping the left over the right. (2)

Thus, the author’s words do not contradict the hadith, because when mentioned without qualification, “the two hands” means the palms. But when the hand is qualified, its meaning follows that qualification, as in Allah’s saying: “Wash your faces and your hands up to the elbows” [al-Ma'idah 5:6].