for him to leave the prayer. Rather, what is meant by invalidity here is that it is disregarded. Thus, “it becomes void” means that it is treated as null, and the rak'ah that follows takes its place. This applies if he remembers it after having begun the recitation of the next rak'ah.

For example: a man is praying and, after making the first prostration in the first rak'ah, rises for the second rak'ah and begins reciting al-Fātiḥah. He then remembers that he performed only one prostration; thus, he omitted a sitting and a prostration—that is, he omitted two pillars. We say to him: It is forbidden for you to go back, because you have begun an essential pillar of the rak'ah that follows it, so you cannot return from it. Rather, you disregard the preceding rak'ah, and the rak'ah after it takes its place.

Another example: he rises for the fourth rak'ah of the noon prayer, then, after having begun the recitation, remembers that he forgot the second prostration of the third rak'ah. The third rak'ah is then disregarded, and the fourth becomes the third, because he has begun its recitation. This is the view adopted by the author.

The second view is that the rak'ah in which the pillar was omitted does not become disregarded unless he reaches its corresponding place in the second rak'ah. Accordingly, he must return so long as he has not reached its place in the second rak'ah.

Thus, in the example we mentioned, when he rises for the second rak'ah and begins reciting al-Fātiḥah, then remembers that he did not prostrate in the first rak'ah, we say to him: Return, sit between the two prostrations, prostrate, and then complete the prayer.

This view is correct, because whatever follows the omitted pillar is performed out of its proper place, since the pillars must be observed in sequence. Thus, every pillar performed after the omitted pillar