(1) Al-Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi writes in ‘Aridat al-Ahwadhi (2/75–76): “The point is that sujud (prostration) should be balanced, with equal reliance on the two feet, the two knees, the two hands, and the face; no limb should bear more of the weight than another. In this way one fulfils the Prophet’s statement, ‘I was commanded to prostrate on seven bones.’ When a worshipper spreads his forearms the way a dog spreads them, the weight is transferred to the arms instead of the face, thereby neglecting the obligation of the face.” I add: The same meaning is stated explicitly in the forthcoming hadith of Ibn Umar: “When you do that, every limb of yours prostrates along with you.” Ibn Daqiq al-Id makes a similar point: “What is probably meant by iʿtidal (proper balance) here is arranging the posture of sujud in accordance with the command, for the physical balance required in rukuʿ (bowing)—the leveling of the back and neck—does not apply here; in sujud what is required is that the lower parts rise above the upper parts. The ruling is mentioned together with its rationale, for resembling base creatures is inappropriate in prayer.” The forbidden posture also suggests negligence and a lack of due care in the prayer (Fath al-Bari, 2/240). After relating the hadith, al-Tirmidhi remarked: “This is the practice among the scholars: they prefer composure in sujud and they dislike sprawling the way a beast of prey sprawls.” (2) The report is from Anas. It is recorded by al-Bukhari (2/240), Muslim (2/53), Abu Dawud (1/143), al-Nasaʾi (1/167), al-Darimi (1/303), and al-Tayalisi (no. 266); al-Tirmidhi (2/66) transmits it through al-Tayalisi and declares it sahih (sound).