it, if you are able to prostrate on the ground do so, otherwise bow down your head and make your Suj?d lower than your Ruk?‘ ’. (1)

Al-Jumh?r held that it is detested that a sick person places something -such as a stick, a pillow or whatsoever- in front of him on which he could prostrate when doing Sal?t.

Regarding this point, Im?m M?lik said: ‘The sick should not lift something towards his fore head nor place a pillow on which he could prostrate in Sal?t’. (2)

Im?m Ash-Sh?fi‘? said: ‘He [i.e. the sick] must not lift something towards his forehead in order to prostrate on it for in this case his act is not considered a real prostration for prostration should be done on the ground or on something placed on it -such as a pillow- and this will suffice him- Insh?’all?h’. (3)

Many of the Salaf abhorred the act of lifting something for the sick on which he could prostrate and considered it to be a Bid‘ah for it was not practiced at the time of the prophet ( - صلى الله عليه وسلم -). The following ‘?th?r affirm this point:

(a) ‘Umar Ibn Muhammad Said: we visited Hafs Ibn ‘?sim when he was sick. He told us that his uncle ‘Abdull?h Ibn ‘Umar visited him and sow that a pillow covered with a Khumrah was placed before him so that he could prostrate on it in Sal?t. He [‘Abdull?h] said to Hafs: ‘Never do this my nephew. Prostrate yourself on the ground. If your are unable to do so just lower your head’. (4)

(b) He [‘Abdull?h Ibn ‘Umar] ... was asked regarding the sick who prostrates him self on a stick in Sal?t; he said: ‘Never prostrate to any other than All?h ( - عز وجل -) ; if one is able to do Sal?t