Full Lecture Transcript (Cleaned)
What Are the Verses of Sajda? — 0:00
Brother Jazil from Sri Lanka emails asking how the prostration of recitation (sajda of tilawa) is to be performed.
First, Yasir Qadhi notes the number of sajda verses in the Quran. There are ten that are agreed upon across all four schools of law. Beyond those ten, the schools differ — some add one, some add three or four, some add five — making the total between 11 and 15 sajda verses depending on the madhab. Whichever mushaf (Quran) you are reading, follow its own demarcations — they reflect the school of thought used in that particular edition. There is no problem following whichever mushaf you are reading.
Is Sajda Tilawa Obligatory? — 1:00
When one comes across a verse of sajda, it is encouraged (sunnah) to prostrate — it is not obligatory. This applies to:
- The reciter (whether in salah or outside of it)
- The attentive listener — meaning someone who is consciously listening to the recitation
How Is It Performed? — 2:00
The majority position is that:
In the sajda itself, recite what you normally say in prostration: Subhana Rabbiya al-A'la — and you may add additional adhkar if you wish.
Timing — 3:30
- In salah: perform the sajda right then and there without interrupting the prayer
- Outside of salah, while reciting from memory: if you do not have wudu at that moment, you may delay the sajda until you have wudu