sujood

Sujood, also known as sajdah, is the act of prostration in Islam. It refers to the gesture of worship in which a Muslim lowers the body to the ground in submission to God. The term comes from the Arabic root s-j-d, meaning to lay oneself down or to prostrate.

In ritual prayer, sajdah is a formal posture within the sequence of the salah. In most traditions, the forehead, nose, palms, knees, and toes touch the ground, with the elbows raised away from the body. The prostration is performed typically after a bow (ruku) in each unit of prayer, and there are usually two prostrations per rak'ah, followed by returning to a standing or sitting position as the prayer continues.

Sujood also appears outside the ordinary sequence of prayer in two notable forms. Sujood al-tilawah, the prostration of recitation, occurs when a person recites certain verses in the Qur'an that are associated with a prostration; the prostration can be performed whether or not one is praying, though if it occurs during prayer it is performed as part of the prayer. Sujood al-shukr, the prostration of gratitude, is a voluntary act of worship performed to express thanks to God, often in response to a favorable event or answer to prayer.

The practice of sujood is marked by humility before God and is considered an essential act of devotion within the broader framework of Islamic worship. While the exact details of practice can vary slightly among different Islamic schools of thought, the underlying concept remains a universal sign of submission to the Creator.