Furthermore, some jurists may say that glorification is not obligatory. This view conflicts with the plain meaning of the Quran and the sunnah, for their plain meaning indicates that both the act and the utterance are obligatory. Thus, if some evidence indicates that the utterance is not obligatory, this does not preclude the act from being obligatory.

Those who hold that glorification is obligatory cite as evidence the words of Allah Most High: “Glorify your Lord with praise before sunrise and before sunset.” [Qāf: 39] [Qāf: 39] This is a command to perform the prayer in its entirety, as is established in the two Sahīhs from Jarīr ibn Abd Allah al-Bajalī—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: “We were sitting with the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—when he looked at the moon on the night it was full and said, ‘You will surely see your Lord just as you see this moon, without experiencing any difficulty in seeing Him. So, if you are able not to be prevented from performing a prayer before sunrise and another before sunset, then do so.’ He then recited: ‘Glorify your Lord with praise before sunrise and before sunset.’ [Qāf: 39]”

Since Allah has called prayer “glorification,” this indicates that glorification is obligatory. Likewise, when He called it “standing” in His words, “Stand through the night, except for a little” [al-Muzzammil: 2] [al-Muzzammil], this indicated that standing is obligatory. Similarly, when He called it “recitation” in His words, “and the recitation at dawn” [al-Isrā': 78] [al-Isrā': 78], this indicated that recitation during it is obligatory. And when He called it bowing and prostration in various passages, this indicated that bowing and prostration are obligatory in it.

This is because naming prayer after these acts indicates that they are inseparable from it: wherever prayer exists, these acts must also exist. They are therefore among its indispensable constituent parts, just as people designate a human being by the parts inseparable from him—