purification. Whoever does not purify himself has no prayer. Accordingly, there is no objection to the work of the jurists; rather, it is among the works for which they deserve gratitude, since it makes Allah’s Law more accessible to His servants.

Its conditions precede it; among them is the prescribed time …

His statement, “Its conditions precede it,” is a declarative sentence composed of a subject and predicate. It means that the conditions come before the prayer, though they must continue throughout it. The pillars agree with the conditions in that the prayer is not valid without them, but they differ from them in the following ways:

First: the conditions precede the prayer, whereas the pillars are within it.

Second: the conditions remain in effect from before one begins the prayer until its end, whereas one moves from one pillar to another: standing, then bowing, then rising from bowing, then prostrating, then rising from prostration, and so on.

Third: the essential nature of the prayer is constituted by its pillars, unlike its conditions. Covering one’s private parts, for example, does not constitute the essential nature of the prayer, though it is indispensable for the prayer.

His statement, “Among them is the prescribed time”: “among” here indicates that it is only one part, which shows that there are other conditions. This is indeed the case, such as Islam, sound intellect, and discernment. These are three conditions the author did not mention because they are well known. No act of worship is valid except with Islam, sound intellect, and discernment, apart from zakah: according to the stronger view, it is binding upon the insane person and the minor. As for the validity of a minor’s Hajj, this is established by textual evidence.

The evidence that the prescribed time is a condition is Allah’s statement: “Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers at specified times.” [Quran 4:103] That is, it is assigned to its designated time,