and prostration, nor did they recommend any remembrance in those postures beyond praising Allah by saying, “Our Lord, to You belongs all praise.” Indeed, some of those versed in jurisprudence even said that if either posture were prolonged considerably, the prayer would be invalidated.

The answer is that the reason for this and similar developments is that the established Sunnah was for rulers and military governors to lead the Muslims in prayer. Thus, during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the rule of his Rightly Guided Caliphs, the commander responsible for military campaigns was also the one who led the prayer. This continued thereafter until partway through Abbasid rule. The caliph himself led the people in the five daily prayers and the Friday prayer, and the Muslims knew no other practice.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) foretold how rulers would change after him, even saying: “After me there will be rulers who delay the prayer beyond its proper time. Therefore, perform the prayer at its proper time and regard your prayer with them as a voluntary prayer.” Some of these rulers delayed it until its prescribed time had elapsed. Others did not properly pronounce “Allāhu akbar”—that is, they did not say it aloud during the transitions into and out of bowing and during other movements. Still others did not properly complete either of the two postures of stillness: standing upright after bowing and sitting between the two prostrations. This became widespread among the people; the young grew up amid it and the old grew old with it, until even many among the elite assumed that this alone was the Sunnah.

When rulers arose who revived the Sunnah, people recognized it. Thus, al-Bukhārī narrated in his Sahīh from Qatāda, from Ikrima, who said: “I prayed behind an elderly man in Mecca, and he said ‘Allāhu akbar’ twenty-two times. I said to Ibn Abbās, ‘He is surely a fool.’ He replied, ‘Confound you! That is the Sunnah of Abū al-Qāsim (peace and blessings be upon him).’”

In another narration from Abū Bishr, from Ikrima, he said: “I saw a man near the Station say ‘Allāhu akbar’ with every lowering and rising, whenever he stood and whenever he went down. I then told Ibn Abbās,