How should a person who cannot put his head on the ground/floor due to an excuse prostrate?

A person who had a nose operation feels a severe pain when he bends his head and cannot prostrate on the ground/floor; thus, he performs prostration by bending his head half. Is it appropriate? If not, how should he prostrate? How high should the height of the place to be prostrated on be?

Dear Brother / Sister,

It is Sunnah for the place to prostrate on to be at the same level as the place where one’s feet stand. However, it is permissible if the place to prostrate on is one or two bricks high (about 22-23 cm). If it is higher and if the person who is performing a prayer cannot find anywhere else to prostrate or if he cannot put his head down on the floor due to an illness, he can prostrate by the sign of his head.  

The most appropriate criteria and limits for prostration is to put the forehead on the floor with the nose. If a person puts one of them on the floor without an excuse, the following result will occur: It is not permissible to put only the nose on the floor. To put only the forehead is permissible but makruh. It is unanimously agreed. However, Abu Hanifa regards prostration only with the nose makruh but permissible. Imam Abu Yusuf and Imam Muhammad do not regard it permissible. Fatwa regarding the issue is based on the view and ijtihad of the two imams. However, if a person has an excuse, it is permissible.

It is not permissible to prostrate by touching the floor only with the cheek or the chin. A person who has an excuse prostrates with the sign of his head; he does not touch the floor only with the cheek or the chin.

A person prostrates only by his nose due to an excuse on his forehead must ensure that the place his nose touches is tougher than his nose. Otherwise, it is not permissible to prostrate there. (Sirajul-Wahhaj - al-Jawharatun-Nayyira) (Celal Yıldırım, Kaynaklarıyla İslam Fıkhı, Uysal Kitabevi: 1/243-244)

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