on the very first reminder—as though they had neither heard nor seen—although they had not actually fallen down.

The Arabs commonly say: “I reviled so-and-so, and he rose weeping, sat lamenting, began to offer excuses, and went on boasting,” even though in reality he neither rose nor sat.

I say: There is wisdom in the Almighty’s using the word khurūr (falling down) rather than any other. For if they had fallen while remaining deaf and blind, the act would not be commendable but blameworthy; how much worse, then, when they are deaf and blind without even falling down! Two things are therefore indispensable: falling down and prostration. Hearing and sight are likewise indispensable, because His signs contain light, guidance, and clear exposition. In the same way, when the prayer was ordained, recitation was prescribed within it—first in the standing posture, then in bowing, and finally in prostration.