Sajdah (Prostration)
Prostration with the forehead on the ground — the most humble position in prayer.
Sajdah (Arabic: سجدة), also called sujud, is the act of bowing down with the forehead, nose, both hands, knees and toes on the ground. It is the most humble position in the Islamic prayer and the moment when the worshipper is closest to Allah.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The closest a servant is to his Lord is when he is in sajdah, so make much du'a (supplication) therein." During sajdah, one says "Subhana Rabbi al-A'la" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) three times.
Sajdah is performed twice in each rak'ah with a short sitting pause in between. It is also possible to perform sajdah outside of the prayer as an expression of gratitude (sujud ash-shukr) or upon recitation of certain Quran verses (sujud at-tilawah).
Related terms
Ramadan (The Month of Fasting)
The holy month of fasting, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.
Salat al-Qada (Makeup Prayer)
Prayers that are made up after their time has expired.
Taqlid (Following a School of Law)
The practice of following a qualified scholar's legal opinions without necessarily knowing the evidence.
Muwalat (Continuity in Prayer)
The requirement of continuous and coherent performance of the prayer's parts.
Sahih al-Bukhari (Bukhari's Authentic Collection)
The most authoritative hadith collection in Sunni Islam, compiled by Imam al-Bukhari.
Ijtihad (Independent Legal Reasoning)
The independent interpretive effort to derive legal rules from the Islamic sources.