Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

SALAM BROTHER BURHAN

I would like to know the BLACK MARK we get on the forehead after namaaz ,what does it mean ?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Black mark on forehead

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The black mark on the forehead is the result of prolonged and frequent prostrations of some people. But it is not necessary that everyone who does prolonged and frequent prostrations will acquire this mark; as the type and color of skin and the type of the surface the sajdah is performed on, also plays a role in making the mark.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 48 Surah Fath verse 29: Mohamed is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are hard on the disbelievers and merciful among themselves. When you see them, you will find them bowing down and falling prostrate and craving for Allah’s Bounty and Good-will. They have the marks of prostration on their faces by which they are distinguished from others.

These marks of prostration could be the physical black marks on the foreheads from prostrations. But most of the scholars are of the opinion that Allah implies the marks and traces of the fear of Allah, the munificence, the nobility, and the goodness of manner that naturally appear on the faces of a person on account of bowing down and sincerely worshipping the One Lord of the Worlds.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan