with His words, Most High:
“Read in the name of your Lord who created,”
and ended with His words:
“Prostrate and draw near.”
Prayer was therefore structured accordingly: it begins with recitation and ends with prostration. Hence His words, glorified is He, concerning the prayer of fear:
“When they have prostrated, let them take their positions behind you.”
Here, prostration means the unit of prayer they perform on their own after separating from the imam. The proclamation of Allah’s greatness, the opening supplication, and the seeking of refuge that precede recitation mark entry into the sanctity of prayer and prepare for what follows; these initial acts serve as an introduction. What follows prostration—sitting, reciting the testimony of faith with its salutations to Allah and prayers for peace upon His righteous servants, supplicating, and greeting those present with peace—marks the conclusion of prayer and serves as an epilogue to what precedes it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“The key to prayer is purification. One enters its sanctity by proclaiming Allah’s greatness and leaves it with the salutation of peace.”
Thus, when scholars differed over whether frequent bowing and prostration or prolonged standing was better, or whether the two were equal—with three views reported from Ahmad and others—the correct view was that they are equal. Standing includes the best form of remembrance, while prostration is the best deed; thus, the two are balanced.
For this reason, the prayer of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was balanced: he made its pillars approximately equal in duration. When he greatly prolonged the standing—as he would in night prayer and the eclipse prayer—he also prolonged the bowing and prostration. When he kept the standing moderate, he likewise kept the bowing and prostration moderate.
Just as the Mother of the Book is the obligatory recitation, it is also the best surah in the Quran. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said