from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib, ʿAtāʾ, and al-Hasan. These were leading scholars of the Successor generation. The case of forgetfulness is certainly included. Thus, it is clear that this was the view of most, if not all, of the early generations.

What is objectionable is deliberately performing ablution out of its prescribed order. There is no doubt that this contradicts the apparent meaning of the Quran and the mass-transmitted Sunnah. Had this been permissible, it would have occurred on occasion, or its permissibility would have been made clear—as with the order of the words of remembrance, when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“The best words after the Quran are four, and they are also found in the Quran: Glory be to Allah; praise be to Allah; there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah; and Allah is the Greatest. It does not matter which of them you begin with.”

Further support for this, both in scriptural evidence and in the positions of the legal schools, is that whoever forgets a prayer must perform it upon remembering it, as explicitly stated in the text. Here, the requirement to observe the prescribed order is waived according to Ahmad’s school, without disagreement within it, and according to the school of Abū Hanīfah and others. It has, however, been related from Mālik that this requirement is not waived. Those taking this position drew an analogy with the prescribed order of purification.