What Sajda al-Tilawah Is
Sajda al-tilawah is the prostration made in response to certain verses of the Quran known as ayat al-sajdah (verses of sajdah). When one of these ayahs is recited — or when you hear it recited by another — you are taught to humble yourself before Allah by making a single sajda, just as the verses themselves describe the angels and the believers falling down in prostration.
The Quran itself points to this. Of those who are given knowledge it says, ‘when it is recited to them, they fall down upon their faces in prostration’ (17:107), and elsewhere it commands, ‘prostrate, and draw near’ (96:19). So the sajda is a direct, bodily answer to the word of Allah.
It is important to understand what this is and is not. Sajda al-tilawah is a single prostration — not a two-rakat prayer, and not the same as the sajda al-sahw made to correct a mistake in namaz. There is no ruku before it and no second sajda after it; you simply go down once, glorify Allah, and rise.
The Quran contains a number of designated verses of sajdah, spread across several suras. Rather than risk an inaccurate list here, you should rely on the marked ayat al-sajdah in a reliable mushaf and on the verses identified in the community Mansak.
How to Perform It
When you recite or hear a verse of sajdah, the method is simple:
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Be in a fit state. It is best to be in taharat (with valid wudu), facing the qiblah, with the body modestly covered, as you would be for namaz.
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Form the niyyat. Intend in your heart that you are making sajda al-tilawah for the verse of sajdah you have just recited or heard, seeking nearness to Allah.
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Go down into sajda. Lower yourself into a single prostration, placing the forehead on the ground (on a clean surface, as in namaz), with humility.
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Glorify Allah. While in sajda, recite a tasbih or a short supplication praising Allah and acknowledging your submission to Him.
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Rise. Lift your head from the prostration. With that single sajda the response to the verse is complete.
If a verse of sajdah occurs while you are praying namaz, follow the method taught in your Mansak for that situation, as the way it is handled within the prayer can differ from a sajda made outside of namaz.
Conditions, Reminders, and the Mansak
A few practical points are worth keeping in mind. The sajda is owed both by the one who recites the verse and by the one who deliberately listens to it. It is best made promptly, soon after the verse is recited or heard. As with all worship, the inward state of humility and the niyyat matter as much as the outward act.
Because the exact verses of sajdah, the recommended tasbih or du’a to recite within the prostration, and the precise conditions of taharat and timing are matters of detail, this guide should be treated as a study aid only. The authoritative method is the community Mansak, and you should confirm the verses and the manner of performing sajda al-tilawah with your aamil saheb.
See also: Sajda Al Sahw, Mustahab Acts In Salat, Wudu Step By Step, How To Find The Qiblah