396. How many verses are there in the Quran, requiring (prostration) sujood while reciting the word.

We find about 15 verses of the Quran being marked with the words Sajda on the margins of the Quran, indicating that mere reciting the word requires the act of prostration by the person, to be carried out immediately.

The following are the fifteen verses of the Quran that are identified as containing such markings:

7:206, 13:15, 16:49, 17:107, 19:58, 22:18, 22:77, 25:60, 27:25, 32:15, 38:24, 41:37, 53:59, 84:21, 96:19. 

Though the markings are found in fifteen places in the Quran, those belonging to the Shafi sect, and Hanafi sects say only fourteen places in the Quran are needed to be complied with by performing the Sajda.

In chapter 22 of the Quran, it can be found the word sajdah being printed on the sides in two places, the one on the sides of the 77^th verse says sajdah to be performed as per the opinion of Imam Shafi’s opinion. Those belonging to the Hanafi sect while reading this verse will not perform the act of prostration. As far as the Hanafi sect is concerned there are only 14 verses of the Quran where one is required to carry out the act of prostration, while reading it.

Similarly, those belonging to the Shafi sect would not comply with this requirement of prostration though marked on the sides of the Quran while reading verse 38:24 of the Quran. Hence they also stick on to complying with only 14 verses. 

There is no any kind of evidence to prove such markings existed in the Quran compiled by Usman (RA).

There has to be some kind of evidence to prove the requirement of prostration (sajdah) while reading these 14 verses.

Not even one hadith exists, where Prophet Muhammad is said to have commanded people to prostrate when they come across the word sajdah while reading the Quran. It is hard to understand how people could dare to print something not emphasized or found in the Quran.

There are hadiths found in the books Abu Dawood 1193 and ibn Maaja 1047, about the act of prostration to be carried out while reading the 15 verses (not 14) of the Quran. But these are not authenticated ones.

The second narrator of this hadith Abullah bin Munain is an unknown person, and also Harris bin Saad through whom he quotes. Hence this is an unacceptable hadith. 

The list of the 15 verses containing the word sajdah is not available in any of these hadiths, except the two sajdahs mentioned in the chapter Haj, the rest of the thirteen verses where the sajdahs mentioned are not found anywhere, and they are products of their imaginations and printed as per their will and pleasure.

And moreover, the number of verses containing the word sajdah is mentioned as fifteen. But the people from both sects (i.e.) Shafi and Hanafi claim the number as fourteen, and violate their own proof of unauthenticated hadith given by them. 

In another Hadith quoted in the books Tirmidee 519, and Ibn Maaja 1054 it is found as “I accompanied Prophet Muhammad in worship when he performed the prostrations eleven times on coming across the word Sajda. This is also a weak hadith, because the narrator of this hadith by the name of Umar Dimishki an unknown person, 

In another hadith quoted in the book Ibn Majah the list of the chapters where the word Sajda is found requiring the act of performing prostration is as follows:

7^{th Chapter} Al- Araf,

13^th Chapter Ar-Raad 

16^th Chapter An-Nahal 

17^th Chapter Banu-Israel 

19^th Chapter Maryam 

22^nd Chapter Hajj two verses 

25^th Chapter Al-Furqan 

27^th Chapter An-Naml 

32^nd Chapter Sajdah

38^th Chapter Saad 

41st Chapter Ha Meem.

In this hadith the name of the narrator is given as Usman bin Fahid, who has been declared as unreliable. 

Hence there is no evidence to substantiate the 11 verses theory.

Going through the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad it has been discovered that he performed prostration (Sajdah) only when reading out four verses of the Quran. Hence the need to perform prostration while reading out the word sajdah from these verses. Hence, only these four verses are the ones that are qualified to be called as the designated as Sajda verses

It has been recorded in the hadith book Muslim:1010 and 1011, that Prophet Muhammad, performed prostration while reciting verse 96:19 of the Quran,

And in the hadith book Bukhari,766, 768, 1074, 1078 it has been recorded that Prophet Muhammad made prostration while reading verse 84:21 of the Quran.

and Prophet Muhammad made prostrations while reading the verse 53:62 of the Quran, says Bukhari 1067, 1070, 3853, 3972, 4863. 

The hadiths 1069, 3422 in the book Bukhari say Prophet Muhammad made Sajdah, while reading verse 38:24 of the Quran.

Hence other than the following four verses (38:24, 53:62, 84:21, 96:19) of the Quran there is no evidence based on Prophet Muhammad’s guidelines to prove that prostrations need to be carried out while reading other verses.