Is prayer invalidated if the top part of the feet are placed on the ground in prostration?

Dear Brother / Sister,

- Abdullah b. Abbas narrates: The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“I have been ordered to prostrate on seven bones: They are the forehead – he pointed to his nose too –(thus, the forehead was regarded as one along with the nose), both hands, both knees, and the ends (tiptoes) of both feet.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 133-134)

- Acting upon this hadith, scholars have different views whether prostration is valid if both feet or the toes of one foot are not place on the ground.

According to some scholars, it is fard for at least one toe to turn toward the qiblah. (Durrul-Muhtar, 1/399-500)

According to some other scholars, it is sunnah for the toe to turn toward the qiblah; it is makruh to abandon it without any excuse. (Raddul-Muhtar, 1/500)

According to what Imam Nawawi states, there are different views in Shafii maddhab about whether it is fard or sunnah to prostrate on all of the organs mentioned in the hadith. If it is regarded as fard/wajib, it is not enough for prostration (sajdah) to place the back of the feet on the ground according to the sound view. (see Majmu, 3/428-431)

- It will be useful to quote the following statements from two books of ilm al-hal of Hanafi and Shafii madhhabs written in Turkish:

Ömer Nasuhî Bilmen states the following: “Sajdah is not valid unless the toes of both feet or one foot are put on the ground. This is the preferred view. It is not enough to put only one toe of a foot and the top part of the foot on the ground.” (Büyük İslam İlmihali, p.131)

Halil Günenç regards one of the three prerequisites of the validity of prostration as “a person prostrating on seven organs” and uses the following expression regarding toes: “The seven organs are as follows: the forehead, two knees, two palms and toes of both feet” (Büyük Şafii İlmihali, p. 97)

- According to the evaluation of Wahba Zuhayli, a perfect prostration for all madhhabs take place by prostrating on those seven organs – mentioned in the hadith above.

According to Hanafi and Maliki madhhabs, it is enough to put some part of the forehead on the ground. According to Hanafis, the fard of sajdah is completed when only one toe of the foot is put on the ground. According to Shafii and Hanbali madhhabs, it is wajib to prostrate on the seven organs mentioned in the hadith. According to Shafiis, it is necessary to prostrate on the inner parts of the toes. It is not enough to prostrate on the back of the feet. (W. Zuhayli, al-Fiqhul-Islami, 1/662)

- According to what Ibn Abidin summarizes, the decree of putting the feet (at least one foot/one toe of it) on the ground is evaluated in in three forms – as fard, wajib and sunnah. That is about putting the foot – or rather the toe – on the ground. It is sunnah for the toe to turn toward the qiblah; it is makruh to abandon it. It is also makruh to put only one foot on the ground without any excuse. (Durrul-Muhtar, 1/504)

Conclusion: It is necessary to be careful so that toes will turn toward the qiblah in prostration but we can say that it is enough for the top part of the feet and even only one toe to touch the ground for the validity of the prayer.

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