Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
In the scenario you mentioned as to do prostration of thanking together, some might say it is not permissible for there is no practice of doing it in group. But we see no bid`ah in performing it as a group for all practices of Islam are performed in group.
Answering your question, Sheikh Kifah Mustapha, the Imam and Director of The Prayer Center of Orland Park and representative for Dar El Fatwa of Lebanon in the US, states:
The term Sajdat al-Shukr (prostration of thanking) is an authentic practice approved by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It was narrated that when news came from Yemen that people embraced Islam, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed sujud al-shukr. (At-Tirmidhi)
With this in mind, it is permissible to practice sujud al-shukr for any blessing that Allah has bestowed on you.
Now, in the scenario you mentioned as to do it together, some might say it is not permissible for there is no practice of doing it in group and I can see such point. But I see no bid`ah in performing it as a group for all practices of Islam are performed in group and especially what `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) did with Taraweeh Prayer where he brought people on one Imam and said, “What a nice bid`ah is such!”
As for sajdat al-shukr, no need for people to have ablution (wudu) but if it is performed with wudu and facing the qiblah, it would be better.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.