Sources and method
How Sajda decides what to teach, and the references behind every point.
Our rules
- We only cover the four Sunni schools: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali.
- Every school difference and every correction carries a reference: a hadith with its collection and number, or a standard text of the school.
- Hadith are cited by reference rather than quoted. Meanings shown for the Qur'an and the dhikr are simplified paraphrases written for this app, not translations.
- If we could not verify a position from a reliable reference, we left it out instead of guessing. Omissions are listed below.
- The animation shows the movements of a person praying alone.
Why the figure has no face
The 3D figure is deliberately stylised and incomplete: it has no face (no eyes, nose, mouth, ears or eyebrows) and only a hint of fingers. This is a design choice made out of respect for the guidance against depicting complete, lifelike images of people, a position held by many scholars, and it follows a common practice in Islamic educational material. The figure exists only to show the positions and movements of the prayer.
School references
- Hanafi: Nur al-Idah and its commentary Maraqi al-Falah, both by Hasan al-Shurunbulali.
- Maliki: Mukhtasar Khalil (Khalil ibn Ishaq) and al-Risala (Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani); the Muwatta of Imam Malik.
- Shafi'i: Minhaj al-Talibin (al-Nawawi) and Matn Abi Shuja' (al-Ghayah wa al-Taqrib).
- Hanbali: Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi).
Hadith collections
Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim and Sunan Ibn Majah, numbered as on sunnah.com (Bukhari: Fath al-Bari numbering; Muslim: 'Abd al-Baqi numbering).
Arabic text
Qur'anic text follows the Hafs reading. Transliterations are simplified for learners.
Deliberately left out
- The exact moment of raising the index finger in the Hanafi and Hanbali schools: we show the pointing only, with the hadith reference.
- The Shafi'i "sitting of rest" (jalsat al-istiraha) before standing, and raising the hands when standing from the first tashahhud: not animated.
- Opening supplication (du'a al-istiftah), ta'awwudh and the basmala before al-Fatiha: practice differs between the schools; follow your teacher.
- Differences in women's posture in the Maliki school: not shown, so the Maliki female figure uses the same movements.
- The women's drawing-together in ruku (cited above) is described in text; the animation applies it to sujud only.
- Qunut in Fajr, the position of the hands after rising from ruku, and gaze details: not covered.
- Rules for the follower behind an imam (extra tasleems, recitation behind the imam): not covered; the guide assumes praying alone.
Every point in the app
School differences
In obligatory prayers the arms hang relaxed at the sides (sadl).
Mukhtasar Khalil · Kitab al-Salah, recommended acts (mandubat): «wa sadlu yadayhi»
The right hand is placed over the left, below the navel.
Nur al-Idah (al-Shurunbulali) · Bab sifat al-salah, the sunnahs of prayer
A woman places her hands on her chest.
Maraqi al-Falah (al-Shurunbulali) · Commentary on Nur al-Idah, Bab sifat al-salah
The right hand holds the left, below the chest and above the navel.
Minhaj al-Talibin (al-Nawawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
The right hand grasps the left wrist, below the navel.
Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
Hands are raised only with the opening takbir; men bring the thumbs level with the earlobes.
Nur al-Idah (al-Shurunbulali) · Bab sifat al-salah
A woman raises her hands to the level of her shoulders.
Maraqi al-Falah (al-Shurunbulali) · Commentary on Nur al-Idah, Bab sifat al-salah
Hands are raised only with the opening takbir.
Mukhtasar Khalil · Kitab al-Salah, recommended acts (mandubat): raising the hands with the ihram
Hands are raised to the shoulders with the opening takbir, when bowing for ruku and when rising from it.
Minhaj al-Talibin (al-Nawawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
Hands are raised to the shoulders with the opening takbir, when bowing for ruku and when rising from it.
Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
Going down to sujud, the hands are placed before the knees, and when rising they are lifted after the knees.
Mukhtasar Khalil · Kitab al-Salah, recommended acts (mandubat): «wa taqdimu yadayhi fi sujudihi wa ta'khiruhuma 'inda al-qiyam»
Going down to sujud, the knees are placed first, then the hands, then the face.
Nur al-Idah (al-Shurunbulali) · Bab sifat al-salah
Going down to sujud, the knees are placed first, then the hands, then the forehead and nose.
Minhaj al-Talibin (al-Nawawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
Going down to sujud, the knees are placed first, then the hands, then the forehead with the nose.
Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
In every sitting, sit on the left foot laid flat with the right foot upright, toes towards the qibla (iftirash).
Nur al-Idah (al-Shurunbulali) · Bab sifat al-salah
A woman sits on her left hip with both feet brought out to the right side.
Maraqi al-Falah (al-Shurunbulali) · Commentary on Nur al-Idah, Bab sifat al-salah
In every sitting, the left hip rests on the ground, the left foot comes out under the right leg and the right foot is upright (tawarruk).
al-Risala (Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani) · Bab sifat al-'amal fi al-salawat al-mafruda
Iftirash in every sitting except the final tashahhud, where one sits in tawarruk.
Minhaj al-Talibin (al-Nawawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
Iftirash in every sitting; tawarruk only in the final tashahhud of a prayer that has two tashahhuds (not in Fajr).
Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
A woman may sit cross-legged or with her legs drawn out to her right, the latter being better.
Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah: «wa imra'atun ka-dhalika illa annaha tajma'u nafsaha…»
The right hand is closed with the index finger extended, and the index is moved right and left throughout the tashahhud.
Mukhtasar Khalil · Kitab al-Salah, recommended acts (mandubat): «wa tahrikuha da'iman»
The index finger is raised when saying «illa Allah», without moving it.
Minhaj al-Talibin (al-Nawawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah
Hanafi and Hanbali schools use the tashahhud narrated by Ibn Mas'ud.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 831 (text); Nur al-Idah and Zad al-Mustaqni', Bab sifat al-salah (school adoption) · sunnah.com/bukhari:831 ↗
The Maliki school uses the tashahhud that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab taught from the minbar.
Muwatta Malik · Kitab al-Salah, Bab al-tashahhud fi al-salah; adopted in al-Risala, Bab sifat al-'amal fi al-salawat al-mafruda
The Shafi'i school prefers the tashahhud narrated by Ibn 'Abbas.
Sahih Muslim · 403 (text); Minhaj al-Talibin, Bab sifat al-salah (school adoption) · sunnah.com/muslim:403 ↗
The imam and the person praying alone make a single tasleem, facing forward and turning slightly to the right.
al-Risala (Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani) · Bab sifat al-'amal fi al-salawat al-mafruda
Two tasleems, to the right then to the left, turning until the cheek can be seen (Hanafi, Shafi'i and Hanbali practice).
Sahih Muslim · 582 · sunnah.com/muslim:582 ↗
A woman draws her body together in ruku and sujud, keeping the belly close to the thighs.
Maraqi al-Falah (al-Shurunbulali) · Commentary on Nur al-Idah, Bab sifat al-salah
Unlike the man, who keeps elbows away from his sides and belly off his thighs, a woman draws her body together.
Matn Abi Shuja' (al-Ghayah wa al-Taqrib) · Kitab al-Salah: «the woman differs from the man in five things»
A woman prays like a man except that she draws herself together.
Zad al-Mustaqni' (al-Hajjawi) · Kitab al-Salah, Bab sifat al-salah: «illa annaha tajma'u nafsaha»
Mistakes and corrections
Not staying still in ruku and sujud (no tuma'ninah).
Pause until every limb settles in each position before moving on. The Prophet ﷺ told the man who prayed hastily to repeat his prayer and to be at rest in ruku, in sujud and in the sitting between.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 757 (also Sahih Muslim 397) · sunnah.com/bukhari:757 ↗
Rushing from ruku to sujud without standing fully upright, or from one sujud to the next without sitting.
Stand straight after ruku and sit up properly between the two prostrations, as in the same hadith.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 757 · sunnah.com/bukhari:757 ↗
Laying the forearms flat on the ground in sujud.
Place the palms and lift the elbows; do not spread the forearms on the ground.
Sahih Muslim 494; Sahih al-Bukhari 822 · Muslim 494, Bukhari 822 · sunnah.com/bukhari:822 ↗
Forehead or nose not touching the ground.
The forehead goes down with the nose; it is the first of the seven parts.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 812 · sunnah.com/bukhari:812 ↗
Lifting the feet off the ground in sujud.
Keep the tips of both feet on the ground, toes bent towards the qibla.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 812, 828 · sunnah.com/bukhari:812 ↗
Looking up at the sky during prayer.
Keep the gaze lowered; the Prophet ﷺ warned against raising the eyes to the sky in prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 750 · sunnah.com/bukhari:750 ↗
Turning the head to look around.
Keep facing the qibla; turning around is something Satan snatches from a person's prayer.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 751 · sunnah.com/bukhari:751 ↗
Raising or dropping the head in ruku.
Keep the head level with the back, neither raised nor lowered.
Sahih Muslim · 498 · sunnah.com/muslim:498 ↗
Raising the hands at moments your school does not teach, or at random.
Follow one school consistently: Hanafi and Maliki raise only at the opening takbir; Shafi'i and Hanbali also before and after ruku. See the school notes for references.
See school notes · Nur al-Idah; Mukhtasar Khalil; Minhaj al-Talibin; Zad al-Mustaqni' (Bab sifat al-salah)
General points
Narration of Ibn 'Umar on raising the hands level with the shoulders at the start of the prayer, for ruku and on rising from it.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 735 · sunnah.com/bukhari:735 ↗
Abu Humayd's description: after two rak'ahs he sat on his left foot with the right upright; in the last rak'ah he sat on his left hip.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 828 · sunnah.com/bukhari:828 ↗
In the tashahhud the Prophet ﷺ placed his right hand on his right knee and pointed with his index finger.
Sahih Muslim · 580 · sunnah.com/muslim:580a ↗
Prostration is on seven parts: the forehead (with the nose), both hands, both knees and the tips of both feet.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 812 · sunnah.com/bukhari:812 ↗
In ruku the hands grip the knees and the back is bent level; in sujud the toes face the qibla.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 828 · sunnah.com/bukhari:828 ↗
Between the two prostrations the Prophet ﷺ would say: «Rabbi ghfir li, Rabbi ghfir li».
Sunan Ibn Majah · 897 · sunnah.com/ibnmajah:897 ↗
Wording of the prayer upon the Prophet ﷺ (al-salat al-Ibrahimiyya) as taught to the Companions.
Sahih al-Bukhari · 3370 · sunnah.com/bukhari:3370 ↗
Credits
- 3D figure: an original, deliberately faceless procedural model made for Sajda (no third-party model).
- Prayer times: adhan-js (MIT licence).
- City search: Open-Meteo geocoding API (data from GeoNames, CC BY 4.0).
- Map: Leaflet (BSD-2) with © OpenStreetMap contributors tiles (ODbL).