Chapter: The Pillars of the Prayer, Its Obligatory Elements, and Its Sunnahs
O Muslim, the prayer is a tremendous act of worship made up of divinely legislated words and actions that together give it its perfect form. As the scholars define it, it is “words and deeds that begin with the opening takbīr and end with the taslīm.”
These words and actions fall into three categories: arkān (pillars), wājibāt (obligatory elements), and sunan (Sunnahs).
-
The pillars: if any pillar is omitted, the prayer is invalid—whether the omission was intentional or out of forgetfulness—or the rakʿah in which it was omitted becomes void and the following rakʿah takes its place, as will be explained.
-
The obligatory elements: if one of these is deliberately left out, the prayer is invalid; if it is forgotten, the prayer remains valid and is remedied by the prostration of forgetfulness.
-
The Sunnahs: leaving any of these—intentionally or accidentally—does not invalidate the prayer, though the overall appearance of the prayer is diminished.
The Prophet performed a complete prayer, fulfilling all its pillars, obligatory elements, and Sunnahs, and he said, “Pray as you have seen me pray …”