that the prostration he performed when reciting this surah is obligatory, especially since he was in prayer. Prayer is obligatory, as is completing it, so its course may only be interrupted by an act better than completing it. It follows that performing the prostration of recitation during prayer is better than completing the prayer without it. If someone deliberately added to the prayer an act of the same kind as its prescribed acts, his prayer would be invalid. Here, however, the prostration of recitation is prescribed within it.

Two positions are reported from Ahmad concerning whether this prostration is obligatory during prayer. The stronger view is that it is obligatory, as we explained earlier, for several reasons. Among them is that the imams themselves are commanded to pray as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed, and this is how he prayed. And Allah knows best.

His words,

“do not prostrate,”

rather than “do not pray,” indicate that prostration is intended for its own sake and that this includes prostration both within and outside prayer. It also encompasses submission and humility, as illustrated. The Quran therefore requires prostration in the full scope of the term, encompassing all its forms: there is no form of prostration that the Quran does not require. Whoever does not prostrate at all when it is recited to him is a disbeliever. However, not every form of prostration is obligatory at every time; rather, this is governed by what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained. Nevertheless, the verse indicates that prostration is to be repeated whenever the Quran is recited to him.