سجد
Sajada
To prostrate in worship of God, with forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes on the ground.
What it means
Sajada means to bow down to the ground in worship. In the ritual prayer the worshipper places the forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes on the floor, which is the lowest and humblest posture, and says words of glorification. The act is directed to God alone. The Quran commands, “Prostrate and draw near” (96:19), and it states that all creation prostrates to God (22:18). The angels were told to prostrate to Adam as a mark of honour, and Iblis refused (2:34). The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said that the servant is nearest to his Lord when in prostration (Sahih Muslim). Certain verses of the Quran call for a prostration of recitation, sajdat al-tilāwa.
Often misunderstood as
Prostration is sometimes read as the self-abasement of a slave before a king, when it is an act of closeness to God and is offered to Him alone.
What the sources say
A report in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim has the Prophet say that he was commanded to prostrate on seven parts: the forehead (with the nose), the two hands, the two knees and the two feet. Scholars cite it as the source for the posture.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 34, listed as SAJADA. The definition is restated here.