4 – Here the prayer is offered in shortened form: the normal four-rakʿah prayer is reduced to two. In this arrangement there is no switching of positions, for the enemy is directly in front of them. Guard duty therefore consists of each group standing once to face the foe while its sister group performs its two rakʿahs behind the imam.

5 – It is a condition that no ambush be feared from behind the worshippers, for Allah the Exalted says, “And take your precautions” (An-Nisaʾ 4:102).

6 – The report indicates that, at the end of every rakʿah, the rear rank moves forward and the front rank withdraws: the group that has fallen back now keeps watch, while the group that has advanced completes its prayer. This arrangement ensures fairness between the two contingents, keeps the row that is actually praying close to the imam with nothing blocking it, and does not invalidate the prayer, for it serves both the prayer itself and the need for vigilance.

7 – This also underscores what we have already stated about the great care shown for these two towering pillars of Islam: the obligatory prayer and jihad, the very summit of the religion.