Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The word sajda (pl. sujud) is derived from sajd means bowing down. It occurs 64 times in the Koran. The prostration or bowing down the head is an obligatory part of the prayers. The Koran says: "O you who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your Lord, and do good that you may succeed" (22:77) and "So make prostration to God and serve" (53:62).

The head symbolically represents man's dignity, honour and prestige, and bowing down before God denotes complete submission. It is an act of submit one's self to one's Creator. It is a means of coming closer to God, a means through which man negates his own existence and craves the spiritual proximity of God: "And make prostration and draw nigh" (96:19).