Thanksgiving Prostration (Sajdat al-Shukr)
Merits
Once you finish the post-prayer utterances, you may do the thanksgiving prostration. As is unanimously agreed by all Sh¢`ite scholars, thanksgiving prostration may be done whenever a new bliss is obtained or a misfortune is fended off. It is most favorable to do it after the prayers as expression of thanks to Almighty Allah for performing the prayer.
Through a valid chain of authority, Imam al-B¡qir (`a) is reported to have said, “Whenever (Imam) `Ali ibn al-Husayn (`a) remembered a grace of Allah the Almighty and Majestic, he would prostrate. Whenever he recited a verse from the Book of Allah in which prostration is mentioned, he would prostrate. Whenever Almighty Allah warded off from him an evil that he feared, he would prostrate. Whenever he accomplished an obligatory prayer, he would prostrate. Whenever he was granted success to conciliate between two persons, he would prostrate.”
The traces of prostration were seen in all organs of prostration in his body; therefore, he was called the Prostrating (al-Sajjad).
Through an authentic chain of authority, Imam al-Sadiq (`a) is reported to have said, “Whenever a faithful believer prostrates himself before Almighty Allah as expression of thanks for a grace in other than a prayer, Almighty Allah will certainly record for him ten rewards, erase from him ten sins, and raise him ten ranks in Paradise.”
Through a valid chain of authority too, Imam al-Sadiq (`a) is also reported to have said, “The nearest position a servant may be to Almighty Allah is when he prostrates himself and weeps.”
Through another authentic chain of authority, Imam al Sadiq (`a) is also reported to have said: The thanksgiving prostration is obligatory upon all Muslims. Through it, you make your prayers perfect and attain your Lord’s pleasure and the angels’ admiration. When a servant does a thanksgiving prostration after a prayer, the Exalted Lord removes the screen between the angels and that servant, saying to them, “O my angels, look at this servant of Mine. He has carried out his duty towards Me, perfected his pledge to Me, and then prostrated himself before Me as expression of thanking Me for what I have given him of my graces. O my angels! What will I grant him?”
The angels will answer, “O our Lord! Grant him Your mercy.”
Then the Blessed and Exalted Lord will say, “What more will I grant him?”
The angels will answer, “O our Lord! Grant him Your Paradise.”
Then the Blessed and Exalted Lord will say, “What more will I grant him?”
The angels will answer, “O our Lord! Grant him settlement of what concerns him.”
The Blessed and Exalted Lord will keep on asking them and the angels will answer with similar answers, leaving no single item of goodness. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, will then say, “What more will I grant him?”
The angels will then answer, “O our Lord! We do not know.”
Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, will say, “I will thank him just as he has thanked Me, attend him with My graces, and show him My great mercy on the Resurrection Day.”
Through an authentic chain of authority, Imam al-¯¡diq (`a) is also reported to have said, “Almighty Allah has taken (Prophet) Abraham as His friend just because he used to prostrate himself on the ground very frequently.”
According to another validly reported tradition, Imam al-¯¡diq (`a) is reported to have said, “Whenever you remember any of Almighty Allah’s favors to you and you are in a place where no dissident can see you, you should place your cheek on the ground (i.e. prostrating yourself before Almighty Allah). When you are in a place where you fear lest a dissident can see you, you may bow yourself in submission to Almighty Allah by putting your hand under your stomach to make the dissident believe that you have been affected by colic.”
According to many traditions, Almighty Allah revealed to Prophet Moses (`a), saying, “Do you know why I have chosen you to speak to Me over My other creatures?”
“No, I do not, my Lord,” answered Moses (`a).
Almighty Allah said, “O Moses, I had turned over all My servants, but I could not find any one of them more submissive to Me than you are. O Moses, whenever you prayed, you would place your cheeks on the soil.”
Through an authenticated chain of authority, Imam al-Ri¤¡ (`a) is reported to have said, “A prostration after an obligatory prayer is an expression of thanking Almighty Allah for granting His servant success to carry out his duty towards Him. The least of what can be said while prostrating is to repeat the following words three times:
شُكْراً لِلَّهِ shukran lill¡hi Thanks to Allah.
“What is the meaning of Thanks to Allah?” the reporter asked, and the Imam (`a) answered, “It means that this prostration is a thanksgiving from me to Almighty Allah for the success that He has granted me to serve Him and carry out my duty towards Him. Verily, thanking Almighty Allah increases graces and grants more success to obey Him. If it happens that a prayer is still imperfect and the supererogatory prayer has not covered that imperfection, then this thanksgiving prostration will perfect it.”
Method of Thanksgiving Prostration
The validity of thanksgiving prostration is not conditional upon any thing; it is therefore acceptable to do it any way one chooses. However, it is precautionary to prostrate on the ground, to use the seven organs of prostration that are used in the prostrations of prayers, to put the forehead on a thing acceptable to prostrate on, and to more preferably stick your arms and abdomen to the ground on the contrary of what is done in the prostrations of prayers. One of the traditions of thanksgiving prostrations is to put the forehead on the ground, the right and then the left cheeks, and then return to the normal position of prostration; that is putting the forehead on the ground again. Therefore, this prostration is sometimes called the two thanksgiving prostrations. Apparently, it is unobjectionable to prostrate oneself on the ground without uttering any supplication or doxology although it is a tradition to say any statement while prostrating oneself.
It is therefore more preferable to choose any statement from the following utterances of thanksgiving prostration.
It is also recommended to prolong the prostration. Imam al-K¡¨im (`a) is reported to have kept himself in the position of prostration from post-dawning up to midday and from post-afternoon up to sunset.
According to another tradition, for more than ten years, Imam al-K¡¨im (`a) used to prostrate himself every day for the space of time between the first light up to midday.
Through an authentic chain of authority, Imam al-Ri¤¡ (`a) is reported to have prostrated himself for such a long time that the pebbles of the mosque would be wet by his sweat and he used to stick his two cheeks to the ground of the mosque.
The following is quoted from al-Kashsh¢’s famous book of biographies of narrators (i.e. Kit¡b al-Rij¡l): Al-Fa¤l ibn Sh¡dh¡n said that he, once, visited Mu¦ammad ibn Ab¢-`Umayr and found him in the state of a very long prostration. When he raised his head, al-Fa¤l asked him about such a long prostration. Mu¦ammad answered, “What will you say if you see the prostration of Jam¢l ibn Darr¡j? One day, I visited him and found him in a state of prostration, which took very long time. When he raised his head, I asked him about that very long prostration. Jam¢l said, ‘What will you say if you see the prostration of Ma`r£f ibn Kharrab£z?’”
In another narration, al-Fa¤l ibn Sh¡dh¡n related that °asan ibn `Al¢ ibn Fadhdh¡l used to go out for serving Almighty Allah. He used to prostrate himself for such a long time that even birds would fall down on him, thinking that he was a piece of cloth or a rotten material. When beasts grazed around him, they would not run away, because they would not feel any thing strange.
In another narration, it is reported that `Al¢ ibn Mahziy¡r would fall in prostration at sunrise and would not raise his head before he supplicated for the good of one thousand persons of his brethren-in-faith as same as he would supplicate for himself. Because of such very long prostrations, there was a mark on his forehead similar to the marks found on camels’ knees.
In another narration, it is reported that Ibn Ab¢-`Umayr used to prostrate himself after the Dawn Prayer and raise it at the Noon (²uhr) Prayer.
It is better to do the thanksgiving prostrations immediately after the post-prayer utterances and before the supererogatory prayers except for the Sunset (Maghrib) Prayers, because the majority of scholars believe that the thanksgiving prostration after this prayer should be done after the supererogatory prayer, while others see the opposite. Hence, to do it according to any party’s notion is good enough although it may be more preferable to precede it to the supererogatory prayers, according to the report of al-°imyar¢ from the Awaited Imam, may Allah hasten his reappearance. To solve the question, it must be more preferable to do it before and after the supererogatory prayers.
Sajda from Sahifa Radhvia Ch8Sajda of Hz. Ibrahim (as)
In sijda Say "Alhamdolillah" then keep forehead on right side say "Shukranlillah" , then Left side say "Astagfirullah" Zikr of Yunisiya
لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ انْتَ سُبْحَانَكَ
la ilaha illa anta subhanaka
“There is no god save You. Be You Glorified!
إِنِّي كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّالِمِينَ
inni kuntu min alzzalimina
Lo! I have been a wrongdoer.”
First: Imam al-Rida (`a) is reported to have instructed that one may repeat the following word one hundred times in thanksgiving prostrations:
شُكْراً شُكْراً
shukran shukran
Thanks, thanks.
One may also repeat the following word one hundred times:
عَفْواً عَفْواً
`afwan `afwan
Pardon! Pardon!
In the book of `Uyun Akhbar al-Rida, it is reported on the authority of Raja' ibn Abi’l-Taglhak that Imam al-Rida (`a), on his way to Khurasan, used to prostrate himself after the post-Afternoon Prayer utterances and repeat the following phrase one hundred times:
حَمْداً لِلَّهِ
hamdan lillahi
Praise be to Allah.
Second: Al-Kulayni has reported through a valid chain of authority that Imam al-Sadiq (`a) said: The closest position of a servant to Almighty Allah is when he prostrates himself before Him and supplicates Him. Therefore, when you prostrate, you may say:
يَا رَبَّ ٱلارْبَابِ
ya rabba al-arbabi
O Lord of all lords,
وَيَا مَلِكَ ٱلْمُلُوكِ
wa ya malika almuluki
O King of all kings,
وَيَا سَيِّدَ ٱلسَّادَاتِ
wa ya sayyida alssadati
O master of all masters,
وَيَا جَبَّارَ ٱلْجَبَابِرَةِ
wa ya jabbara aljababirati
O Omnipotent of all the omnipotent,
وَيَا إِلٰهَ ٱلآلِهَةِ
wa ya ilaha al-alihati
and O God of all gods,
صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ…
salli `ala muhammadin wa ali muhammadin…
(please) send blessings upon Muhammad and the Household of Muhammad…
You may now pray Him to grant you your request.
After that, you may say:
فَإِنِّي عَبْدُكَ نَاصِيَتِي فِي قَبْضَتِكَ
fa'inni `abduka nasiyati fi qabdatika
For I am Your servant and my forelock is in Your grasp.
You may then pray Almighty Allah, for He is forgiver of all sins and no problem is unsolvable for Him.
Third: Al-Kulayni has reported through an authenticated chain of authority that Imam al-Sadiq (`a) said: One night, I saw my father prostrating himself in the mosque. I could hear him saying with tender tone:
سُبْحَانَكَ ٱللَّهُمَّ
subhanaka allahumma
All glory be to You, O Allah.
انْتَ رَبِّي حَقّاً حَقّاً
anta rabbi haqqan haqqan
You are my Lord, truly, truly.
سَجَدْتُ لَكَ يَا رَبِّ تَعَبُّداً وَرِقّاً
sajadtu laka ya rabbi ta`abbudan wa riqqan
I prostrate myself before You, O my Lord, out of my servitude and subjugation to You.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّ عَمَلِي ضَعِيفٌ فَضَاعِفْهُ لِي
allahumma inna `amali da`ifun fada`ifhu li
O Allah, my deed is certainly feeble; so, (please do) grant it strength by increasing it many times.
and (please) accept my repentance. Verily, You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful.
Fourth: Through a valid chain of authority, al-Kulayni also reports that Imam Musa al-Kazim (`a) used to say the following supplicatory prayer while prostrating himself:
اعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ نَارٍ حَرُّهَا لاَ يُطْفَىٰ
a`udhu bika min narin harruha la yutfa
I pray for Your protection against the fire whose heat is inextinguishable.
وَاعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ نَارٍ جَدِيدُهَا لاَ يَبْلىٰ
wa a`udhu bika min narin jadiduha la yabla
I pray for Your protection against the fire whose newness never decays.
وَاعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ نَارٍ عَطْشَانُهَا لاَ يُرْوىٰ
wa a`udhu bika min narin`atshanuha la yurwa
I pray for Your protection against the fire whose thirsty is never quenched.
I pray for Your protection against the fire whose disrobed is never clothed.
Fifth: Through a valid chain of authority, al-Kulayni also reports that a man complained to Imam al-Sadiq (`a) about an ailment that affected one of his bondwomen. The Imam said: In the thanksgiving prostration after all obligatory prayers, you may say this
يَا رَؤُوفُ يَا رَحِيمُ
ya ra'ufu ya rahimu
O All-kind! O All-merciful!
يَا رَبِّ يَا سَيِّدِي
ya rabbi ya sayyidi
O my Lord! O my Master!
You may then pray Him to grant you your request.
Sixth: Through several valid chains of authority, Imam al-Sadiq and Imam al-Kazim (`a) are reported to have very frequently said the following supplicatory prayer when they did the thanksgiving prostrations:
اسْالُكَ ٱلرَّاحَةَ عِنْدَ ٱلْمَوْتِ
as'aluka alrrahata `inda almawti
I beseech You for rest at death
وَٱلْعَفْوَ عِنْدَ ٱلْحِسَابِ
wal`afwa `inda alhisabi
and pardon at (final) judgment.
Seventh: Through an authentic chain of authority, it is reported that Imam al-Sadiq (`a) used to say the following statement when he prostrated himself:
سَجَدوَجْهِيَ ٱللَّئِيمُ لِوَجْهِ رَبِّيَ ٱلْ
sajada wajhiya alla'imu liwajhi rabbiya alkarimi
My mean face is prostrating before My Lord’s Noble Face.
Eighth: In some reference books, it is reported that Imam `Ali Amir al-Mu'minin (`a) said: The most favorite words to Almighty Allah is that when a servant (of Him) prostrates himself, he should repeat the following statement three times:
إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي فَٱغْفِرْ لِي
inni zalamtu nafsi faghfir li
I have wronged myself; so, (please) forgive me.
Ninth: In the book of al-Ja`fariyyat, it is recorded through an authentic chain of authority that Imam al-Sadiq (`a) quoted the Holy Prophet (s) to have used to said when he placed his face on the ground for prostration:
اللَّهُمَّ مَغْفِرَتُكَ اوْسَعُ مِنْ ذُنُوبِي
allahumma maghfiratuka awsa`u min dhunubi
O Allah, Your forgiveness is more expansive than my sin
وَرَحْمَتُكَ ارْجَىٰ عِنْدِي مِنْ عَمَلِي
wa rahmatuka arja `indi min `amali
and Your mercy is more hopeful for me than my deeds.
فَٱغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي يَا حَيّاً لاَ يَمُوتُ
faghfir li dhunubi ya hayyan la yamutu
So, (please) forgive my sins. O He Who is Ever-living and never dies!
Tenth: Al-Qutb al-Rawandi has reported Imam al-Sadiq (`a) to have said: Whenever an ordeal or agony afflict or accumulate against you, you may prostrate on the ground and say:
يَا مُذِلَّ كُلِّ جَبَّارٍ
ya mudhilla kulli jabbarin
O Humiliator of all tyrants!
يَا مُعِزَّ كُلِّ ذَلِيلٍ
ya mu`izza kulli dhalilin
O Dignifier of all humble ones!
قَدْ وَحَقِّكَ بَلَغَ مَجْهُودِي
qad wa haqqika balagha majhudi
I, swearing by You, have exerted all efforts;
فَصَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
fasalli `ala muhammadin wa ali muhammadin
so, (please) send blessings upon Muhammad and his Household
وَفَرِّجْ عَنِّي
wa farrij `annai
and relieve me.
In the book of `Uddat al-Da`i, Imam al-Sadiq (`a) is reported to have said, “Any one who is afflicted by a disaster, a misfortune, or a tribulation may bare his knees and arms to the elbows and stick them, as well as his chest, to the ground and supplicate for the settlement of his problem.”
Eleventh: Ibn Babawayh, through a valid chain of authority, reports Imam al-Sadiq (`a) as saying: When a servant repeats the following supplicatory prayer three times while prostrating, the Blessed and Exalted Lord will answer him, “Here I am to respond to you, My servant! Ask for what you need.”
This is the prayer:
يَا اللَّهُ يَا رَبَّاهُ يَا سَيِّدَاهُ
ya allahu ya rabbahu ya sayyidahu
O Allah! O my Lord! O my Master!
In the book of Makarim al-Akhlaq, it is recorded that when a servant prostrates himself and repeats the following supplicatory prayer all in one breath, the Blessed and Exalted Lord will answer him, “Here I am to respond to you. What do you need?”
This is the prayer:
يَا رَبَّاهُ يَا سَيِّدَاهُ
ya rabbahu ya sayyidahu
O my Lord! O my Master!
Twelfth: In the book of Makarim al-Akhlaq too, Imam al-Sadiq (`a) is reported to have related that the Holy Prophet (s) passed by a prostrating man and could hear him saying this prayer:
so, (please) let Your mercy include me, O most Merciful of all those who show mercy.
The Holy Prophet (s) said to him, “Raise your head. Your prayer has been responded. You have just prayed Allah with the supplicatory prayer of a prophet who lived among the people of `aad.”
Sajda of Imam Kazim (as)after Isha
“Ilāhī `Ubayduka bi Finā’ik; Miskīnuka bi Finā’ik, Faqīruka bi Finā’ik
(O Allāh ! Your slave is at Your dooryard; Your wretched one is at Your dooryard, Your
destitute is at Your dooryard)”.
After this, whenever any tribulation or agony befell me, or I was afflicted with any illness, I fell into prostration (Sajdah) after the Prayers and repeated these words, I was relieved of them. While Finā’
means a dooryard. It means that, “Your slave, Your wretched-one and Your
destitute is at Your dooryard, awaiting Your Mercy and is desirous of Your
pardon and favour”. Then whoever pronounces these words sincerely, shall
certainly have an effect, and whatever he desires, shall be fulfilled.
Mentioning the thanksgiving prostration, Shaykh al-Tusi, in his book of Misbah al-Mutahajjid, says that it is recommended to pray for one’s brothers-in-faith while prostrating. Say:
(Please) send blessings upon Muhammad and his Household,
وَٱفْعَلْ بِي وَبِـ… مَا انْتَ اهْلُهُ
waf`al bi wa bi… ma anta ahluhu
do to me and to so-and-so that which befits You,
وَلاَ تَفْعَلْ بِنَا مَا نَحْنُ اهْلُهُ
wa la taf`al bina ma nahnu ahluhu
but do not do to us that which we deserve,
فَإِنَّكَ اهْلُ ٱلتَّقْوَىٰ وَاهْلُ ٱلْمَغْفِرَةِ
fa'innaka ahlu alttaqwa wa ahlu almaghfirati
for You are verily worthy to be feared and worthy to forgive.
Once you raise your head from prostration, you may pass your hand over the place of prostration and then pass it on your right cheek, forehead, and left cheek respectively three times, repeating each time the following supplicatory prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ ٱلْحَمْدُ
allahumma laka alhamdu
O Allah, all praise be to You;
لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاََّ انْتَ
la ilaha illa anta
there is no god save You;
عَالِمُ ٱلْغَيْبِ وَٱلشَّهَادَةِ
`alimu alghaybi walshshahadati
(You are) the Knower of all the unseen and the seen
ٱلرَّحْمٰنُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
alrrahmanu alrrahimu
and You are the All-beneficent and All-merciful.
اللَّهُمَّ اذْهِبْ عَنِّي ٱلْهَمَّ وَٱلْحَزَنَ
allahumma adhhib `anniya alhamma walhazana
O Allah, (please) put away from me distress, grief,
وَٱلْغِيَرَ وَٱلْفِتَنَ
walghiyara walfitana
vicissitudes (of time), and seditious matters;
مَا ظَهَرَ مِنْهَا وَمَا بَطَنَ
ma zahara minha wa ma batana
both the explicit and the implicit.
Supplication in Prostration
Among the best conditions in which supplication and invocation has been emphasised is the state of prostration in front of the Creator,the Lord. For, it is the most proximate of states for the fulfillment of needs, as the traditions from the Imams (a.s.) have testified. So, it is only appropriate that a person should ask for the most important things during this condition.
Special accentuation is for the ‘Prostration of Gratitude’ (Sajdah al-Shukr), where we thank the Almighty Allah for all the bounties that He has conferred on us due
to the blessings of our master, Saaheb al-Zamaan (a.t.f.s.).
And know that invoking for the master of the bounties and their
medium, is among the most important types of appreciation.
Eloquent witness for this claim is the supplication that has come down for Sajda al-Shukr, narrated in the book Tohfah al-Abrar,
narrating from al-Muqneah of Shaykh Mufeed (a.r.) which is as
follows,
1 Al-Ehtejaaj, vol. 2, p. 484; Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 84, p. 359 & vol.
53, p. 16; Saheefah al-Mahdi (a.s.), p. 62. Supplication for the appearance of Imam Mahdi (ajtf.s.)in the prostration of gratification
Sheikh Toosi (R.A.) mentions in his book ‘Misbah ul Mutahajjid’ that: offer the prostration of gratitude and recite that which Imam Kazim (A.S.) has written for Abdullah bin Jundab; recite the following supplication thrice in the state of prostration:
“O’ Allah, I hold You witness, and I hold all Your angels and Prophets and Messengers and the entire creation witness on the fact that certainly You are Allah, My Lord, and my religion is Islam, and Mohammad is my Prophet, and Ali is my Guardian, and Hasan, Husain, Ali bn Husain, Mohamad bin Ali, Jafar bin Mohammad, Musa bin Jafar, Ali bin Musa, Mohammad bin Ali, Ali bin Mohammad, Hasan bin Ali, and their noble successor, peace be upon them, my Imams, I express my devotion towards them, and my dislike towards their enemies. O’ Allah, I adjure You for the blood of the oppressed.
O’ Allah, I adjure You by the promise You made to Your friends that You will make them victorious over Your enemies and their enemies, I adjure You to bless Mohammad and the protectors from his household.
O’ Allah, indeed I adjure You by the pledge You made to yourself regarding Your enemies that You will destroy them, and will humiliate them by their own hands and by the hands of the believers, I adjure You to bless Mohammad and the Protectors from Mohammad’s household.
O’ Allah, I ask You for ease and relief after difficulties and hardships. [1]
[1] Misbahul Mutahajjid: p. 238
Wajib Sajda in Quran
There are 4 Ayat of the Quran that if one hears intentionally /recites any one of them, sajda becomes wajib.
1) Surah Sajdah 32:15 |2) Surah HaMim Sajdah 41:38 |3) Surah Najam 53:62 |4) Surah Alaq 96:19
it is Not wajib to recite anything.It is mustahab to recite any dhikr in sajda & Allahu Akbar on raising head from sajda. preferably the following:
La ilaha illal lahu haqqan haqqa; La ilaha illal lahu imanan wa tasdiqa; la ilaha illal lahu 'ubudiyyatan wa riqqa; Sajadtu laka ya Rabbi ta'abbudan wa riqqa la mustankifan wa la mustak biran bal ana 'abdun zalilun za'ifun kha'ifun mustajir.
