Another example is the question of whether a prayer is caught by catching one rak‘ah or less than a rak‘ah. Mālik’s position is that it is caught only by catching one rak‘ah. This is what is authentically established from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who said:

“Whoever catches one rak‘ah of the prayer has caught the prayer.”

He also said:

“Whoever catches one rak‘ah of the dawn prayer before the sun rises has caught it, and whoever catches one rak‘ah of the afternoon prayer before the sun sets has caught it.”

Thus, Mālik holds that the Friday prayer and congregational prayer are caught only by catching one rak‘ah. The same applies to catching a prayer at the end of its allotted time, and likewise to being in time for the prayer, as when a menstruating woman becomes pure or a person suffering from insanity regains sanity before the time expires.

Abū Hanīfah makes catching the prayer in all these cases dependent on the time needed to say a single takbīr. Even concerning the Friday prayer, he says that anyone who catches enough of it to say a takbīr has caught it. Al-Shāfi‘ī and Ahmad agree with Mālik concerning the Friday prayer, while their reported positions vary in the other cases. Most scholars of their respective schools agree with Abū Hanīfah in the remaining cases. It is evident that the position of those who agree with Mālik in all these cases is sounder in terms of both textual evidence and analogy.

Some have argued against Mālik by citing the wording in the authentic hadith:

“Whoever catches one prostration of the prayer…”

This, however, provides no evidence against him, because “prostration” here means a rak‘ah. Likewise, Ibn ‘Umar said:

“I learned from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to offer two prostrations before the noon prayer and two after it.”

There are numerous similar examples.