Allah and approved by Him, even if the person performing it has not performed ablution. The religious law of those before us is binding upon us unless our law provides otherwise. This is a prostration of faith. A comparable instance is that of

“those who embraced Islam and sought protection by prostrating. Khālid did not accept this from them and killed them. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) then sent ʿAlī, who paid half the blood money for them. He did not disapprove of their prostration.”

They had not yet embraced Islam or learned about ablution; rather, they prostrated to Allah as an act of entering Islam, just as the sorcerers had prostrated.

Further evidence for this is that Allah commanded the Children of Israel to enter the gate prostrating and to say, “Forgive our sins.” It is well known that He did not command them to perform ablution, nor was ablution prescribed for them; rather, it is exclusive to the community of Muhammad. This applies whether what is meant is prostration on the ground or bowing.

If bowing is meant, then it is an independent act of worship involving humble submission to Allah and is of the same nature as prostration. Our religious law, however, prescribes prostration as an independent act. As for bowing on its own, there is disagreement about it: some scholars have permitted it in place of prostration upon Quran recitation.

Moreover, Allah has described the prophets as prostrating independently of prayer, as in His words:

“Those were the ones upon whom Allah bestowed favour among the prophets, from the descendants of Adam and of those We carried with Noah, and from the descendants of Abraham and Israel, and from those We guided and chose. When the verses of the Most Merciful were recited to them, they fell down prostrate and weeping.”

They had not been commanded to perform ablution, for ablution is exclusive to the community of Muhammad, as stated in the authentic hadiths: “They