Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī

ذِكْرُ إِبَاحَةِ اسْتِعَانَةِ الْمُصَلِّي بِالرُّكْبَةِ فِي سُجُودِهِ عِنْدَ وُجُودِ ضِعْفٍ، أَوْ كِبَرِ سِنٍّ

ibnhibban:1918 – al-Ḥasan b. Sufyān > Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > al-Layth > Ibn ʿAjlān > Sumay > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Hurayrah

The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ complained to the Prophet ﷺ about the hardship when they kept their forearms far away from their sides while prostrating. He said: Take help with the elbows (by spreading them on the ground and sticking them to the sides). (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 902)   

ابن حبّان:١٩١٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلَانَ عَنْ سُمَيٍّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

شَكَى أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَشَقَّةَ السُّجُودِ عَلَيْهِمْ فَقَالَ «اسْتَعِينُوا بِالرُّكَبِ»  

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, Aḥmad
abudawud:902 – Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > al-Layth > Ibn ʿAjlān > Suma > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Hurayrah

The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ complained to the Prophet ﷺ about the hardship when they kept their forearms far away from their sides while prostrating. He said: Take help with the elbows (by spreading them on the ground and sticking them to the sides).  

أبو داود:٩٠٢ – حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ عَنْ سُمَىٍّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

اشْتَكَى أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَشَقَّةَ السُّجُودِ عَلَيْهِمْ إِذَا انْفَرَجُوا فَقَالَ اسْتَعِينُوا بِالرُّكَبِ  

tirmidhi:286 – Qutaybah > al-Layth > Ibn ʿAjlān > Suma > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Hurayrah

"[Some of] the Companions of the Prophet complained [to the Prophet] about the hardship of the prostration on them, when they were so spread out, so he said: 'Use your knees.'"  

الترمذي:٢٨٦ – حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ عَنْ سُمَىٍّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

اشْتَكَى بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ مَشَقَّةَ السُّجُودِ عَلَيْهِمْ إِذَا تَفَرَّجُوا فَقَالَ اسْتَعِينُوا بِالرُّكَبِ  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ اللَّيْثِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ وَقَدْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ وَغَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ عَنْ سُمَىٍّ عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ أَبِي عَيَّاشٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نَحْوَ هَذَا وَكَأَنَّ رِوَايَةَ هَؤُلاَءِ أَصَحُّ مِنْ رِوَايَةِ اللَّيْثِ
ahmad:8477 – Yūnus > Layth > Ibn ʿAjlān > Sumay a freed slave of Abū Bakr > Abū Ṣāliḥ > Abū Hurayrah

The Companions of the Prophet ﷺ complained to the Prophet ﷺ about the hardship when they kept their forearms far away from their sides while prostrating. He said: Take help with the elbows (by spreading them on the ground and sticking them to the sides). (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 902)   

أحمد:٨٤٧٧ – حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلَانَ عَنْ سُمَيٍّ مَوْلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

شَكَا أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إِلَيْهِ مَشَقَّةَ السُّجُودِ عَلَيْهِمْ إِذَا تَفَرَّجُوا فَقَالَ اسْتَعِينُوا بِالرُّكَبِ