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As for the established prostration passages], Mālik—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—holds that there are eleven, none of them in the Mufassal section of shorter surahs. There is only one in Surah al-Hajj: the one near its beginning. He said in al-Muwatta’: “The practice among us is that there are eleven established prostrations in the Quran, none of them in the Mufassal.” In the version transmitted by Ibn Bukayr and others, he said: “The agreed practice among us.” Yahyā’s version is preferable, because disagreement over the established prostration passages is known to have existed among the early generations in Medina. His words, “The agreed practice among us,” may, however, be understood to mean only that there was agreement that these eleven were established prostrations, while there was no agreement that the others were. This is a sound, plausible interpretation under which the transmitted wording is valid.

The passages that Mālik does not regard as established prostrations are the one at the end of al-Hajj, the one in al-Najm, “When the sky is split open” [al-Inshiqāq: 1], and “Read in the name of your Lord” [al-‘Alaq: 1]. Mālik did not regard them as established because of the disagreement reported concerning them. It has been reported that there is only one prostration in al-Hajj, and it has also been reported that “the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not prostrate in the Mufassal after moving to Medina.”

Ibn Wahb, one of Mālik’s followers, held that all of them are established prostrations at which one should prostrate. This was also the position preferred by Ibn Habīb and a group of scholars, and Ibn Wahb transmitted it from Mālik himself.

Al-Shāfi‘ī, Abū Hanīfah and al-Thawrī held that there are fourteen established prostrations. However, al-Shāfi‘ī excluded the prostration in Sād, Abū Hanīfah excluded the one at the end of al-Hajj, and al-Thawrī excluded the one in al-Najm.

It is reported that ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib said: “There are four established prostrations: Alif Lām Mīm Tanzīl, Hā Mīm al-Sajdah, al-Najm, and ‘Read in the name of your Lord.’”

Some scholars said that reasoned examination requires prostration at those passages expressed as statements, but not at those expressed as commands, because the commands are understood to refer to the obligatory prostration within the prescribed prayers. Upon examination, Mālik’s position follows this principle, because