on them, as the Messenger of Allah—may peace and blessings be upon him—taught. When our Lord, exalted is He, commands, we respond, “We hear and we obey,” and we prostrate on all seven points in every prostration. So long as we remain in that posture it is not permissible to raise any one of those limbs; every single point must stay in contact with the ground for the whole time we are prostrating.

While in prostration a worshipper should put his two feet together and not splay them. Nothing specific has been reported concerning the knees, so they remain as they naturally fall. The hands, however, are to be placed level with the shoulders—that is, the collar-bones—or moved slightly forward so that one prostrates between them. Thus the hands have two approved positions: either draw them back until they are in line with the shoulders, or advance them a little until they are level with the forehead. Both manners are authentically established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

He should also keep his upper arms away from his sides and raise his back. If you are standing in a row and fear that spreading your arms will trouble the worshipper next to you, then do not inconvenience him, for a sunnah is not to be practised in a way that harms or distracts your Muslim brother.

I have seen some brothers who, wishing to apply the sunnah, stretch themselves out in prostration to such an extent that you would almost think they were lying prone. Without doubt this runs contrary to the sunnah and is an innovation. The sunnah is to lift the back and keep it raised. Besides being unsunnatic, that exaggerated posture places great strain on the body, for in it the whole weight rests on the forehead and nose, and a person soon becomes weary if the prostration is prolonged.