I also asked Ishaq, saying: 'Does a person praying close their eyes?' He said: 'The most severe [instance of it] is during prostration,' as if he granted a concession [for doing so] outside of prostration.

954 - 'Amr ibn 'Uthman narrated to us, saying: Al-Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us, saying: I said to Abu 'Amr al-Awza'i: 'Does one praying close his eyes?' He said: 'That is not from the guidance of prayer.'

Chapter: How Many Prostrations of the Qur'an Are There?

I asked Abu 'Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Hanbal, saying: 'How many prostrations of the Qur'an are there?' He said: 'Fourteen; [perhaps] fifteen.' He said: 'Were it not that we hold there are two prostrations in [Surat] al-Hajj.'

I heard Ishaq say: 'The prostrations of the Qur'an are: in al-A'raf, al-Ra'd, al-Nahl, Bani Isra'il, Surah Maryam, and there are two prostrations in al-Hajj, and in al-Furqan, al-Naml, and in "Alif Lam Mim Tanzil"—the Sajdah—and in Sad. Some of the companions of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not prostrate in Sad, while some of them did, and prostration is more beloved to me. Also in "Ha Mim" al-Sajdah, at His saying: "and they do not grow weary," and in al-Najm, and in "When the heaven has split open," and in "Recite in the name of your Lord who created."

This is the prostration of the Qur'an that has reached us. It has also been said: "The definitive prostrations (al-'aza'im) are four: 'Tanzil' al-Sajdah, 'Ha Mim' al-Sajdah, al-Najm, and 'Recite in the name of your Lord who created.'"

955 - Sa'id ibn Mansur narrated to us, [saying]: Hushaym narrated to us, saying: Khalid al-Hadhdha' informed us, from Abu al-'Aryan al-Mujashi'i, from Ibn 'Abbas, that he used to prostrate in al-A'raf, in al-Ra'd, in al-Nahl, [p. 448] and Bani Isra'il, Maryam, and in al-Hajj—the first prostration—and in al-Furqan, and in al-Naml, and in "Alif Lam Mim Tanzil," and in Sad, and in "Ha Mim Tanzil."