We have already set out the proofs for this in al-Istidhkār and al-Tamhīd. Among the sunnah components, moreover, are the first sitting, the tashahhud in both sittings, audible recitation where audibility is prescribed, and silent recitation where silence is prescribed. Concerning the prostration of forgetfulness for one who omits any of the sunnahs of the prayer, the companions of Mālik—as well as other scholars of Medina and beyond—have differed: some see no prostration as required, others see it as required, and both views are acceptable. A few went so far as to say that whoever leaves such a sunnah, whether out of ignorance or deliberately, must repeat the prayer; this opinion, however, is of no consequence.

The upshot of the school is that prostrating for the recommended takbīrs and the rest of the recommended acts is merely preferable. This is the view chosen by al-Abharī and Ibn