Islamic Fiqh > Prayer > The pillars and conditions of prayer > Reciting al-Fatiha
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Updated on 25 September 2026 at 3:23 PM
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4. The recitation of al-Fatiha. The jurists differed over its ruling in prayer for the imam and the one praying alone: is it a pillar and an obligation among the obligations of prayer, whose omission invalidates the prayer? An obligation that falls if omitted forgetfully, with repetition due if omitted deliberately? Or a sunna that may be left? These are the 2 views of the scholars.
The first view is that of the majority of jurists: the Malikis in the madhhab, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis in principle, hold that reciting al-Fatiha is a pillar of prayer: whoever leaves it while able has an invalid prayer, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book" (reported by Bukhari (756) and Muslim (394)).
From al-'Ala' ibn Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays a prayer without reciting in it the Mother of the Book, it is deficient", 3 times, "incomplete". It was said to Abu Hurayra: "We are sometimes behind the imam". He said: "Recite it to yourself, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Allah said: I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant in 2 halves, and My servant shall have what he asks. When the servant says: 'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds', Allah says: 'My servant has praised Me'. When he says: 'the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful', Allah says: 'My servant has extolled Me'. When he says: 'Master of the Day of Judgment', Allah says: 'My servant has glorified Me', and once: 'My servant has entrusted his affair to Me'. When he says: 'You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help', He says: 'This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks'. When he says: 'Guide us along the straight path, the path of those You have favored, not of those who earned anger, nor of those astray', He says: 'This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks'"Reported by Muslim (395)
In another wording, from al-'Ala' ibn Abd al-Rahman, from his father, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A prayer is not sufficient in which the opening of the Book is not recited". I said: "What if I am behind the imam?" He took my hand and said: "Recite it to yourself, O Persian"Sahih hadith: reported by Ibn Khuzayma in his "Sahih" (490), Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" (1789) and al-Daraqutni (1238)
And according to the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him): "We were commanded to recite the opening of the Book and what one can of it" (sahih hadith: Abu Dawud 818, Ahmad 3/45 and 97, Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" 5/92; al-Hafiz said in "al-Fath" 2/284: its chain is strong).
The scholars said: all these traditions indicate the obligation of reciting al-Fatiha in prayer. His saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book" indicates the negation of validity; and his saying: "it is deficient", 3 times, indicates defect and corruption: the recitation of al-Fatiha is thus a condition of the prayer's validity. His saying: "A prayer is not sufficient in which the opening of the Book is not recited" shows that the meaning of "it is deficient" is a defect with which the prayer does not suffice, not a defect with which it would be valid. And Allah's saying in the sacred hadith: "I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant" expresses the recitation of the opening of the Book by the word "prayer", which shows it is among its obligations, as He expressed the dawn prayer by "the Quran of dawn" (Surah 17, 78) and the bowing by "bow with those who bow" (Surah 2, 43), showing it is among its obligations. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further said to the man who had done poorly in his prayer: "When you face the qibla, say Allah Akbar, then recite the Mother of the Book, then recite what you wish, or what Allah wishes you to recite..." to the end of the hadith (hasan hadith: Abu Dawud 859, Ahmad in "al-Musnad" 4/340, al-Shafi'i in his "Musnad" 1/34, Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" 5/88). It is among the finest of proofs, for the Prophet mentioned in it only the obligatory ("al-Tamhid" 20/192, "al-Ishraf" 1/253-254 no. 174, "al-Taj wa-l-Iklil" 1/518, "Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 1/117, "Ahkam al-Qur'an" by Ibn al-Arabi 1/6 and 2/365, "al-Sharh al-Saghir" 1/206, "al-Awsat" 3/99-101, "al-Majmu'" 3/273, "Kifayat al-Akhyar" 147, "al-Mughni" 2/24, "al-Ifsah" 1/164, "Fath al-Bari" 2/283).
The second view is that of the Hanafis, Imam Malik and Ahmad in a report from them: the prayer suffices without the opening of the Book with sin; the prayer of one who omits it deliberately is not void, and if he forgets, the prostration of forgetfulness is due from him. The Hanafis ranked the recitation of al-Fatiha among the obligations of prayer, established by the solitary report added to Allah's saying: "So recite what you can of the Quran" (Surah 73, 20); the addition, though not permitted, must be acted upon, hence their view of its obligation. Al-Fatiha and the rest of the Quran are equal in rulings, thus in prayer. Allah's saying: "So recite what you can of the Quran" indicates that it is obligatory to recite what one can of the Quran, the verse being revealed concerning recitation in prayer, as shown by what follows: "Indeed, your Lord knows that you stand nearly 2 thirds of the night" up to "So recite what you can of the Quran" (Surah 73, 20); the umma does not differ that this concerns the night prayer, and with us it is general: the night prayer and other supererogatory and obligatory prayers, by the generality of the wording.
As for the hadith of Ubada: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book", they interpreted it as negating perfection, not reality: its meaning with them is "no complete prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book"; hence their position: the prayer is valid with disapproval. As for the hadith of Abu Hurayra: "it is deficient, it is deficient...", they find in it what supports them, for the deficient denotes the deficient one, which indicates validity with deficiency: were it not valid, it would not have been called deficient, for naming a thing deficient refutes its invalidity; one does not describe a defect in a void thing from which nothing is established. Do you not see that a she-camel that never conceived is not said to have miscarried; it is only said of one that delivered an incomplete offspring or before full term: the one that never conceived is not described as deficient. The validity of prayer without the opening of the Book is thereby established, deficiency not negating the root, but rather presupposing the root for the description of deficiency to be sound. Abbad ibn Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr also related from Aisha, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Every prayer without the recitation of the opening of the Book is deficient": he established it as deficient, and establishing deficiency presupposes the root. And it is related from the Prophet: "A man prays and there is written for him half of it, a fifth or a tenth": he did not invalidate a part by deficiency.
Moreover, the sahih hadith in the 2 "Sahih"s, concerning the man who had done poorly in his prayer, from Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Messenger of Allah entered the mosque, a man entered, prayed, then came and greeted the Messenger of Allah; he returned the greeting and said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed". The man went back and prayed as he had prayed, then came and greeted him; the Messenger of Allah said: "And upon you be peace", then: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed"; this 3 times. The man said: "By Him who sent you with the truth, I can do no better; teach me". He said: "When you rise to pray, say Allah Akbar, then recite what you can of the Quran, then bow until you are calm in bowing, then rise until you stand upright, then prostrate until you are calm in prostration, then rise until you are sitting calmly, then do that in all your prayer" (reported by Bukhari (724) and Muslim (397)). His saying: "then recite what you can of the Quran" belongs to the moment of explanation: had al-Fatiha been obligatory, he would have mentioned it; what is related as "then recite the opening of the Book" is unknown, the famous being what we set out; even were it established, it would imply nothing, for he may have mentioned both commands, making one obligatory and the other sunna ("Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/362, 503, "al-Tajrid" by al-Quduri 1/485, 490, "al-Mabsut" 1/19, "Bada'i' al-Sana'i'" 1/111, 160, "al-Bahr al-Ra'iq" 1/312-313, al-Tahtawi 1/165, "Tabyin al-Haqa'iq" 1/109, "Ahkam al-Qur'an" by al-Jassas 1/18, 25, "'Umdat al-Qari" 6/18). Khalil said in the commentary of the "Mukhtasar" of Ibn al-Hajib: its being an obligation in general is the transmitted text; and Ibn Ziyad said of one who prays without reciting: no repetition is due from him, al-Waqidi relating it from Malik; al-Maziri likewise transmits from Ibn Shablon the falling away of the obligation of al-Fatiha absolutely, "for it is attributed to the imam, and the imam is not attributed an obligation" ("al-Tawdih fi sharh Mukhtasar Ibn al-Hajib" 1/335-336).
The jurists differed over the obligation of reciting al-Fatiha in every rak'a: must he recite it in every rak'a, or does it suffice in 2 rak'as of a 4-rak'a prayer? The Malikis in the madhhab, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis hold that it is obligatory upon the imam and the one praying alone in every rak'a of the 5 prayers without restriction, based on the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer: "then do that in all your prayer" (sahih hadith cited earlier), and in a report: "then do that in every rak'a" (reported by Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" 1787); he taught him therein to recite the Mother of the Book. And according to Abu Qatada (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "used to recite in the first 2 rak'as of the dhuhr and the asr the opening of the Book and a surah, sometimes making us hear the verse, and he recited in the last 2 rak'as the opening of the Book" (reported by Muslim (451)). And the Prophet said: "Pray as you have seen me pray", agreed upon. And Allah's saying in the sacred hadith: "I have divided the prayer between Me and My servant..." (reported by Muslim (395)). The scholars said: the "prayer" intended here is al-Fatiha, so named because the prayer is not valid without it ("al-Ishraf" 1/258 no. 177, "Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil" 1/269, "Tathbir al-Mukhtasar" 1/285, "al-Majmu'" 3/307-308, "Sharh Muslim" 4/103, "al-Mughni" 2/23, "al-Ifsah" 1/161).
The Hanafis hold that the recitation of al-Fatiha is due neither to the imam nor to the one praying alone except in 2 rak'as of the 4-rak'a prayers and of the maghrib, unspecified: whether the first 2, the last 2, or one of each; it is however preferable that the recitation be in the first 2. As for the 2 rak'as of the dawn prayer, recitation is obligatory in them, according to Allah's saying: "So recite what you can of it" (Surah 73, 20), and according to the hadith of Abdallah ibn Ubaydallah: "I visited Ibn Abbas with some young men of Banu Hashim; we said to one of our youths: ask Ibn Abbas whether the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to recite (aloud) at the dhuhr and the asr. He replied: no, no. It was said to him: perhaps he recited to himself. He said: far be it, that is even graver than the first answer; he was a servant under command, who conveyed what he was sent with, and he singled us out from the rest of people by nothing except 3 traits: the command to perform ablution fully, the prohibition of consuming charity, and the prohibition of mating the donkey with the horse" (sahih hadith: reported by Abu Dawud 808). And from Ikrima, from Ibn Abbas: "I do not know whether the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited at the dhuhr and the asr" (reported by Abu Dawud 809 and Ahmad 1/249, 257). And according to Ubada: the Messenger of Allah said: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the Mother of the Book", which implies no more than once.
Imam al-Kasani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: in the last 2 rak'as it is preferable to recite the opening of the Book; if he glorifies Allah 3 times in each rak'a in place of al-Fatiha, or remains silent, his prayer suffices him, with no sin if deliberate, and no forgetfulness if forgetful; thus Abu Yusuf related from Abu Hanifa that he has the choice between reciting al-Fatiha, glorifying and silence: such is the answer of the apparent report (zahir al-riwaya), the view of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad ("Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/361-362, Ibn Abidin 1/511, "Tuhfat al-Fuqaha" 1/129).
As for Imam Malik, Ibn Khuzayma Mandadh said: Malik's view does not differ: one who forgets al-Fatiha in a rak'a of a 2-rak'a prayer, like the dawn prayer, has an invalid prayer that does not suffice him; his view differs concerning one who omits it forgetfully in a rak'a of a 4- or 3-rak'a prayer: he says at one time that he repeats the prayer, at another that he performs the 2 prostrations of forgetfulness, the report of Ibn Abd al-Hakam and others from Malik; it has also been said: he repeats that rak'a and prostrates for forgetfulness after the salam. Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the sound position is the invalidation of that rak'a and its replacement, like one who omits a prostration forgetfully: such is the choice of Ibn al-Qasim ("al-Tamhid" 20/192-213, "Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 1/117).
Al-Kharashi (may Allah have mercy on him) cites Khalil: "Is al-Fatiha obligatory in every rak'a, or in the majority? A divergence: the first view is Malik's in the Mudawwana, set forward by Ibn Shas, Ibn al-Hajib, Abd al-Wahhab and Ibn Abd al-Barr, based on the hadith: 'Whoever prays a prayer without reciting in it the Mother of the Book, it is deficient, deficient, deficient', that is, incomplete, reading 'prayer' as every rak'a, the apparent from the context, the place of recitation being every standing; as one says: every prayer without bowing or prostration. Others say: it is obligatory in the majority, sunna in the minority, Malik returning to this view, set forward by the author of 'al-Irshad', Ibn Askar al-Qarafi, and it is the apparent of the madhhab, though he weakened it in 'al-Tawdih'. It has been said that one rak'a suffices, the view of al-Mughira." The explanation follows: if it is omitted forgetfully and cannot be made up, that rak'a is invalid; if it can be made up and is, the prayer is valid; if it is not made up or omitted deliberately, the whole prayer is invalid, for it is a sunna whose obligation became famous; if omitted forgetfully, he prostrates before the salam, otherwise the prayer is invalid, unless the omission concerns only 3 sunnas. Al-Tata'i said: from "the majority" is understood that what is omitted is the recitation of a 3- or 4-rak'a prayer; if it is omitted in a rak'a of a 2-rak'a prayer, or in 2 rak'as of a 4-rak'a prayer, the ruling is not so; Ibn 'Ata' Allah relates in his commentary 2 views, the more famous: he continues and prostrates before the salam, or repeats, the madhhab of the Mudawwana; the second is that of Asbagh and Ibn Abd al-Hakam: he cancels the rak'a and prostrates after the salam; in the commentary: he continues, prostrates before the salam, and repeats as a precaution ("Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil" 1/270-271, "Tathbir al-Mukhtasar" 1/287).
The jurists agree that, if the follower catches the imam bowing, the recitation is lifted from him: they agree indeed on the falling away of the recitation by the imam's bowing. If he catches him standing, does he recite behind him, or does the imam's recitation suffice him? The jurists differed into several views.
First view: the obligation of reciting al-Fatiha behind the imam, whether the prayer is silent or recited aloud: this is the madhhab of the Shafi'is. They argue from the generality of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "There is no prayer for one who does not recite the opening of the Book" (reported by Bukhari (723) and Muslim (394)): a general term embracing the imam and the follower, the prayer being silent or aloud; whoever does not recite the opening of the Book, his prayer is not valid.
Ubada ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We were behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the dawn prayer; the Messenger of Allah recited, and the recitation weighed upon him; when he finished he said: 'Perhaps you recite behind your imam?' We said: 'Yes, quickly, O Messenger of Allah'. He said: 'Do not do so, except the opening of the Book, for there is no prayer for one who does not recite it'"Weak hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (823), al-Tirmidhi (247) who judged it hasan sahih, and al-Bayhaqi in "al-Kubra" (2/165)
And because one obligated to the standing of recitation is obligated to recite with ability, like the imam and the one praying alone. And according to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays a prayer without reciting in it the Mother of the Book, it is deficient...", 3 times; it was said to Abu Hurayra: "And we are behind the imam". He said: "Recite it to yourself" (reported by Muslim (395)). As for Allah's saying: "And when the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent" (Surah 7, 204), we were only commanded silence with regard to speech and what is not permitted in prayer.
Second view: if the prayer is silent, he recites behind the imam; if it is recited aloud, he does not recite: this is the madhhab of the Hanbalis. Imam Ahmad said: if he hears in the aloud prayer, he does not recite; if he does not hear, he recites. The proof is Allah's saying: "And when the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent" (Surah 7, 204); the scholars agree it concerns hearing the Quran in prayer, with no difference that this address was revealed in this meaning. Imam Ahmad said: the people reached consensus that this verse concerns prayer. And this can only be in the aloud prayer, for the silent is not heard.
From Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) rose from a prayer and said: "Which of you has just recited along with me?" A man said: "I did, O Messenger of Allah". He said: "I was saying: why should I contend over the Quran?" The people then ceased reciting along with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the prayers in which he recited aloud, having heard that from himSahih hadith: reported by Abu Dawud (848)
Ibn Qudama (may Allah have mercy on him) said: it is also a consensus: Ahmad said: we have not heard anyone of the people of Islam say that if the imam recites aloud, the prayer of the one behind him does not suffice unless he recites; this the Prophet and his Companions and the Successors said; this is Malik among the people of the Hijaz, al-Thawri among the people of Iraq, al-Awza'i among the people of Syria, al-Layth among the people of Egypt: they never told a man who prayed while his imam recited without reciting himself that his prayer was void; for it is a recitation not owed to the one overtaken (masbuq), so it is not owed to others, like the surah ("al-Mughni" 2/117-119, "al-Ifsah" 1/162-163, "Kashshaf al-Qina'" 1/451). Abu Dawud said: Imam Ahmad was asked: he (the follower) recited the opening of the Book, then heard the imam's recitation? He said: "He stops when he hears the imam's recitation and listens to the recitation", following Allah's saying: "And when the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent" (Surah 7, 204), and the Prophet's saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "and when he recites, be attentive".
Third view: he recites nothing of the Quran in the aloud prayer, even if he does not hear the imam's recitation, and he recites in the silent prayer by recommendation: this is the madhhab of the Malikis. Al-Qurtubi transmits from Malik that one recites nothing of the Quran behind the imam in the aloud prayers; in the silent prayers one recites the opening of the Book: leaving it is a fault, but nothing is required ("Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 1/118-119, "Bidayat al-Mujtahid" 1/219). Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the scholars reached consensus that Allah's saying "And when the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent" (Surah 7, 204) did not come for every place where the Quran is heard, but intends the prayer: it is the clearest proof that one does not recite with the imam in what he recites aloud; witnessed by the Messenger of Allah's saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "and when he recites, be attentive" (reported by Muslim (404); see "al-Istidhkar" 1/465-466). Imam Ibn 'Arafa said: al-Fatiha is not imposed upon the follower, contrary to Ibn al-Arabi for the silent prayers; and he does not recite it in the aloud prayer even if he does not hear the imam's recitation, contrary to Ibn Nafi' ("al-Taj wa-l-Iklil" 1/197). Bahram al-Damiri said: his saying "to an imam and one praying alone" intends that the follower is not demanded the recitation except as a recommendation in the silent prayers ("Tathbir al-Mukhtasar" 1/285).
Al-Qadi Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the obligation of recitation has fallen from the follower, contrary to al-Shafi'i, according to Allah's saying: "And when the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent" (Surah 7, 204), the obligation of listening forbidding everything that distracts from it; and according to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The imam was only appointed to be followed: when he says Allah Akbar, say it; when he recites, be attentive". This hadith contains several proofs: the command to listen, which negates the obligation of recitation; he taught what the follower must do behind the imam without mentioning recitation; he showed what the follower does in likeness of the imam and what is not permitted him contrary to him. The view that the follower must recite invalidates this point of distinction.
"Whoever has an imam, the imam's recitation serves as his recitation"Hasan hadith: reported by Ibn Majah (850)
Abdallah ibn Shaddad relates: "A man recited behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while another prevented him; when the prayer ended, he said to him: the imam's recitation serves as your recitation". And Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Is there a recitation in every prayer?" He said: "Yes". A man of the Ansar said: "This one is therefore obligatory". The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I do not see the imam leading the people without sufficing them" (sahih as a Companion's statement: reported by al-Nasa'i 923 and Ahmad 27570). And Abu Qilaba relates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you recite behind your imam?" Some said: yes; some said: no. He said: "If you must do so anyway, then let one of you recite the opening of the Book to himself" (reported by Ibn Abi Shayba in his "Musannaf" 3757).
This hadith contains several proofs: he did not rebuke the one who said no; his saying "if you must do so anyway" is not said of an obligation, but of what is better left than done; he commanded him to recite "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds" to himself, which implies the prohibition of voicing it. And his saying: "Every prayer without the recitation of the opening of the Book is deficient, except behind the imam" (reported by Bukhari in the chapter on recitation behind the imam, 350-351, as a weak hadith), for it is a state of following, as if he caught him bowing. And were it obligatory upon the follower, it would never fall from him, as with the imam and the one praying alone: since it fell at the bowing, that shows it is not obligatory. Chapter: if he recites while the imam recites aloud, that is disliked without invalidating his prayer, contrary to some; for recitation behind the imam does not void the follower's prayer, like silent recitation ("al-Ishraf" 1/262-265, cases no. 181-182).
Fourth view: the follower does not recite behind the imam, neither in the silent prayer nor in the aloud one, and recitation behind the imam is never recommended for him: this is the view of the Hanafis. Allah's saying: "And when the Quran is recited, listen to it attentively and be silent" (Surah 7, 204) requires listening and silence at the recitation of the Quran in prayer and elsewhere; if an indication of the permissibility of leaving listening existed elsewhere, its requirement would still stand in prayer; and as the verse indicated the prohibition of reciting behind the imam in what he recites aloud, it indicates the prohibition in what he recites quietly, for He imposed listening and silence at the recitation of the Quran without conditioning the state of reciting aloud versus quietly: if he recites aloud, listening and silence are owed from us; if he recites quietly, silence is owed from us by the very wording, since we know he is reciting the Quran.
They also say: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever prays behind an imam, the imam's recitation is a recitation for him" (hasan hadith: reported by Ibn Majah 850 and al-Bayhaqi in "al-Kubra" 2/159), a term embracing the silent and the aloud prayers; and he said: "The imam was only appointed to be followed; when he says Allah Akbar, say it; when he recites, be attentive".
It is related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the dhuhr or the asr and said: "Which of you was reciting behind me: 'Glorify the name of your Lord, the Most High'?" A man said: "I was, and I intended only good by it". He said: "I knew that one of you was contending it with me"Reported by Muslim (398)
That is, contending it with me; this shows the disapproval of recitation in a silent prayer, all the more in the aloud one. They say finally: were recitation obligatory upon the follower, it would never fall from him, as with the imam and the one praying alone; since it fell at the bowing, that shows it is not obligatory ("Ahkam al-Qur'an" by al-Jassas 4/218-222, "Tabyin al-Haqa'iq" 1/131, "Sharh Fath al-Qadir" 1/339, "al-Ifsah" 1/162).
The Hanafis say finally: were recitation obligatory upon the follower, it would not have fallen from the one overtaken, like the other pillars; they therefore assimilated the follower's recitation to that of the overtaken in the ruling of falling away, making it not legislated ("Ahkam al-Qur'an" 4/218-222, "Tabyin al-Haqa'iq" 1/131, "Sharh Fath al-Qadir" 1/339, "al-Ifsah" 1/162).
5. Bowing. The umma agrees that bowing is a pillar of prayer, according to Allah's saying: "O you who have believed, bow and prostrate" (Surah 22, 77), and the established hadiths on this, among them the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer: according to Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, a man entered, prayed and greeted the Prophet; he returned the greeting and said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed"; he went back and prayed as he had prayed, then came and greeted him; he said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed"; this 3 times. The man said: "By Him who sent you with the truth, I can do no better; teach me". He said: "When you rise to pray, say Allah Akbar, then recite what you can of the Quran, then bow until you are calm in bowing, then rise until you stand upright, then prostrate until you are calm in prostration, then rise until you are sitting calmly, then do that in all your prayer" (reported by Bukhari (724/760) and Muslim (397)). This shows that the acts named in the hadith never fall away, otherwise they would have fallen from the Bedouin ignorant of them. The consensus on this was transmitted by al-Nawawi, Ibn Qudama, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn Hubayra and many others.
By way of preamble: he comes with another takbir for the bowing at the moment of descending into it; the first takbir is a pillar that never falls, the second is the takbir of the bowing; the text transmitted from Ahmad is that it falls here, one takbir sufficing, transmitted by Abu Dawud and Salih; it is also related from al-Shafi'i, Malik and the partisans of opinion (Ibn Abidin 1/323, al-Tahtawi 1/295, "al-Istidhkar" 1/63, "Mawahib al-Jalil" 2/83, "al-Qawanin" 1/50, "al-Majmu'" 4/187, "Kashshaf al-Qina'" 1/460, "Mukhtasar ikhtilaf al-'ulama" 1/259, "al-Tamhid" 7/73).
6. The rising (i'tidal). The scholars differed on the obligation of rising from the bowing and of straightening up standing. Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on him) said: neither of the 2 is obligatory; if he descends from the bowing to the prostration, that is disliked for him but suffices, Allah not having commanded it: He commanded only the bowing, the prostration and the standing; were it obligatory, it would entail an obligatory remembrance, like the first standing. Some Hanafi jurists however hold the obligation of rising from the bowing, among them the verifier Ibn al-Humam and his student Ibn Amir al-Hajj, who went so far as to say it is the correct position, on account of the Prophet's constancy in it, the command in the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer, and what Qadi Khan relates: the prostration of forgetfulness is owed to one who leaves the rising from the bowing forgetfully. Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the conclusion is that the most correct, by transmission and by reasoning, is the obligation of straightening the pillars; as for the standing pause, the sitting and their straightening, the famous view in the madhhab is sunna, its obligation also being narrated, which concords with the proofs and constitutes perfection: Ibn al-Humam and the later scholars; Abu Yusuf held the whole obligatory, chosen in "al-Majma'", as did al-'Ayni; al-Tahawi related it from our 3 imams; it is said in "al-Fayd": it is more precautionary (Ibn Abidin 1/464, "Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/508-509).
The Malikis in one view, and the Shafi'is and Hanbalis, hold that rising from the bowing is an obligation: one who does not raise his head from the bowing does not have that rak'a counted until he stands erect. This is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the man who had done poorly in his prayer: "then rise until you stand upright" (sahih hadith cited earlier); and the Prophet persisted in it, according to Abu Humayd's description of the Prophet's prayer (peace and blessings be upon him): "when he raised his head, he stood straight until every vertebra returned to its place" (reported by Bukhari (794)); and his saying: "Pray as you have seen me pray"; and his saying: "No prayer suffices in which a man does not straighten his back in the bowing and the prostration" (sahih hadith: al-Tirmidhi 265, al-Nasa'i 1027, Ibn Majah 870, Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" 5/217, al-Bayhaqi in "al-Kubra" 2/88 who said: its chain is sahih; al-Tirmidhi said: hasan sahih; acting upon this is the practice of the scholars, the Companions of the Prophet and those after them). Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: he said (peace and blessings be upon him): "A man's prayer does not suffice him so long as he does not straighten his back in his bowing and his prostration" (reported by Imam Ahmad in his "Musnad" 17144 with a sahih chain, in the wording: "no prayer suffices anyone who does not straighten his back in the bowing and the prostration").
Abu Hanifa said of one who passes from the bowing to the prostration without raising his head that it suffices him; Abu Yusuf said: it does not suffice him. Al-Thawri, al-Awza'i, al-Shafi'i, Ahmad, Ishaq, Dawud and al-Tabari say: if he does not raise his head from the bowing, that rak'a is not counted until he stands erect. Abu Umar (Ibn Abd al-Barr) said: the hadiths of this chapter support the validity of this view; what Ibn Wahb relates from Malik is the correct position, held by the scholars; as for Ibn Abd al-Hakam's version, Ibn al-Qasim related the like of it; I know of no one who held this view before Abu Hanifa, and the hadiths traced to the Prophet refute him ("al-Tamhid" 19/8; see "al-Istidhkar" 2/164, "Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 5/423, "Hashiyat al-Adawi" 1/335, "al-Taj wa-l-Iklil" 1/524, "al-Fawa'ih al-Dawani" 1/180, "Hashiyat al-Dasuqi" 1/241, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/165, "al-Majmu'" 3/367, "al-Mughni" 2/58, "Matalib Uli al-Nuha" 1/496, "Majmu' al-Fatawa" 22/535, "al-Ifsah" 1/168, "Sharh Muslim" 4/96).
Most Malikis then hold that straightening in the rising from the bowing is a sunna, not a pillar of prayer: he prostrates for its omission forgetfully, and the prayer is invalidated by its deliberate omission, for it is a sunna whose obligation became famous. Al-Dasuqi said: our master Abu al-Hasan al-Adawi said this is the preferred view, as is deduced from al-Hattab's words ("Hashiyat al-Dasuqi" 1/241). Al-Qadi Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the straightening in the rising from the bowing is not established at Malik; some of our shaykhs claim it is established according to his view, which is al-Shafi'i's view; what I have seen as text from Ibn al-Qasim and Ali ibn Ziyad from him is: if he descends before the straightening, nothing is due from him; the proof is that the straightening is a standing: were it an obligation, its sequel would be a bowing, like the first standing; and the standing is a pillar before the bowing: its obligation must therefore not repeat within the rak'a, like the recitation; and this rising is intended only for the separation between the bowing and the prostration: less than the straightening therefore suffices, the separation being realized by it; everything intended for a separation suffices once that separation occurs; and the rising leaves the state of bowing or near-bowing, as if he had straightened.
Issue: rising from the bowing is obligatory even if the straightening within it is not obligatory; if he descends to prostrate while bowing, it does not suffice him according to the apparent of the madhhab. I saw in some books, from Malik or one of his companions, that it suffices him, but nothing to rely upon. Our proof, contrary to Abu Hanifa, is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "A man's prayer does not suffice him in which he does not straighten his back in the bowing and the prostration", and his saying: "then rise until you stand upright"; the bowing being a pillar, the separation between the 2 is owed, in likeness of the rising from the prostration ("al-Ishraf" 1/276-277, cases no. 190-191). The limit of straightening among the Malikis is not being bent, perfection being erectness until every limb returns to its place; his remaining slightly bent during his straightening and stillness does no harm, this posture not removing him from standing. The Shafi'is and the Hanbalis state explicitly that stillness is required in the straightening ("al-Istidhkar" 2/164, "Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 5/423, "Hashiyat al-Adawi" 1/335, "al-Taj wa-l-Iklil" 1/524, "al-Fawa'ih al-Dawani" 1/180, "Hashiyat al-Dasuqi" 1/241, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/165, "al-Majmu'" 3/367, "al-Mughni" 2/58, "Matalib Uli al-Nuha" 1/496, "Majmu' al-Fatawa" 22/535, "al-Ifsah" 1/168, "Sharh Muslim" 4/96).
7. Prostration. The jurists agree that prostration is among the pillars of prayer, according to Allah's saying: "Bow and prostrate" (Surah 22, 77), and the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer cited earlier, including: "then prostrate until you are calm prostrating"; the divergence in it is like that concerning the stillness of the bowing. They agree that prostrating on 7 limbs is legislated: the prominences of the face, the 2 hands, the 2 knees and the extremities of the feet.
"I have been commanded to prostrate on 7 bones: the forehead (and he pointed with his hand to his nose and his 2 hands), the 2 knees and the soles (ends) of the 2 feet"Bukhari (776) and Muslim (490), from the hadith of Ibn Abbas
They then differed over the obligation in that. Abu Hanifa said: the obligation is the forehead or the nose, without preference, such that placing either of them in a situation of choice suffices him; placing the forehead alone is permitted without disapproval, and the nose alone with disapproval. Imam al-Shafi'i held the obligation of the forehead, in a single view: if he confines himself to it, it is permitted, part of it sufficing; the nose is recommended: if he leaves it, it is permitted; if he confines himself to the nose leaving the forehead, it is not permitted; concerning the rest of the limbs he has 2 views, the sound one being obligation, as will come: if he violates one of those limbs, his prayer is not valid. The version from Malik diverged: Ibn al-Qasim relates from him that the obligation attaches to the forehead; as for the nose, if he neglects it, he repeats within the time by recommendation, not after the time has passed; if he neglects the forehead while able and confines himself to the nose, he repeats always. Ibn Habib (among his companions) said: the obligation attaches to both together; Ashhab relates from him the view of Abu Hanifa. Al-Qadi Abd al-Wahhab, the Maliki (may Allah have mercy on him), said: if he prostrates on his forehead without his nose, it suffices him, and we recommend the repetition within the time; Ibn Habib said: it does not suffice him; the like is related from Ibn Abbas and others.
Our proof is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "I have been commanded to prostrate on 7 limbs", where he mentions the forehead without mentioning the nose; what is besides the forehead of the face does not require prostration upon it, like the chin; and the face is a limb of prostration: a part must therefore suffice, like the hands. If he prostrates on his nose without his forehead while able, it does not suffice him, contrary to Abu Hanifa, according to his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "then he prostrates, setting his forehead firmly", and the version: "his forehead to the ground, until his joints are calm" (sahih hadith: reported by Abu Dawud 858); the nose is a place of the face: it therefore does not replace prostration on the forehead, the original being the chin; and every limb whose prostration may be omitted without excuse does not suffice alone, like the rest of the limbs of prostration.
From Imam Ahmad, 2 versions. The first: the obligation attaches to the forehead alone, the view of Abu Yusuf, Muhammad and al-Shafi'i as mentioned: if he omits prostration upon it in a situation of choice, it does not suffice him. The second: it attaches to both, the forehead and the nose, the famous version, according to what Ibn Abbas relates: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been commanded to prostrate on 7 bones: the forehead (and he pointed with his hand to his nose and his 2 hands), the 2 knees and the soles of the 2 feet"; his pointing to his nose shows he meant it; and his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): "There is no prayer for one whose nose does not touch the ground as much as his forehead" (sahih hadith: reported by al-Daraqutni 1319). The holders of the obligation of the forehead argue: were he to prostrate on his nose alone, it would not suffice him, by the consensus of the Companions: Ibn al-Mundhir transmitted the consensus of the Companions that prostration on the nose alone does not suffice.
Ibn al-Mundhir said: I know of no one who preceded him (Abu Hanifa) to this view; perhaps he held that the forehead and the nose are one limb, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), upon mentioning the forehead, indicating his nose; the single limb suffices by prostration on one of its parts. It is a view contrary to the sahih hadith and the preceding consensus: it therefore does not stand ("Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/344, "al-Hidaya" with "Sharh al-Bidaya" 1/50, "Tabyin al-Haqa'iq" 1/117, Ibn Abidin 1/499, "al-Dhakhira" 2/195, "Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 1/346, "al-Ishraf" 1/83, "al-Sharh al-Saghir" 1/209, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/169, "al-Majmu'" 3/385, "Sharh Muslim" 4/186, "Fath al-Bari" 2/346, "al-Mughni" 2/67-69, "al-Ifsah" 1/169, "Kashshaf al-Qina'" 1/350, "Manar al-Sabil" 1/103).
Prostration on the rest of the limbs. The Shafi'is in the sound position and the Hanbalis hold that prostration on the rest of the limbs is obligatory, based on the hadith of Ibn Abbas cited earlier. Ibn Umar relates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The 2 hands prostrate as the face prostrates: when one of you places his face, let him place his 2 hands; when he raises them, let him raise them" (sahih hadith: reported by Abu Dawud 892, al-Nasa'i 1092, Ibn Khuzayma in his "Sahih" 1/320). Ibn Qudama (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the prostration of the face does not negate that of the rest: if he omits prostration on one of these limbs, his prayer is not valid; if he cannot prostrate on some of them, he prostrates on the rest, bringing the sick limb near the ground as much as he can, without being owed raising anything toward it; for prostration is descent, which is not obtained by raising what one prostrates upon; if prostration on the forehead falls due to an impediment or otherwise, prostration on the rest falls, it being the root and the others its followers: the root fallen, the follower falls. This is why Ahmad said of the sick man who raises up to his forehead something upon which to prostrate that it suffices him.
Abu Hanifa, Malik and al-Shafi'i in the second view, and Ahmad in a version, say: prostration on the rest of the limbs is not owed, prostration being on the forehead, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "My face prostrated", which indicates prostration on the face; and one who prostrates on his face is named a prostrator, whereas placing the rest on the ground does not name him so: the command to prostrate therefore refers to that by which one is named a prostrator. Al-Amidi mentioned this version from Ahmad; al-Qadi said in "al-Jami'": it is the apparent of Ahmad's words, for he explicitly addressed the sick man who raises something upon which to prostrate: it suffices him, though he omitted prostration on his 2 hands. They also say: the hadith of Ibn Abbas "I have been commanded to prostrate on 7 bones" is interpreted as sunna, based on the end of the hadith: "and I do not gather up my hair"; they explicitly stated the absence of invalidity by gathering it, which shows the command is not at the level of obligation; one does not say: then prostration on the forehead is not obligatory, for it is included in the 7: we say the obligation of prostration is drawn from Allah's saying: "Bow and prostrate" (Surah 22, 77), the reality of prostration being the placing of the forehead on the ground.
8. Sitting between the 2 prostrations. The jurists differed: is it a pillar of prayer or a sunna? Imam Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad hold that it is a pillar of prayer, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the man who had done poorly in his prayer: "then rise until you sit upright", and in a version: "until you sit calmly, and do that in all your prayer", reported by the 2 shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim); and in the 2 "Sahih"s: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he rose from prostration, would not prostrate (again) before sitting upright"; and the rising from prostration being obligatory, the straightening after it is obligatory, like the rising from the last prostration.
Imam Abu Hanifa holds that sitting between the 2 prostrations is not obligatory but sunna; Abu Hanifa even deems sufficient raising the head to the size of a sword's hilt, for it is a sitting of separation between 2 like things: it is therefore not obligatory. What is relied upon among the Malikis is the validity of the prayer of one who does not lift his hands from the ground during the sitting between the 2 prostrations, provided he straightened. Al-Qadi Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the straightening in the sitting between the 2 prostrations follows the regime of the straightening in the rising from the bowing, already mentioned ("al-Ishraf" 1/281, "al-Sharh al-Kabir" 1/240, "al-Sharh al-Saghir" 1/209, "al-Fawa'ih al-Dawani" 1/183, "al-Qawanin al-Fiqhiyya" 1/46, "Mawahib al-Jalil" 1/522, "Kifayat al-Akhyar" 152, "al-Hawi al-Kabir" 2/130, "al-Mughni" 2/75, "al-Ifsah" 1/171, "Manar al-Sabil" 1/103).
Upstream of the taslim, in the final tashahhud: most of his companions (of Ahmad) hold that the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is obligatory; the other view, which al-Nawawi calls anomalous, is that it is due from them. The apparent of Ahmad's words is that the obligatory is the prayer upon the Prophet alone, like the madhhab of al-Shafi'i. Abu Hamid (among Ahmad's companions) said: the measure of what suffices is that there be owed the prayer upon him (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon his family, and upon the family of Ibrahim, and the blessings upon Muhammad, upon the family of Muhammad and upon the family of Ibrahim, according to the hadith Ahmad relied upon. The majority hold the validity of the prayer with any one of these established formulas ("al-Bahr al-Ra'iq" 1/341, "Tabyin al-Haqa'iq" 1/123, Ibn Abidin 1/512, "al-Sharh al-Kabir" 1/251, "Minhaj al-Jalil" 1/265, "Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 14/235, "al-Majmu'" 3/428-430, "al-Rawda" 1/265, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/176, "al-Mughni" 2/94-96, "al-Ifsah" 1/175-176, "Kashshaf al-Qina'" 1/358, "Sharh Muslim" 4/110, "Manar al-Sabil" 1/104).
11. The taslim. There is no divergence among the jurists: coming with the taslim is legislated, according to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "The key of prayer is purity; its sacralization is the takbir; its desacralization is the salam"; and the Prophet used to salute at the end of his prayer. The jurists however differed: is the taslim an obligation or a sunna?
The majority of jurists, the Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis, hold it to be an obligation without which the prayer is not valid, based on the preceding hadith: "its desacralization is the salam": the salam is there specified as the desacralizing agent, which shows that desacralization by the salam is determinate, not attainable without it; prayer being an act of worship with desacralization and sacralization, desacralization in it is a pillar, by analogy to the tawaf in the hajj; and according to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Pray as you have seen me pray"; and it is established of him (peace be upon him) that he "closed the prayer with the salam" (reported by Muslim (498)), persisting in it without leaving it ("al-Ishraf" 1/287-288 no. 204, "al-Dhakhira" 2/199, "Hashiyat al-Dasuqi" 1/241, "Bidayat al-Mujtahid" 1/184, "Sharh Muslim" 4/193, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/177, "al-Mughni" 2/104-105, "al-Ifsah" 1/176-177, "Kashshaf al-Qina'" 1/361, "Manar al-Sabil" 1/105).
Imam Abu Hanifa holds that the taslim is not determinate for exiting the prayer: if he exits by an act or an impurity conflicting with prayer, it is permitted, the taslim being sunna and not a pillar; for the Prophet did not teach it to the man who had done poorly in his prayer: were it obligatory, he would have commanded it, explanation not being deferred beyond the moment of need; and one of the 2 salams not being obligatory, the same applies to the other. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), teaching the tashahhud to Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), said: "When you have said this or done this, you have discharged what is upon you; if you wish to stand, stand; if you wish to sit, sit" (takhrij cited earlier; al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in "al-Diraya" 1/157: the memorizers agree this addition is interpolated from Ibn Mas'ud's words, among them Ibn Hibban, al-Daraqutni, al-Bayhaqi and al-Khatib, the proof being clear).
Al-Kasani said: arguing by this hadith is twofold: he made it acquitting of what is upon him at this act or word, the term "what" (ma) being general for the unknown: he must therefore discharge all that is upon him; were the taslim an obligation, he would not discharge everything without it, the taslim remaining due. And he gave him the choice between standing and sitting without conditioning the wording of the salam: were it an obligation, he would not have given him the choice; the pillar of prayer is that by which it is performed, and the salam is an exit from the prayer and a leaving of it, being speech addressed to another, hence conflicting with the prayer: how could it be a pillar of it? ("Bada'i' al-Sana'i'" 1/194, "Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/440). What is relied upon among the Hanafis is that the salam is wajib, by the Prophet's constancy (peace and blessings be upon him) in it; and constancy is proof of obligation where evidence of non-obligation exists, as here: it is therefore wajib without being an obligation ("Bada'i' al-Sana'i'" 1/163).
Ibn al-Mundhir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: all those whose statements we preserve among the scholars agree that the prayer of one who confines himself to one salutation is valid (sahih hadith: reported by al-Tirmidhi 296, Ibn Majah 98, 919, 920, Ibn Khuzayma in his "Sahih" 1/360, Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" 5/335). Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the scholars counted upon agree that only one salutation is obligatory; if he confines himself to it, it is recommended that he salute facing his face, for Aisha, Salama ibn al-Akwa' and Sahl ibn Sa'd related that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) "used to salute in the prayer with a single salutation facing his face"; if he saluted twice, he placed the first on his right and the second on his left. Ibn Mas'ud said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) salute on his right and his left until the whiteness of his cheek could be seen" (sahih hadith: reported by Abu Dawud 996, Ibn Majah 914 and others, and by Muslim in brief 581).
Al-Qadi (Abu Ya'la), among the Hanbalis, however relates another version from Imam Ahmad according to which the second salutation is obligatory, and he said: it is the sounder. Ibn Qudama (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the sound position is the first, Ahmad's text not being explicit on the obligation of the 2 salutations: he said "the 2 salutations are more in conformity with the Messenger of Allah", and the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud and others lead more to it; it may be understood as lawfulness and recommendation, not obligation, as others held; his saying in a version: "the 2 salutations seem most meritorious to me" leads to it; and Aisha, Salama ibn al-Akwa' and Sahl ibn Sa'd related that the Prophet "saluted a single salam", and the Muhajirun saluted a single salam: the reports and the Companions' statements (may Allah be pleased with them) are thereby combined such that lawfulness and sunna are 2 salutations, and the obligation one; the validity of this consensus is shown by what Ibn al-Mundhir related, there being no alternative; and the Prophet's act (peace and blessings be upon him) is interpreted as lawfulness and sunna, most of his acts in prayer being sunna without being obligatory: nothing prevents interpreting this act as sunna, the proof existing. As for his saying in the hadith of Jabir: "it suffices one of you", he means attaining the sunna: "to place his hand on his thigh then salute his brother on his right and his left": none of that is obligatory; such is the divergence in the obligatory prayer. As for the funeral prayer, the supererogatory, and the prostration of recitation, there is no divergence: one exits them with a single salutation; al-Qadi said: it is a single version, which Ahmad explicitly stated for the funeral prayer and the prostration of recitation; the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) never saluted in the funeral prayer except with a single salutation ("al-Mughni" 2/108-110, "al-Ijma'" by Ibn al-Mundhir 25, "al-Ifsah" 1/177, "Mawahib al-Jalil" 1/530, "'Awn al-Ma'bud" 3/209, "Hashiyat al-Dasuqi" 1/241, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/177, "Kashshaf al-Qina'" 1/361, "al-Majmu'" 3/425, "Manar al-Sabil" 1/105).
12. Stillness. The jurists differed over its ruling in prayer. The Shafi'is, the Hanbalis and Abu Yusuf among the Hanafis hold that it is a pillar of prayer, based on the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, a man entered, prayed and greeted the Prophet; he returned the greeting and said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed"; he went back and prayed as he had prayed, then came and greeted him; he said: "Go back and pray, for you have not prayed"; this 3 times. The man said: "By Him who sent you with the truth, I can do no better; teach me". He said: "When you rise to pray, say Allah Akbar, then recite what you can of the Quran, then bow until you are calm in bowing, then rise until you stand upright, then prostrate until you are calm in prostration, then rise until you are sitting calmly, then do that in all your prayer".
This hadith explains the least of the obligations; the argument by it has 3 aspects: he commanded him to repeat, and repetition is due only upon the corruption of the prayer, corruption through the loss of a pillar; he denied that what was performed was a prayer by his saying "for you have not prayed"; and he commanded him stillness, the general command implying obligation. Al-Bukhari relates from Zayd ibn Wahb: "Hudhayfa saw a man who was not completing his bowing and prostration and said to him: you have not prayed; were you to die, you would die upon other than the fitra upon which Allah created Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)" (reported by Bukhari (758)). Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: it was used to argue the obligation of stillness in the bowing and the prostration and the invalidation of the prayer by its violation ("Fath al-Bari" 2/275).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this man who was not completing his prayer left the stillness, or the straightening, or both: he must have left some of that; the pecking of the crow and the separation between the 2 prostrations the size of a sword's hilt, and the descent from the bowing to the prostration cannot be diminished while remaining what could be called bowing or prostration; this man performed what could be called bowing and prostration, but did not complete them; Hudhayfa said "you have not prayed", negating the prayer; then: "were you to die, you would die upon other than the fitra upon which Allah created Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)", and other than the sunna: both mean here the religion and the Law, not the performance of recommended acts, which does not merit such blame and threat: hardly anyone dies having performed all the Prophet's recommended acts ("Majmu' al-Fatawa" 22/534-540). And from Abu Mas'ud al-Badri (may Allah be pleased with him): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No prayer suffices in which a man does not straighten his back in the bowing and the prostration" (sahih hadith cited earlier). Shaykh al-Islam said: this is explicit that the prayer does not suffice so long as the man does not straighten from the bowing and rise erect from the prostration; this shows the obligation of straightening in the bowing and the prostration; this issue, though not the issue of stillness, accords with it and accompanies it: the hadith is an explicit text of the obligation of straightening; straightening being obligatory to complete the bowing and the prostration, stillness in them is more obligatory still ("Majmu' al-Fatawa" 22/534).
The place of stillness with them is the bowing, the prostration, the straightening from the bowing, and the sitting between the 2 prostrations. The Hanafis, except Abu Yusuf, hold that stillness in prayer, which they call "the straightening of the pillars" or the resting of the limbs, is not an obligation but a sunna according to al-Jurjani's takhrij, wajib according to al-Karkhi's, which is correct; hence its deliberate omission is disliked, and the prostration of forgetfulness is due if omitted forgetfully. The place of straightening with them is the bowing and the prostration; some Hanafis chose the obligation of straightening in the rising from the bowing and the sitting between the 2 prostrations as well. It is said in "al-Bahr": the resting of the limbs in the bowing and the prostration until the joints are calm, and at the least the measure of a glorification, is wajib according to al-Karkhi's takhrij, which is correct, as in the "Sharh al-Muniyya", and sunna according to al-Jurjani's, and obligation according to what al-Hawi transmitted from the 3. What the great mass transmitted is that it is wajib at Abu Hanifa and Muhammad, obligation at Abu Yusuf; the obligation is shown by constancy, weakening al-Jurjani's view; Muhammad was asked about omitting it and said: "I fear it may not be valid"; and from al-Sarakhsi: one who omits the straightening must repeat ("al-Bahr al-Ra'iq" 1/316).
Al-Kasani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: stillness in the bowing is wajib at Abu Hanifa and Muhammad, as al-Karkhi mentions, to the point that if he omits it forgetfully, the prostration of forgetfulness is due from him; al-Jurjani mentions that it is sunna... the correct is what al-Karkhi mentioned, for stillness belongs to the completion of the pillar, and completing the pillar is wajib, like completing the recitation with al-Fatiha; do you not see that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) likened the Bedouin's prayer to non-existence? Prayer is judged void only by absence: either by the absence of its root through leaving a pillar, or by diminution through leaving a wajib, becoming thereby absence in one respect; leaving a sunna is not likened to non-existence, causing no gross diminution; hence omitting it is most strongly disliked, to the point that it is related from Abu Hanifa: "I fear his prayer may not be valid" ("Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/510). Ibn Abidin transmits from "al-Bahr": the requirement of the proof is the obligation of stillness in the 4, that is, the bowing, the prostration and the sitting between the 2 prostrations, by constancy in all of that, the command in the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer, and what Qadi Khan relates of the prostration of forgetfulness being due to one who omits the rising from the bowing forgetfully; and in "al-Muhit": if he omits forgetfully the straightening of the pillars or the standing pause between the bowing and the prostration, the prostration of forgetfulness is due from him; the same applies to the sitting between the 2 prostrations, the discourse in both being one; the obligation of the whole is the choice of the verifier Ibn al-Humam and his student Ibn Amir al-Hajj, who even said it is the correct position. Ibn Abidin said: the conclusion is that the most correct, by transmission and reasoning, is the obligation of straightening the pillars; as for the standing, the sitting and their straightening, the famous in the madhhab is sunna, the obligation being narrated, which concords with the proofs and constitutes perfection, and the later scholars; Abu Yusuf held the whole obligatory, chosen in "al-Majma'" and by al-'Ayni; al-Tahawi related it from our 3 imams; it is said in "al-Fayd": it is more precautionary (Ibn Abidin 1/464, "al-Bahr al-Ra'iq" 1/317, al-Tahtawi 1/157, "Tabyin al-Haqa'iq" 1/118, "'Umdat al-Qari" 6/18-19, "Mughni al-Muhtaj" 1/158, "Kifayat al-Akhyar" 150, "al-Majmu'" 3/368, "al-Ifsah" 1/167, "al-Tahqiq" by Ibn al-Jawzi 1/388, "Manar al-Sabil" 1/104, "al-Insaf" 2/113). Al-Hasan relates from Abu Hanifa, concerning one who does not straighten his back in the bowing: if he is closer to standing than to completing the bowing, it does not suffice him; if he is closer to completing the bowing than to standing, it suffices him, establishing the greater in place of the whole ("Ma'ani al-Athar" 1/509).
The Malikis, for their part, differ over stillness. Al-Dasuqi said: the view of its obligation was authenticated by Ibn al-Hajib, the famous of the madhhab being that it is sunna; hence Zarruq and al-Bunani say: one who omits the stillness repeats within the time according to the famous view; it has been said that it is a virtue ("Hashiyat al-Dasuqi" 1/241). To Ibn al-Hajib's view rallied al-Qurtubi and others. Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: when Allah said: "Bow and prostrate" (Surah 22, 77), some of our scholars and others said: what suffices is what is named bowing and prostration, likewise of standing, without conditioning stillness, taking the least of the name, as if they had not heard the established hadiths on the invalidation of the prayer. Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: neither a bowing nor a prostration nor a pause after the bowing nor a sitting between the 2 prostrations suffices until he straightens, bowing, standing and prostrating; this is the sound view in the report, held by the majority of scholars and specialists; it is the version of Ibn Wahb and Abu Mus'ab from Malik. Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the versions multiplied from Ibn al-Qasim and others on the obligation of the separation and the falling away of stillness: it is a great error; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did it, commanded it and taught it; if Ibn al-Qasim had an excuse, perhaps not having had access to it, what of you, to whom knowledge has come and the proof established?
Al-Qurtubi then mentions the hadith of Rifaa ibn Rafi' within the hadith of the man who had done poorly in his prayer, then says: this is the explanation of the prayer adorned in the Book, taught by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and conveyed by him to all people; whoever does not stop at this explanation, who violates what the Merciful imposed upon him and does not comply with what reached him from his Prophet is among those intended by Allah's saying: "Then there succeeded after them a succession who neglected the prayer and followed their desires" (Surah 19, 59) ("Tafsir al-Qurtubi" 1/347-348, "Ahkam al-Qur'an" by Ibn al-Arabi 1/143, "al-Ishraf" 1/280-281 no. 197, "al-Sharh al-Saghir" 1/211, "Jawahir al-Iklil" 1/49).
The majority of jurists, the Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis, hold that the minimum of stillness is the immobility of the limbs: each posture reaches its minimum when the limbs concerned come to rest in the required position, in the bowing, the prostration, the straightening and the sitting. It is on this point that this first batch of the chapter's sheets ends, the continuation of the detail being treated in the following parts of the encyclopedia.