and what he performed before bowing is disregarded, since the interval is brief. This is the view of these scholars. If, however, he has begun the second unit—either its recitation, according to them, or its bowing, according to [these scholars. If he has begun the second unit—either its recitation, according to them, or its bowing, according to] (*) Mālik—then, according to al-Shāfiʿī, everything he performed after the omitted bowing is disregarded until he bows in the second unit. That bowing takes the place of the bowing of the first unit, even if the interval has been long. Thus, he combines parts of two units to make one unit. Ahmad preferred this to the position of the Kufan scholars, and it has been reported as one position transmitted from him.

The well-known position transmitted from him and from Mālik, however, is that they do not combine the two units in this way. Rather, the unit whose essential element was forgotten is disregarded, and this unit takes their place. According to their principle, therefore, a lack of uninterrupted succession invalidates the unit: its bowing and prostration must not be separated by an intervening act extraneous to it. For the smallest unit of prayer is a single unit. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Whoever catches one unit of the prayer has caught it.”

A unit only constitutes a unit when its parts follow one another without interruption. If someone bows, then performs acts extraneous to the prayer, and then prostrates, this does not constitute a unit composed of bowing and prostration. Rather, it is an isolated bowing and an isolated prostration, and this is not prayer. Prostration follows bowing; prayer therefore requires bowing followed by prostration, and prostration followed by bowing. A fuller discussion of this belongs elsewhere. These people, however, have the excuse of fear, while those others have the excuse of forgetfulness and lack of knowledge.