What about the mark on a person’s forehead caused by sujood?

The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded us to do rukoo’
and sujood perfectly and completely.

 It was reported
from Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he heard the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do your
rukoo’ and sujood perfectly and completely, for by the One in Whose Hand
is my soul, I can see you behind me when you do rukoo’ and sujood.” (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 6268; Muslim, 425)

 Part of doing
rukoo’ and sujood properly and correctly is to be at ease in both.

 It was reported
from Abu Hurayrah that a man entered the mosque and prayed. The Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sitting in
a corner of the mosque, and the man came and greeted him with salaam. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) answered “Wa
‘alayk (and also upon you). Go back and pray, for you have not
prayed.” So he went back and prayed, then he came and greeted the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with salaam, and
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) answered
“Wa ‘alayk (and also upon you). Go back and pray, for you have not
prayed yet.” The third time this happened, the man said, “Teach me, O
Messenger of Allaah.” He said: “When you stand up to pray, do wudoo’
properly, then face the qiblah and say ‘Allaahu akbar.’ Then recite
whatever you can of Qur’aan. Then do rukoo’ until you are at ease in
rukoo’. Then stand up until you are at ease in standing, then do sujood
until you are at ease in sujood. Then sit up until you are sitting up
straight. Do that throughout your prayer.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 724; Muslim, 397).

Not doing rukoo’ and sujood properly and completely is something which
invalidates one’s prayer.

 It was reported
that Abu Mas’ood al-Ansaari al-Badri said: “The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘A prayer in
which a person does not straighten his spine in his rukoo’ and sujood
does not count.” (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 265; he said it is
hasan saheeh. Also narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 1027; Abu Dawood, 855; Ibn
Maajah, 870) 

Imaam al-Tirmidhi
said:

 “Prayer
should be done in accordance with this, according to the scholars among
the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and later scholars, who said that a man should straighten his spine
when he does rukoo’ and sujood.” 

Al-Shaafa’i, Ahmad
and Ishaaq said: “A prayer in which a person does not straighten his
spine in his rukoo’ and sujood does not count, because of the hadeeth of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): ‘A prayer
in which a person does not straighten his spine in his rukoo’ and sujood
does not count.’” (Sunan
al-Tirmidhi, 2/52)

 It was reported
from Abu Waa’il that Hudhayfah saw a man who was not doing rukoo’ and
sujood perfectly and completely. When he finished praying, Hudhayfah said
to him, “You have not prayed.” He (the narrator) said: “I think he
said, ‘If you were to die now, you would die on something other than the
Sunnah of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’”
(Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 382).

 According to
another report (758): it was reported that Zayd ibn Wahb said:
“Hudhayfah saw a man who was not doing rukoo’ and sujood perfectly and
completely. He said, ‘You have not prayed. If you were to die now, you
would die on something other than the fitrah to which Allaah guided
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’”

 It is essential
to place the forehead and nose firmly on the ground when making sujood.

 It was reported
that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) said: “The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘I was
commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead’ – and he pointed
to his nose – ‘the two hands, the two knees and the toes. And do not
tie up your clothes or hair.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 779; Muslim, 490).

There is nothing wrong with making the sujood long, especially when
praying alone, or in Salaat al-Kusoof (eclipse prayer) or in qiyaam
al-layl (naafil prayers at night).

 It was reported
from Asmaa’ bint Abi Bakr al-Siddeeq (may Allaah be pleased with her)
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed
Salaat al-Kusoof (eclipse prayer). He stood and made his standing lengthy;
then he did rukoo’ and made his rukoo’ lengthy; then he stood up and
made his standing lengthy; then he did rukoo’ and made his rukoo’
lengthy; then he stood up and did sujood, then he sat up and did sujood
again, and made his sujood lengthy. Then he stood up and made his standing
lengthy; then he did rukoo’ and made his rukoo’ lengthy; then he stood
up and made his standing lengthy; then he did rukoo’ and made his
rukoo’ lengthy; then he stood up and did sujood, and made his sujood
lengthy; then he sat up and did sujood again, and made his sujood lengthy,
then he finished.” (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 812).

 It was reported
that Hudhayfah said: “I prayed with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) one night. He started to recite
al-Baqarah, and I thought that he would do rukoo’ after one hundred
aayaat, but he carried on. I thought that he would finish it and then do
rukoo’, but he carried on. Then he started to recite al-Nisaa’ and he
recited it all, then he started to recite Aal ‘Imraan, and he recited it
all, at a steady and moderate pace. If he recited an aayah which mentioned
tasbeeh (glorifying Allaah), he would glorify Allaah; if he recited an
aayah which mentioned asking, he would ask Allaah; if he recited an aayah
which mentioned seeking refuge with Allaah, he would seek refuge with Him.
Then he did rukoo’ and started saying ‘Subhaan
Rabbi al-al’Azeem,’ and his rukoo’ was almost as long as
his standing. Then he said, ‘Sami’a
Allaahu li man hamidah’ and stood up, and his standing was
almost as long as his rukoo’. Then he prostrated and said, ‘Subhaana
Rabbi al-A’laa’, and his sujood was almost as long as his
standing.” (Narrated by Muslim,
772)

 The Sunnah in
sujood is to be level in sujood, as it was narrated from Anas that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “be level
in sujood, and none of you should spread his forearms as a dog spreads
them.” (Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 788; Muslim, 493).

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah preserve him) said:

 This means that
you should do sujood in a level way, not bunched up tight so that the
stomach rests on the thighs and the thighs on the calves, and not
stretched out as some people do when they prostrate, so that they are
almost lying on their fronts. Undoubtedly this is a kind of bid’ah and
is not Sunnah. It was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) or from any of the Sahaabah, as far as we
know, that a person should stretch out his back in sujood. He should
stretch his back in rukoo’, but in sujood he should raise his stomach
and not stretch it out.” (al-Sharh
al-Mumti’, 3/168).

 If a person
does as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
commanded, and he is prostrating on soil or a rough surface, then he may
get a mark on his forehead. This may generate some pride in his heart, as
mentioned in the question, but if a person’s heart is filled with
sincere faith and he does what he does only for the purpose of seeking
that which is with Allaah, then he will not care what people say about
him. But if he deliberately tries to make a mark on his forehead that
looks like the sign of sujood, then this is a kind of showing off and
lying, so woe to him of the punishment of a painful Day!

 With regard to
the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“… You see them bowing and falling down
prostrate (in prayer), seeking Bounty from Allaah and (His) Good Pleasure.
The mark of them (i.e. of their Faith) is on their faces (foreheads) from
the traces of prostration (during prayers)….” [al-Fath 48:29]

 — the correct meaning of the phrase “the
mark of them is on their faces” is that this refers to the
light of obedience and worship, and it does not necessarily mean that
there is a physical mark on the skin in the place of prostration.

 Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said in his Tafseer of
this aayah:

 “… ‘the
mark of them is on their faces from the traces of prostration’
-‘Ali ibn Abi Talhah said,
narratingfrom Ibn ‘Abbaas
(may Allaah be pleased with them): ‘the
mark of them is on their faces’ means their outward
appearance. Mujaahid and others said that it means khushoo’ and
humility. Ibn Abi Haatim said: my father told us, ‘Ali ibn Muhammad
al-Tanaafusi told us, Husayn al-Ja’fi told us, from Zaa’idah from
Mansoor from Mujaahid: ‘the mark of
them is on their faces from the traces of prostration’ – he
said: (this means) khushoo’ (humility). I said, I always thought that it
meant this mark on the face. He said, That may appear between the eyes of
one whose heart is harder than Pharaoh’s. Al-Saddi said: Prayer makes
their faces beautiful. One of the Salaf said; Whoever prays more at night,
his face becomes more handsome by day… Some of them said that a hasanah
(good deeds) brings light (noor) to the heart and a glow to the face, an
increased provision and the love of the people.”

 The point is, the fact that this mark is
present on the skin and there is a change in the colour of the forehead,
does not mean that a person is righteous and sincere. By the same token,
if this mark is absent, that does not mean that a person is failing in his
prayers. In many cases it has to do with the nature and sensitivity of an
individual’s skin.

 Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah
preserve him) was asked: is there any report to indicate that the mark on
the forehead caused by sujood is a sign of the righteous?

 He replied:

 This is not one of the signs of the
righteous; the sign is the light (noor ) which appears on the face, and
being content and at peace, a good attitude, and the like.

 As for the mark made by sujood on the
face, it may appear on the faces of people who do not even pray the
obligatory prayers, if their skin is very soft and sensitive, and it may
not appear of the faces of people who pray a lot and make lengthy sujood.

(Fataawaa
Islamiyyah, 1/484)

In
conclusion, then, if you are sincere towards Allaah and seek to earn His
pleasure when you pray, then what people say will not affect you; in fact,
their praise of you may be a kind of hastening of glad tidings for you in
this world. So follow the Sunnah and do sujood properly, and then do not
worry about whether people praise you or condemn you. We ask Allaah to
make you sincere and to accept your prayers.

 And Allaah knows best.