Knees first or hands first?

٧٣ - ذِكْرُ وَضْعِ الْيَدَيْنِ قَبْلَ الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ
١٤٣٠ - حَدَّثنا عَلَّانُ بْنُ الْمُغِيرَةِ، قَالَ: ثنا أَصْبَغُ، قَالَ: ثنا عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ ابْنَ عُمَرَ: " كَانَ يَضَعُ يَدَيْهِ قَبْلَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ، قَالَ: وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ".
قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ أَهْلُ الْعِلْمِ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ، فَمِمَّنْ رَأَى أَنْ يَضَعَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ قَبْلَ يَدَيْهِ: عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ.
١٤٣١ - حَدَّثنا أَبُو أَحْمَدَ، قَالَ: ثنا يَعْلَى، قَالَ: ثنا الْأَعْمَشُ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنِ الْأَسْوَدِ، قَالَ: كَانَ عُمَرُ: «إِذَا كَبَّرَ كَبَّرَ وَهُوَ مُنْحَطٌّ، وَيَقَعُ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ». وَبِهِ قَالَ النَّخَعِيُّ، وَمُسْلِمُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ، وَسُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ، وَالشَّافِعِيُّ، وَأَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ، وَإِسْحَاقُ، وَأَصْحَابُ الرَّأْيِ.
وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ: يَضَعُ يَدَيْهِ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ إِذَا سَجَدَ قَبْلَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ، كَذَلِكَ قَالَ مَالِكٌ، وَقَالَ الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ: أَدْرَكْتُ النَّاسَ يَضَعُونَ أَيْدِيَهُمْ قَبْلَ رُكَبِهِمْ.
قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ فِي حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قِيلَ: إِنَّ الَّذِي يَصِحُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ مَوْقُوفٌ، وَحَدِيثُ وَائِلِ بْنِ حُجْرٍ ثَابِتٌ وَبِهِ نَقُولُ.
١٤٣٢ - حَدَّثنا عَلِيُّ، قَالَ: ثنا حَجَّاجٌ، قَالَ: ثنا هَمَّامٌ، قَالَ: ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جُحَادَةَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ بْنِ وَائِلٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ: «أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ كَانَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَسْجُدَ وَقَعَتْ رُكْبَتَاهُ قَبْلَ يَدَيْهِ».
قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: وَقَدْ زَعَمَ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا أَنَّ وَضْعَ الْيَدَيْنِ قَبْلَ الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ مَنْسُوخٌ، وَقَالَ هَذَا الْقَائِلُ:
١٤٣٣ - حَدَّثنا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ كُهَيْلٍ، قَالَ: ثنا أَبِي، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ سَعْدٍ، قَالَ: «كُنَّا نَضَعُ الْيَدَيْنِ قَبْلَ الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ، فَأُمِرْنَا بِالرُّكْبَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْيَدَيْنِ».
[الأوسط - ابن المنذر - المجلد ٣ - الصفحات ١٦٥-١٦٧]

Ibn al-Mundhir said: “[Mention of placing the hands before the knees] ʿAllān ibn al-Mughīrah reported: He said, “Asbagh told us, who said: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad told us, from ʿUbaydullāh, from Nāfiʿ, that Ibn ʿUmar said: ‘He used to place his hands before his knees, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do the same.’” Abū Bakr said: “Scholars have differed in this matter. Among those who held that the knees should be placed before the hands was ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.” Abū Aḥmad reported: Yaʿlā told us, who said: Al-ʿAmash told us, from Ibrāhīm, from Al-Aswad, who said: “When ʿUmar said takbīr, he did so while leaning down, and his knees touched the ground first.” This is the view of Al-Nakhaʿee, Muslim ibn Yasar, Sufyān al-Thawrī, Al-Shāfiʿī, Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Isḥāq, and Ahl al-Raiyy. A group said: “He places his hands on the ground when prostrating before the knees.” This was the view of Mālik. Al-Awzaʿee said: “I saw people placing their hands before their knees.” Regarding the report of Ibn ʿUmar, it is said that the authentic part of his report is mawqūf (attributed to a Sahabi), whereas the report of Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr is sound, and this is what we follow. ʿAlī reported: Ḥajjāj told us, who said: Hammām told us, who said: Muḥammad ibn Juḥādah told us, from ʿAbd al-Jabbār ibn Wāʾil, from his father, that: “When the Prophet ﷺ intended to prostrate, his knees touched the ground before his hands.” Some of our companions claimed that placing the hands before the knees is abrogated. Ibrāhīm ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Yaḥyā ibn Salamah ibn Kuhayl reported: He said: “My father told us, from his father, from Salamah, from Muṣʿab ibn Saʿd, from Saʿd, who said: ‘We used to place our hands before our knees, then we were instructed to place the knees before the hands.’”” [Al-Awsat - Ibn al-Mundhir - Volume 3 - Page 165-167]

[مَسْأَلَة أَوَّلُ مَا يَقَعُ مِنْهُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ عِنْد السُّجُود رُكْبَتَاهُ]
(٧١٧) مَسْأَلَةٌ: قَالَ: (وَيَكُونُ أَوَّلُ مَا يَقَعُ مِنْهُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ رُكْبَتَاهُ، ثُمَّ يَدَاهُ، ثُمَّ جَبْهَتُهُ وَأَنْفُهُ) هَذَا الْمُسْتَحَبُّ فِي مَشْهُورِ الْمَذْهَبِ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ ذَلِكَ عَنْ عُمَرَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَبِهِ قَالَ مُسْلِمُ بْنُ يَسَارٍ، وَالنَّخَعِيُّ، وَأَبُو حَنِيفَةَ، وَالثَّوْرِيُّ، وَالشَّافِعِيُّ. وَعَنْ أَحْمَدَ رِوَايَةٌ أُخْرَى أَنَّهُ يَضَعُ يَدَيْهِ قَبْلَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ. وَإِلَيْهِ ذَهَبَ مَالِكٌ؛ لِمَا رُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: «إذَا سَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَضَعْ يَدَيْهِ قَبْلَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَلَا يَبْرُكْ بُرُوكَ الْبَعِيرِ» . رَوَاهُ النَّسَائِيّ.
وَلَنَا، مَا رَوَى وَائِلُ بْنُ حُجْرٍ، قَالَ: «رَأَيْت رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - إذَا سَجَدَ وَضَعَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ قَبْلَ يَدَيْهِ، وَإِذَا نَهَضَ رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ قَبْلَ رُكْبَتَيْهِ» . أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُو دَاوُد، وَالنَّسَائِيُّ، وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ. قَالَ الْخَطَّابِيُّ: هَذَا أَصَحُّ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ. وَرُوِيَ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ: «كُنَّا نَضَعُ الْيَدَيْنِ قَبْلَ الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ، فَأُمِرْنَا بِوَضْعِ الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْيَدَيْنِ.» وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى نَسْخِ مَا تَقَدَّمَهُ، وَقَدْ رَوَى الْأَثْرَمُ حَدِيثَ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ: «إذَا سَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَبْدَأْ بِرُكْبَتَيْهِ قَبْلَ يَدَيْهِ، وَلَا يَبْرُكْ بُرُوكَ الْفَحْلِ»
[المغني - المجلد ١ - الصفحة ٣٧٠]

Ibn Qudamah said: “What touches the ground first during sujud – the knees? It was said: 'The first part of the body to touch the ground during sujud is the knees, then the hands, then the forehead and nose.' This is the recommended practice according to the widely known view of the madhab (Hanbali). This has also been narrated from ʿUmar – radiyallahu 'anhu – and it is the opinion of Muslim ibn Yasar, Al-Nakhaʿee, Abu Ḥanifa, Al-Thawrī, and Al-Shāfiʿī. There is another narration from Ahmad that one should place the hands before the knees. This is the view of Mālik, based on what was narrated from Abū Hurayrah, who said that the Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him – said: 'When one of you prostrates, let him place his hands before his knees, and do not prostrate like the camel.' This was reported by Al-Nasāʾī. And for us (evidence for our opinion), Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr reported: 'I saw the Messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him – when he prostrated, he placed his knees before his hands, and when he rose, he raised his hands before his knees.' This was reported by Abū Dāwūd, Al-Nasāʾī, and At-Tirmidhī. Al-Khaṭṭābī said: 'This is more authentic than the narration of Abū Hurayrah.' It was also narrated from Abū Saʿīd, who said: 'We used to place our hands before our knees, then we were instructed to place the knees before the hands.' This indicates the abrogation of the previous practice. Al-Athram narrated the narration of Abū Hurayrah: 'When one of you prostrates, let him start with his knees before his hands, and do not prostrate like the camel.'” [Al-Mughni - Volume 1 - Page 370]