Sujud al-Tilawa Maanihi wa Ahkamihi
- Author died
- 728 AH
- Editions
- Dar Ibn Hazm
Sujud al-Tilawa: Maanihi wa Ahkamihi (The Prostration of Recitation: Its Meanings and Rulings) is a legal and interpretive treatise by the Hanbali scholar Ibn Taymiyya (661–728 AH / 1263–1328 CE) on the linguistic significance, Quranic foundations, and jurisprudential rulings governing the prostration of Quranic recitation (sujud al-tilawa) .
Quranic Classification and Spiritual Meaning
Ibn Taymiyya divides the Quranic passages related to prostration into two primary categories:
- Descriptive reports that praise those who prostrate (khabar ʿan ahl al-sujud wa-madh lahum), such as verses in Surah al-A'raf ( إِنَّ الَّذِينَ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لاَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ وَيُسَبِّحُونَهُ وَلَهُ يَسْجُدُونَ ), al-Ra'd, al-Nahl, al-Isra', and Maryam .
- Direct divine commands to prostrate and censures of those who refuse to do so (amr bihi wa-dhamm ʿala tarkih), such as passages in Surah al-Hajj, al-Furqan, al-Naml, al-Sajda, al-Inshiqaq, and al-Najm .
Linguistically and conceptually, Ibn Taymiyya defines prostration as submissiveness, humility, and abasement before God (khuduʿ wa-dhull) . He cites the saying of Sahl ibn ʿAbd Allah al-Tustari regarding whether the heart prostrates: "Yes, a prostration from which it never raises its head" . He also analyzes the Quranic phrase "falling upon the chins" ( يَخِرُّونَ لِلأَذْقَانِ سُجَّدًا ), clarifying that while prostration itself is performed on the seven designated limbs—principally the forehead—the act of descending (khurur) begins toward the chin as an expression of reverence and weeping, which is in itself an act of devotion .
Legal Rulings and Arguments
Ibn Taymiyya addresses several jurisprudential issues surrounding the practice:
- Legal status (hukm): While noting the majority view that sujud al-tilawa is recommended (sunna), Ibn Taymiyya argues that it is obligatory (wajib), deducing obligation from the Quranic commands and the explicit censure directed at those who do not prostrate upon hearing the recitation of the Quran, such as in Surah al-Inshiqaq ( فَمَا لَهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ * وَإِذَا قُرِئَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقُرْآنُ لَا يَسْجُدُونَ ) .
- Definition as formal prayer (salat): He maintains that sujud al-tilawa does not constitute a formal prayer (salat) because it lacks the opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram), recitation of Surah al-Fatiha, and closing salutation (taslim) . Consequently, he holds that ritual purity (tahara) and facing the qiblah are not strict validity conditions for prostrating outside of prayer, citing the practice of Abdullah ibn Umar, though performing it in a state of ritual purity remains superior .
- Takbir and Taslim: Outside the prayer, he maintains that no closing taslim is legislated, and only a single takbir upon descending into prostration is warranted; within formal prayer, however, it follows the regular movements of prayer with takbir upon both descending and rising .
Answer updated