recognize how the narrator had fallen into error, and so he graded the report authentic. Allah knows best.
He would place his knees on the ground before his hands, then his hands, and then his forehead and nose. This is the correct account transmitted by Sharīk, from ‘Āsim ibn Kulayb, from his father, from Wā’il ibn Hujr: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) place his knees on the ground before his hands when prostrating, and lift his hands before his knees when rising” (1). No contrary practice has been reported from him (2).
As for the hadith of Abū Hurayrah, which he attributed to the Prophet: “When one of you prostrates, let him not kneel down as a camel does, and let him place his hands before his knees” (3), an error has occurred in this report—Allah knows best—
(1) Reported by al-Dārimī (1359), Abū Dāwūd (838), al-Tirmidhī (268), al-Nasā’ī in al-Mujtabā (1089, 1154) and al-Kubrā (680, 744), and Ibn Mājah (882). The transmission of this hadith hinges on Sharīk ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Nakha‘ī, whose reliability has some weakness. On his account, al-Bukhārī, al-Tirmidhī, al-Bazzār (4483), al-Nasā’ī (1154), and al-Dāraqutnī (1307) judged the report defective. It has also been transmitted from ‘Āsim ibn Kulayb, from his father, as a mursal report (with a disconnected chain), recorded by Abū Dāwūd in al-Sunan (736, 839) and al-Marāsīl (p. 94), and by al-Bayhaqī in Ma‘rifat al-Sunan (3:17). Al-Bayhaqī said: “This is the correctly preserved version.” Other transmission routes are recorded by Abū Dāwūd (736, 839), al-Tabarānī (22:27), and al-Bayhaqī (2:98–99), but they are weak. There is also a corroborating report from Anas, recorded by al-Dāraqutnī (1308), al-Hākim (1:337), and al-Bayhaqī (2:99), but its chain contains an unknown narrator. See al-Talkhīs al-Habīr (2:724–726) and Tanqīh al-Tahqīq (2:249–255).
(2) That is what he says; a hadith from Ibn ‘Umar will be cited below.
(3) The author will discuss this hadith later, where its source references will also be given.