“I heard the Messenger of Allah instruct that one keep upright in prostration and that a man should not prostrate while spreading his forearms.” This chain is acceptable as corroborative evidence. A further supporting narration exists, though it contains an unusual addition. Abū Dāwūd and al-Bayhaqī (2/115) transmit it through al-Layth, from Daraj, from Ibn Ḥujayrah, from Abū Hurayrah, in marfūʿ form, with the wording: “When one of you prostrates, let him not spread his hands like a dog but let him draw his thighs together.” Al-Ḥāfiẓ (2/234) also attributes it to Ibn Khuzaymah and offers no comment. In my judgment the chain is not sound: Daraj—Abū al-Samh al-Miṣrī—has been criticized. Ibn ʿAdī collected a number of his reports and said, “Most of them are not corroborated.” Al-Dhahabī lists him in al-Mīzān and cites the majority view that he is weak. Al-Ḥākim frequently authenticates his reports in the Mustadrak, and al-Dhahabī sometimes agrees, but elsewhere rebuts him with the remark, “Daraj relates many munkar traditions.” Among those objectionable additions, in my view, is the phrase “and let him draw his thighs together,” for the Prophet’s own practice is proven to be the contrary, as will be shown shortly. There is also material on the topic from Ibn ʿUmar, both marfūʿ and mawqūf, to be discussed below. *Al-ʿAẓīm Ābādī comments on the words “and let him draw his thighs together”: “This implies that the worshipper should keep his thighs together during prostration, but it conflicts with the hadith of Abū Ḥumaid describing the Prophet’s prayer, in which he said: ‘When he prostrated he separated his thighs…’ Al-Shawkānī adds that there is no disagreement on this point.” Note: Shaykh al-Albānī has recently declared Daraj’s hadith sound—except for those he narrates from Abū al-Haytham. See al-Ṣaḥīḥah, no. 3350; he also graded the present hadith sound in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd, no. 837.