—together with the nose—the two palms, the two knees, and the two feet.

3 – His words, “and he pointed with his hand to his nose,” mean that the forehead and the nose count as a single limb; otherwise the total would come to eight.

4 – Prostration is the very act of humbling and submitting oneself to Allah, and it is obligatory by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and scholarly consensus. The Exalted says, “O you who believe, bow and prostrate” (al-Ḥajj 22:77), and the ḥadiths on the subject are many. The “Minister” said, “The scholars unanimously agree on its legitimacy.”

5 – The hadith clearly indicates that one must prostrate on these seven body parts, for that is the highest outward manifestation of humility and the most all-encompassing servitude expressed by the limbs.

6 – The majority of scholars maintain that the forehead and nose must be placed on the ground together. Ibn al-Munḏir reports consensus that prostrating on the nose alone is not sufficient.

7 – When the word “hand” is used without qualification, it refers only to the palm. Al-Bukhārī narrated it in suspended form, and Ibn Abī Shaybah (1/238) and al-Bayhaqī (2/106) supplied its full chain from al-Ḥasan, who said, “The Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to prostrate with their hands inside their garments.”

8 – Any part of each limb is sufficient—whether of the forehead or otherwise. Sharḥ al-Iqnāʿ states: “In prostration, part of every one of the specified limbs suffices, for the hadith imposes no further restriction.”

9 – If someone prostrates on something attached to his person that is not one of the seven limbs, his prostration is valid. Sharḥ al-Iqnāʿ says: “The worshipper is not required to have any of the prostrating limbs make direct contact with the ground, even the forehead. If he prostrates on something connected to him yet not one of those limbs—such as the fold of his turban, his sleeve, or his hem—his prayer is sound. Nevertheless, omitting direct contact with the hands and forehead is disliked without an excuse of heat or cold; prostrating on an attached item, like the fold of one’s turban, is not disliked when such an excuse exists.”