Short answer
Sajdah shukr is a single prostration made to thank Allah when you receive good news or are saved from harm. The Prophet ﷺ fell into prostration when something pleasing came to him. In the Hanafi school it is mustahabb according to the view given as fatwa, done with wudu, facing the qibla, between two takbirs.
The fatwa follows Abu Yusuf and Muhammad: sajdah shukr is mustahabb. It has the conditions of prayer (wudu, clean place, covered awrah, qibla) and is one sajdah with a takbir going down and a takbir rising, with tasbih and praise, and no tashahhud or salam. Making it a habit straight after every prayer is makruh, since people may think it is part of the prayer.
Other madhhabs
- Maliki
- The well-known Maliki view is that sajdah shukr is disliked, and gratitude is shown through prayer and praise.
Explanation
Abu Bakrah reported that whenever something pleasing came to the Prophet ﷺ, or he was given good news, he fell down in prostration in gratitude to Allah. When Ka'b ibn Malik heard that Allah had accepted his repentance, he said, "I fell down in prostration, and I knew relief had come." Imam Abu Hanifa did not consider it a sunnah act, but his two students did, and the later Hanafi scholars gave fatwa on their view.
How to do it:
- Have wudu, face the qibla and make sure the place is clean.
- Say "Allahu akbar" without raising your hands and go into one sajdah.
- Praise and thank Allah: "Subhana rabbiyal a'la" and "Alhamdulillah", and any words of gratitude.
- Say "Allahu akbar" and rise. There is no tashahhud and no salam.
- When: on a new blessing, such as a child's birth, passing an exam, recovery from illness, or news that a danger has passed. Not for blessings that are always with you.
- Without wudu: do not make the sajdah; say "Alhamdulillah" and make it when you have wudu, or give charity in thanks.
- Not in the makruh times (sunrise, zawal, sunset), and not as a routine after every salah.
- In public: if it would draw attention or confuse people, thank Allah with your tongue instead.
Gratitude brings more blessings, as Allah promises. See du'a to thank Allah, Quran verses about gratitude and, for the other single sajdah, how to do sajdah tilawat.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Ibrahim 14:7
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌۭ ﴿٧﴾
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.' "
Allah increases those who thank Him.
Sunan Abi Dawud 2774
Grading to be checked... كان إذا جاءه أمر سرور أو بشر به خر ساجدا شاكرا لله ...
"When something pleasing came to him, or he was given good news, he would fall down prostrating in thanks to Allah."
The basis of the prostration of gratitude.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4418
Sahih... فخررت ساجدا وعرفت أن قد جاء فرج ...
"Ka'b said: I fell down in prostration, and I knew that relief had come."
A Companion's sajdah of gratitude on hearing good news.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on sajdah tilawah. Sajdah shukr is mustahabb and fatwa is on this; doing it after the prayer is makruh.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on sajdah tilawah. Its form is like the sajdah of recitation, with the conditions of prayer.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.