The fourteenth pillar is the salutation (taslīm). The Prophet ﷺ said, “Its conclusion is the taslīm,” and he also said, “One exits it by the taslīm.” Thus the taslīm was instituted as the means of disengaging from the prayer; it marks its completion and signals its end.

Dear reader, whoever omits any of these pillars faces the following rulings:
• If the omitted pillar is the opening takbīr—takbīrat al-iḥrām—the prayer never comes into existence.
• If it is any other pillar and he leaves it out deliberately, his prayer is likewise invalid.
• If he forgets a pillar, such as bowing or prostration, and remembers before beginning the recitation of a new rakʿah, he must return, perform the missing pillar along with the remainder of that rakʿah, and then continue. If he remembers only after starting the recitation of the next rakʿah, the rakʿah in which the pillar was omitted is cancelled, the rakʿah he is now reciting takes its place, and he performs the prostration of forgetfulness (sujūd al-sahw).
• Should he discover the omission after the salutation, then: if the missing pillar is the final tashahhud or the salutation itself, he performs it, makes the prostration of forgetfulness, and gives the salutation again. If the missing pillar is something else—such as bowing or prostration—he performs a complete rakʿah in place of the one from which it was omitted, follows that with the prostration of forgetfulness, and then gives the salutation, provided that only a short interval has passed. If a long time has elapsed or his ablution has been nullified, he must repeat the entire prayer.

How magnificent this prayer is, and how many clear words and actions it gathers!

May Allah grant us all success in establishing it properly and preserving it consistently.