on the part of some narrators, for its beginning contradicts its ending: if he places (1) his hands before his knees, he has knelt down as a camel does, since a camel puts its forelegs down first. When the proponents of this view recognized this, they said: “A camel’s knees are in its forelegs, not its hind legs; when it kneels down, it therefore puts its knees down first, and this is what is forbidden.” This argument is unsound for several reasons (2):

First: when a camel kneels down, it puts its forelegs down first while its hind legs remain upright (3). When it rises, it rises on its hind legs first while its forelegs (4) remain on the ground. This is what the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade, and he did the opposite. The parts of his body closest to the ground would touch it first, in order of proximity; when rising, the highest parts would leave the ground first, in descending order.

Thus, he would put his knees down first, then his hands, then his forehead. When rising, he would raise his head first, then his hands, then his knees. This is the opposite of what a camel does. He (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade imitating animals in prayer: kneeling down like a camel, turning to look around like a fox, laying the forearms flat like a beast of prey, sitting like a dog, pecking like a crow, and raising the hands at the salutation like the tails of restive horses (5). Thus, the worshipper’s manner differs from that of animals.