The third: reciting al-Fātiḥah in the prescribed order1. It contains eleven2 instances of doubled consonants; if he omits one of them, or a letter, and does not supply what he has left out, the prayer remains valid. If he knows only a single verse, he repeats it until it equals the length of al-Fātiḥah, and anyone who cannot recite while standing performs the prayer seated and recites.

The fourth: bowing (rukūʿ). The minimum is to bend until he can touch his knees with the palms of his hands; the perfect form is to straighten his back so that it is level and keep his head in line with it.

The fifth: rising from bowing with that specific intention; if he straightens up merely out of sudden fear, it does not suffice.

The sixth: standing upright afterward, and the prayer is not invalidated even if this pause is prolonged.

The seventh: prostration (sujūd). The ideal is to press his forehead, nose, both palms, both knees, and the tips of his toes3 firmly on the spot of prostration; the minimum is to place some part of each of these limbs. The surface that supports the prostration points is taken into account: if he puts his forehead on something like embroidered cotton that does not compress, the prayer is invalid. It is valid to prostrate on his sleeve or the hem of his garment, though doing so without excuse is disliked. One who is unable to prostrate with his forehead is not obliged to do so with any other limb; he should gesture as best he can.

The eighth: rising from prostration.

The ninth: sitting between the two prostrations. Any manner of sitting suffices, though the sunnah is to sit with the left foot folded under him, the right foot upright, directing both feet4 toward the qiblah.