to recite al-Fātiḥah.

A question then arises: is this recitation obligatory for every person who prays, or is the obligation limited to the imam and to one who prays alone? The scholars differ on the point. The more prudent view is that the congregant should make every effort to recite it in the prayers where the imam’s voice is silent, and during the imam’s brief pauses in the audible prayers.

The fourth pillar is bowing (rukūʿ) in every rakʿah, for Allah says, “O you who believe, bow and prostrate” (Qur’an 22:77). Rukūʿ is also firmly established in the Sunnah of the Messenger, so it is obligatory by the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and unanimous agreement.

Linguistically, rukūʿ means bending. The minimum acceptable bow for one who is standing is to bend until his palms reach his knees, assuming an average build—that is, arms that are neither unusually long nor short—with a proportional adjustment for those of different stature. The minimum rukūʿ for a person praying while seated is for his face to come in line with the ground beyond his knees.

The fifth and sixth pillars are rising from rūkūʿ and then standing upright.