it is not deemed a prayer; consequently the conditions required for prayer do not apply to it. One may perform it without ablution and without facing the qiblah, just as with any other act of remembrance. Ibn ʿUmar used to prostrate without being in a state of purity, and this was also the choice of al-Bukhārī, although observing the prostration with the full conditions of prayer is preferable.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: Nothing has been transmitted from him ﷺ to show that he pronounced the takbīr when rising from this prostration.

Shaykh ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Saʿdī stated: If the prostration of recitation is performed outside the prayer, the correct view is that neither the takbīr nor the salām is obligatory, and that neither ritual purity nor facing the qiblah is a prerequisite, even though carrying it out with the conditions of prayer is more complete. Should it occur within the prayer itself, it takes the same ruling as the ordinary prostrations of the prayer. This is likewise the preference of Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn (Ibn Taymiyyah).

7 – The well-known position in the Ḥanbalī school, attributed to Imām Aḥmad and cited in Sharḥ al-Zād, is as follows: When one intends to perform the prostration, he pronounces two takbīrs—one on going down and another on rising—whether he is inside the prayer or outside it. If he is not in prayer he sits afterwards, recites no tashahhud, and must give the salām, a single salutation being sufficient. It is recommended that he raise his hands when he prostrates, even if he is within the prayer. Performing the prostration from a standing posture is better. In the prostration he says, “Subḥāna rabbī al-aʿlā” (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High) just as he says during the regular prayer; should he add other authentic formulas, that is commendable.

8 – Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn said: The ḥadiths that speak of ablution pertain specifically to the prayer; nevertheless, performing the prostration while meeting the conditions of prayer is better, and one should not forgo them except when excused. Performing the prostration without ablution is still better than omitting it altogether.