This is a well-known fiqh issue in which the scholars differed because of apparently conflicting narrations.

The first narration is the hadith of Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr رضي الله عنه:

“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when he prostrated, place his knees before his hands.”

(Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Nasa’i)

This hadith is the primary evidence for those who say that the knees should go down first.

The second narration is the hadith of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه:

“When one of you prostrates, let him not kneel as a camel kneels, but let him place his hands before his knees.”

(Abu Dawud and others)

This is the narration you referred to that explicitly mentions placing the hands before the knees.

Because of these two narrations, the scholars reached different conclusions.

The Hanafi, Shafiʿi, and Hanbali schools generally preferred knees first, then hands, relying primarily on the hadith of Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr and the practice reported from many Companions.

The Maliki school is more commonly associated with hands first, and a number of later hadith scholars also preferred this position because of the wording of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah.

The discussion became even more detailed because some hadith scholars argued that the phrase “let him not kneel as a camel kneels” actually supports knees first. They pointed out that a camel’s front legs touch the ground first when it kneels, so a person avoiding the camel’s manner would put his knees down first.

Others replied that the hadith itself explicitly says “let him place his hands before his knees,” and therefore the text should be taken as it appears.

For this reason, great scholars differed on which narration is stronger and how they should be reconciled.

As for what is closest to the Sunnah, there are two recognized scholarly positions:

Knees first, then hands.
Preferred by the Hanafi, Shafiʿi, and Hanbali schools.
Supported by the hadith of Wāʾil ibn Ḥujr and many reports from the Companions.
Hands first, then knees.
Preferred by many hadith scholars and a number of contemporary researchers.
Supported by the apparent wording of the hadith of Abu Hurayrah.
Therefore, this is not a matter in which one side can be declared definitively outside the Sunnah. Both methods have been held by major scholars of Islam.

If you follow the Hanafi madhhab, then the established Hanafi practice is:

• Place the knees down first.
• Then the hands.
• Then the face (nose and forehead).

And when rising:

• Lift the face first.
• Then the hands.
• Then the knees.

This is the position of the Hanafi jurists and remains the standard Hanafi method of prayer.

The Office of Imam of IAR advises that a Muslim should not be troubled by this difference of opinion. Both methods have substantial scholarly support. A Hanafi may confidently follow the knees-first method, while recognizing that scholars have differed on the issue based on their evaluation of the hadith evidence.