How Many Verses of Prostration Are in the Qur’an?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam Alaikum wa rehmatalllah wa’barakatahu.
In a book of salat the sijdah al tilawaah section stated, “In the Quran, there are fourteen places where the prostration becomes wajib if reciting or reading or even listening to those portions. On these places in the Quran, (السجدة) is written on the margin, but in the last of the 13th para (chapter) of the Quran where (السجدة) is written (that is surah Ra’ad), people of the Hanafi school do not prostate there; it is other than the fourteen places.”

That was something I had never heard of before. Then I searched some websites. From which I came across the following statement. “There are fifteen places in the Qur’aan where we should perform sajdat al-tilaawah. Could you clarify this?

Answer: I pray that you are in the best of health and faith, insha’Allah.

According to the Hanafi school, it is necessary (wajib) to prostrate for fourteen of the fifteen listed prostrations in the Qur’an. The second listed prostration in Surat al-Hajj is not considered a verse of prostration. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

However, there is valid, scholarly disagreement on this matter between the schools.

And Allah alone gives success.

Wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani