prohibiting someone in a state of minor ritual impurity from doing so.

Scholars hold two views concerning purification from menstruation: is it obligatory for circumambulation, or is it a condition of its validity? They have not, however, disputed that purification is a condition for the validity of prayer. Moreover, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“There is no prayer without the Opening Chapter of the Quran.”

Yet Quranic recitation during circumambulation is not obligatory, by scholarly agreement. Indeed, scholars hold two views on whether it is disliked.

He also said:

“Allah introduces whatever commands He wills, and among the commands He has introduced is that you must not speak during prayer.”

Thus, he prohibited speech during prayer without qualification. During circumambulation, however, speech is permitted that is not permitted in prayer. This also makes clear the distinction between circumambulation and the funeral prayer. The latter has a prescribed entry into and exit from its sacred state; speech is prohibited during it; and it is performed behind an imam, in rows. All of this is agreed upon. Quranic recitation during it is established in the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him; this is the more correct of the two scholarly views.

As for “the prostration of recitation,” scholars have disputed whether it counts as prayer for which purification is a condition, even though it consists of prostration—the greatest of prayer’s physical pillars—and one does not speak while prostrating. Rather, one declares Allah’s greatness when prostrating and when rising, and, according to one of the two scholarly views, also concludes with the salutation of peace. This is according to those who accept that purification is obligatory for a prostration performed on its own, such as the prostration of recitation. Those who reject this requirement maintain that it is permissible without ablution. They say that a prostration performed on its own does not fall within the meaning of prayer; rather, prayer denotes only that which has a prescribed entry into and exit from its sacred state. Regarding this prostration, it has not been reported from