Of all the positions in salah, none is more profound than sujud. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The closest a servant comes to his Lord is when he is in prostration." (Sahih Muslim)
Yet how many of us understand what is truly happening in that moment? Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, rahimahullah, takes us deeper in his remarkable book Inner Dimensions of the Prayer — $12.00. The following is an excerpt from page 50. For the full conditions and pillars of salah, see our complete guide: Salah: The Second Pillar of Islam.
Servitude in al-Sujud
The abd (servant) is prescribed to say "Allah is the Most Great" and then fall down in prostration to the floor, so that all his limbs individually demonstrate their servitude to Allah. His forehead is placed on the floor before his Lord. His face — the most honorable part of his body — comes together with the dust on the floor. And all the while, his heart humbles itself to Allah.
The arrangement of this posture is such that his lower body ends up at a higher level than his upper limbs, emphasizing his submission. His heart and body are thus rendered humble and submissive before the Greatness and Glory of the Lord.
Moreover, when the state of the heart conforms to the state of the body in this position — both humble, submissive, and down to earth — it is as if the heart too prostrates to Allah along with the forehead, nose, face, hands, knees, and feet.
An abd with such humility and submissiveness shall be among Allah's favored servants, because the closest an abd comes to his Lord is when he is in the state of prostration.
In this posture, it is prescribed for the abd not to have any part of his body depend on another for support — he should avoid placing the weight of his thighs on his legs, maintain space between his belly and his legs, and keep a space between his arms and his body. This is so that each part of his physical self can individually demonstrate its slavery to Allah.
The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The closest an abd is to his Lord is when he is prostrating." (Sahih Muslim)
The reality of the prostration of the heart is its submission to Allah — and the heart is able to remain in prostration until the Day of Judgment.
One of the righteous Salaf was asked: "Does the heart prostrate?" He answered: "Indeed it does, by Allah it prostrates such that it does not raise its head even once and remains in prostration until it meets Allah, Exalted be He." (Attributed to Sahl ibn Abdullah al-Tustari by Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah)
A Reflection on the Heart's Prostration
Ibn al-Qayyim is reminding us that sujud is not simply a physical act. It is the fullest expression of ubudiyyah — servitude — that a human being can offer. When the most noble part of the body, the face, is pressed into the earth before Allah, and the heart mirrors that humility inwardly, the servant has reached the nearest point to his Lord that is possible in this life.
The question each of us must ask is: when we prostrate, does our heart prostrate with us? For more on the connection between tawhid, the heart, and salah, see our post When the Heart Dries Up.
About the Book
Inner Dimensions of the Prayer by Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah is available at The Islamic Book Cafe for $12.00. It is one of the most essential books on the spiritual reality of salah ever written.
Baarakallahu feekum — The Islamic Book Cafe | Portland, Oregon
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