Short answer
In the Hanafi school the forehead must rest on the ground, and the nose with it is wajib. At least one toe of a foot must touch the ground; if both feet stay lifted for the whole sajdah, it does not count. The hands and knees on the ground are sunnah. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools make all seven parts obligatory.
Placing the forehead firmly on the ground is fard, and placing the nose with it is wajib. Most Hanafi scholars hold that at least one toe of one foot touching the ground is required for the sajdah to count. Placing both hands and both knees is sunnah, as is turning the toes towards the qibla.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- All seven parts are obligatory: the forehead, both hands, both knees and the toes of both feet. The nose is recommended.
- Maliki
- The forehead is obligatory and the nose is strongly recommended; the other parts are sunnah.
- Hanbali
- All seven parts are obligatory, with the nose counted together with the forehead.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said he was commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead, and he pointed to his nose with it, the two hands, the two knees and the ends of the two feet. All four schools teach praying this way. They differ on which parts are so essential that the sajdah fails without them.
- Forehead: fard. It must rest on something firm, so that pressing down further would not sink it. On a very thick cushion or a soft mattress where the head keeps sinking, the sajdah is not valid.
- Nose: wajib together with the forehead. Placing only the forehead without the nose, with no excuse, is makruh tahrimi.
- Feet: keep your toes on the ground, bent towards the qibla. Lifting both feet for the whole sajdah makes it invalid, and with it the prayer. A brief lift of one foot does not.
- Hands and knees: sunnah to place on the ground.
Common situations:
- Cap or turban: if the cloth is thin and the forehead feels the ground through it, the sajdah is valid; without need it is better to uncover the forehead.
- Glasses: remove them if they stop the nose or forehead from resting properly.
- Unable to prostrate: if you cannot reach the ground, bow your head lower for sajdah than for ruku, as explained in praying on a chair.
Men keep their arms away from their sides and their elbows off the ground; for women's posture see how women pray. The tasbih for sajdah is on Subhana Rabbiyal A'la.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Hajj 22:77
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ وَٱسْجُدُوا۟ وَٱعْبُدُوا۟ رَبَّكُمْ وَٱفْعَلُوا۟ ٱلْخَيْرَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ ۩ ﴿٧٧﴾
O you who have believed, bow and prostrate and worship your Lord and do good - that you may succeed.
Prostration is one of the commanded acts of the prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari 812
Sahih... أمرت أن أسجد على سبعة أعظم على الجبهة ...
"I was commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead, and he pointed to his nose, the two hands, the two knees and the ends of the two feet."
Names the parts used in sajdah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of the prayer. Placing the forehead is fard, the nose with it wajib, and at least one toe of a foot is required according to the relied-upon view.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the description of the prayer. Discussion of lifting the feet in sajdah and the condition that the forehead rest on something firm.
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.