The meaning of sujud is often lost on us when we pray. Not once did we pray just to fulfill the obligation. Even though sujud has a deep meaning and privilege. Moreover, if you continue to remember the meaning of sujud, Insha Allah, prayer will become more solemn.
Definition of sujud Movement
The Messenger of Allah was very fond of the sujud movement. The meaning of the sujud movement according to the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), sujud means kneeling and putting the forehead to the floor (for example during prayer) while reading tasbih; a statement of respect by kneeling and bowing the head to the ground.
Linguistically, sujud comes from sajada-sujudan which means bowing solemnly, placing the forehead on the surface of the earth, humbling oneself with the intention of giving respect. sujud can mean an effort to humble or humiliate ourselves before something we respect.
In terminology, prostration is a statement of a servant’s obedience to Allah SWT. The procedure for performing prostration is by placing both feet, both knees, both hands, and face on the ground (floor) and facing towards the qibla. Perfect position by attaching the forehead, nose, palms, knees, and toes. Giving the distance between the two feet with a slightly open position.
Read also: Complete Dhuha Prayer with Its Meaning and Benefits of Dhuha Practice in the Hereafter
The Meaning of the sujud Movement
In the book Practical Guide to Praying Already Correct Our Prayers (2013: 248) by Ustadz Agus Arifin, the meaning of the sujud movement or placing the forehead on the surface of the earth is one form of practice. However, this practice has a core as a form of humbling oneself to honor. The Quran uses the word ‘sujud’ for the act of sujud, whether the movement of sujud by humans, angels, or by other creatures, such as the sun, moon, stars, and trees. In prostration, every creature humbles itself and exalts Allah, the only substance worthy of worship.
Tsaubah explained that the Prophet said: “Increase your sujud (increase your prayers) to Allah. For you do not prostrate yourself for the sake of Allah but Allah will exalt you and expiate your sins.” (HR Muslim no. 488).
Although sujud is the lowest movement, it is the closest position between a servant and Allah. The Prophet said, “The closest a servant comes to His Lord is when he is sujud.” (HR Muslim no.482).
The movement of sujud is where the forehead touches the earth, as a form of submission to Allah, and not for any other substance let alone a particular person. Being close to God, becomes an important virtue in sujud. From Abu Hurairah, the Prophet Muhammad said, “The closest momentum of a servant and his Lord is when sujud. Therefore, multiply prayers at that time,” (HR Muslim, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa’i)
From here we can see that the meaning of the sujud movement is a form of a servant surrendering to Allah. This form of submission to Allah, shows that we are lowly and helpless creatures without Allah’s help. Therefore, sujud becomes the meaning of our efforts to get closer to Allah Swt.
Read also: Tahajud Prayer Recitation That Needs to Be Memorized So That Worship Is More Solemn
Prayer of sujud in Prayer with Meaning
Prayer is a form of communication of servitude to Allah Swt. When we pray, we realize that we are helpless, weak, and unable to do anything without His power. Here are the prayers of sujud in prayer.
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى
Subhaana rabbiyal a’laa (3x)
Meaning: “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High.”
سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى وَبِحَمْدِهِ
Subhaana rabbiyal a’laa wa bihamdih (3x)
Meaning: “Glory be to my Lord Most High, and praise be to Him.”
سُبُّوحٌ قُدُّوسٌ، رَبُّ الْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالرُّوحِ
Subbuuhun qudduusun rabbul malaa-ikati war ruuh.
Meaning: “The Most Holy, the Most Glorious, the Lord of the Angels and the Spirit.” (H.R. Muslim No. 487).
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
Subhaa-nakallahumma rabbanaa wa bihamdika, allahummaghfir-lii.
Meaning: “Glory be to You, O Allah, your Rabb, and in praise of You, O Allah, grant me forgiveness.”
اللهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذَنْبِي كُلَّهُ دِقَّهُ، وَجُلَّهُ، وَأَوَّلَهُ وَآخِرَهُ وَعَلَانِيَتَهُ وَسِرَّه
Allahummagh-fir-lii dzan-bii kullahuu, diqqahuu, wa jullahuu, wa awwa-lahuu, wa aa-khirohuu, wa ‘alaa-niya-tahuu wa sirrohuu.
Meaning: “O Allah forgive all my sins, the smallest and the greatest, the first and the last, the overt and the hidden.”
اللهُمَّ لَكَ سَجَدْتُ، وَبِكَ آمَنْتُ، وَلَكَ أَسْلَمْتُ، سَجَدَ وَجْهِي لِلَّذِي خَلَقَهُ، وَصَوَّرَهُ، وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ، تَبَارَكَ اللهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
Allahumma laka sajad-tu, wa bika aamantu, wa laka aslam-tu. Sajada wajhii lilladzii khala-qohuu, wa shawwa-rohuu, wa syaqqo sam’ahuu wa basharahuu, tabaarokallahu ahsanul kholiqiin.
Meaning: “O Allah, to You I bow, to You I believe and to You I commit myself. And You are my Rabb. My face prostrates to the One who has created it and formed it so be good to me. And Who has made me hear and see so Glory be to Allah, the best of creators.”
سُبْحَانَ ذِي الْجَبَرُوتِ وَالْمَلَكُوتِ وَالْكِبْرِيَاءِ وَالْعَظَمَةِ
Subhaana dzil jabaruut, wal malakuut, walkibriyaa, wal ‘adzamah.
Meaning: “Glory be to the possessor of Might, and Power, and Pride, and Majesty.”
The Meaning of Sujud and Benefits for the Body and Soul
The meaning of the sujud movement not only touches our spiritual side. But it also provides tremendous benefits for the body. The movement of prostration in prayer improves blood circulation and breaks the blockage of blood vessels, which is beneficial to prevent coronary heart disease. In addition, during prostration the position of the head becomes lower than the heart, so blood flows faster to the brain. The brain receives more nutrients. This has a good effect on memory, vision, hearing, concentration, psyche, and other cognitive abilities.
In addition to improving blood circulation, prostration also forces our body to move all limbs. Such as relaxing the spine, stretching the shoulder joints, elbows, knees, ankles and hips. Strengthening the neck muscles, improving digestion, also has a good effect on posture.
The meaning of prostration and other prayer movements can be mentally healthy and make the soul more peaceful. The concentration that we build to become closer to Allah is indirectly similar to the function of meditation which only focuses on one point. However, the difference is that the focal point we are aiming for is the greatness of Allah. Thus, we become servants who feel peaceful and secure, because Allah is all-powerful, all-helping, and all-protecting.
Read also: Exploring the Wisdom of Prophet Musas’ Prayer
Varieties of Sujud
Although prostration is part of the prayer, it can be done under certain conditions with different recitations. It depends on what type of prostration is being done. Here are the kinds of prostration other than part of the prayer.
Tilawah Sujud Movement
Prostration of tilawah is a combination of two Arabic words, namely prostration and tilawah. The condition of doing prostration is when after reading or hearing the recitation of the sadjah verse of the Quran during prayer or not. Prostration of tilawah has another term, namely prostration of reading. The sadjah verses in question include Surah Al-A’raf, Ar-Ra’d, An-Nahl, Al-Isra’, Maryam, Al-Furqan, An-Naml, As-Sadjah, Fussilat, An-Najm, Al-Inshiqaq, Al-Alaq, and Al-Hajj.
In Quran Surah Al-Isra’ verses 107-109, Allah says: “Say, “Believe in it or do not believe in it (it is the same for Allah). Verily, those who were given knowledge before, when the Qur’an was recited to them, they fell on their faces in prostration, and they said, ‘Glory be to our Lord; surely the promise of our Lord shall be fulfilled.'” And they fall on their faces weeping, and they grow more solemn’.” (Q.S. Al-Isra’: 107-109).
Then, in a hadith report from Abu Hurairah, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “If the son of Adam recites the verse of sajdah and then prostrates, then the devil steps aside while crying and saying, “Woe to me, he (the son of Adam) was ordered to prostrate and he obeyed and prostrated, so for him is paradise. But I myself was commanded to prostrate and I refused, so for me is Hell.” (HR Muslim, and Ibn Majah in Nashbur Roayah Volume 2 page 178).
Here is the prayer for prostration of recitation:
سَجَدَ وَجْهِى لِلَّذِى خَلَقَهُ وَصَوَّرَهُ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ بِحَوْلِهِ وَقُوَّتِهِ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
Sajada wajhi lilladzi kholaqohu, wa showwarohu, wa syaqqo sam’ahu, wa bashorohu bi khaulihi wa kuuwatihi fatabarakallahu ahsanul kholiqiin.
Meaning: “My face is prostrated to the One who created it, who formed it, and who gave it hearing and sight, Most blessed is Allah, the best of creators”.
Read also: Tahajud Prayer Recitation That Needs to Be Memorized So That Worship Is More Solemn
Sujud of Shahwi
Imam Syafii in Fiqh Manhaj mentions several things that cause a person to be obliged to perform prostration of shahwi.
- Leaving the sunnah ab’adh, such as the initial tashahhud and qunut.
- Doubting the number of rak’ahs. When in this condition, then take the least number of rak’ahs, then complete the rest. Then do the sahwi prostration, because there is a possibility that the rak’ah of the prayer is excessive.
- Committing a prohibition that can invalidate the prayer if done intentionally. For example, forgetting to say some words, or adding rak’ahs to the prayer. If he remembers this during the prayer, it is sunnah for him to do the prostration of shahwi.
- Performing a pillar, sunnah ab’adh, or reciting a verse out of place. For example, reciting Al-Fatihah during tashahhud, reciting qunut during bowing, reciting the recommended surah after Al-Fatihah during I’tidal.
In doing so, the shahwi prostration procedure is also divided into two, namely before the greeting and after the greeting. The shahwi prostration before the greeting is done when leaving some prayer movements because of forgetting, doubting the number of rakaats of prayer that has been carried out. Prostration of shahwi after salam can be done when adding rak’ats because of forgetting the rak’ats that have been executed when praying, adding prayer movements because of forgetting.
The scholars have agreed that it is advisable to perform prostration after and before the greeting, because it is a sign of negligence in the movements and rakaats of the prayer. Here is the recitation of the sahwi prostration prayer:
سُبْحَانَ مَنْ لَا يَنَامُ وَلَا يَسْهُوْا
Subhana man laa yanaamu walaa yashu.
Meaning: “Glory be to Allah who neither sleeps nor forgets.”
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The Meaning of the Gratitude Prostration Movement
The prostration of gratitude is usually done when we are receiving pleasure from Allah SWT. As a form of gratitude to Him for the pleasure that comes. Prostration of gratitude is sunnah. If you do it, you will certainly get a reward as a sign of gratitude for Allah’s blessings. Here is the prayer of prostration of gratitude:
سَجَدَ وَجْهِى لِلَّذِى خَلَقَهُ وَصَوَّرَهُ وَشَقَّ سَمْعَهُ وَبَصَرَهُ بِحَوْلِهِ وَقُوَّتِهِ تَبَارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخَالِقِينَ
Sajada wajhi lilladzi khalaqahu, wa shawwarahu, wa syaqqa sam’ahu, wa basharahu bi khaulihi wa kuuwatihi fatabarakallahu ahsanul kholiqiin.
Meaning: “My face prostrates to the One who created it, who formed it, and gave it hearing and sight, Most Blessed is Allah, the best of creators.”
In addition to the prayer of prostration of gratitude, we can also recite other prayers such as tasbih, tahmid, and tahlil, and recite a fragment of Q.S. An-Naml verse 19.
Recitation of tasbih, tahmid, and tahlil: Subhaanallahi walhamdulillaahi walaa ilaaha illallaahu wallaahuakbar, walaa haula walaa quwwata illaa billaahil aliyyil azhiim.
Meaning: “Glory be to Allah, all praise be to Allah, there is no God but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, there is no power and strength except with the help of Allah, the Most High, the Most Great.”
QS An-Naml ayat 19.
فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًا مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِى عِبَادِكَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ
Fatabassama ḍāḥikam min qaulihā wa qāla rabbi auzi‘nī an asykura ni‘matakal-latī an‘amta ‘alayya wa ‘alā wālidayya wa an a‘mala ṣāliḥan tarḍāhu wa adkhilnī biraḥmatika fī ‘ibādikaṣ-ṣāliḥīn(a).
Meaning: So he smiled with laughter at the ant’s words. And he prayed: “O my Lord inspire me to remain grateful for Your favors which You have bestowed upon me and upon my two mothers and fathers and to do righteous deeds which You are pleased with; and include me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants.”
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Almsgiving as a Form of Gratitude
Apart from prostration of gratitude, the form of expressing gratitude to Allah Swt. can also be through almsgiving. Charity does not reduce wealth, instead Allah will increase its enjoyment. Likewise with grateful people, Allah adds pleasure many times over.
Rasulullah SAW said, “Whoever spends two treasures in the way of Allah, then he will be called by one of the doors of heaven: ‘O servant of Allah, come here to enjoyment.’ If he is from among those who pray, he will be called from the door of prayer; if he is from among the mujahids, he will be called from the door of jihad; if he is from among those who give charity, he will be called from the door of charity.” (HR. Bukhari and Muslim).
Express gratitude for the blessings that Allah has given through alms, you can channel it through the following link.
