Ibn ‘Umar used to put his hands down before his knees, and he said: The Messenger of Allah…

The Hadīth indicates that the person offering the prayer should place his hands on the ground before his knees when going down into prostration (prostration). However, the Hadīth of Wā’il ibn Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) contradicts this Hadīth, stating that the worshiper should place his knees on the ground before his hands when going down into prostration. It is a broad matter of Ijtihād (independent reasoning) which can accommodate multiple views. That is why some scholars of Fiqh give the worshiper the choice between the two actions, either due to the weakness of the Hadīths on both sides or due to their contradicting each other without any of them outweighing the others. Hence, this has led to accommodating the two views and giving the choice to the praying person to choose between the two positions.