was lacking from the obligatory prayer. All his other deeds will then be dealt with on that basis.” Al-Tirmidhī narrated it and said, “This is a good hadith.”

Abū Dāwūd and Ibn Mājah also narrated from Tamīm al-Dārī, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, a report conveying the same meaning, in which he said: “Then zakat will be treated in the same way, and thereafter all deeds will be dealt with accordingly.”

Furthermore, Abū Masʿūd al-Badrī, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A man’s prayer is not valid until he straightens his back in bowing and prostration.” It was narrated by the four compilers of the Sunan collections, and al-Tirmidhī said, “This is a good and sound hadith.”

This explicitly states that the prayer is not valid until a man returns to an upright posture after bowing and straightens up after prostration. This demonstrates that returning to an upright posture after bowing and prostration is obligatory.

Although this issue is not itself the issue of stillness, it is closely connected with it and inseparable from it.

This is because the hadith explicitly establishes the obligation of returning to an upright posture. If this is obligatory for the completion of bowing and prostration, then stillness during both is even more obligatory.

His words, “straightens his back in bowing and prostration,” mean when he raises his head from each of them, for straightening the back forms part of the completion of bowing and prostration;