Elbows touching knees in salaah due to crowd

Q: I prayed asr with an imam. When I was in sujood, the row was tight and my elbows were touching my knees. If I remember correctly, I heard somewhere that you should not let the elbows touch your knees but rather spread them out. But is it essential for prayer to be valid?

A: When performing salaah in jamaat, you should not spread out your hands as this will cause inconvenience to those musallees who are performing salaah besides you. Lifting the hands of the ground is sufficient. However, when performing salaah alone, you should spread out your hands.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

Answered by:

Mufti Zakaria Makada

Checked & Approved:

Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)