For it is reported from him in the Sunan that he, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“The key to prayer is purification; its opening takbīr renders other actions forbidden, and its concluding salutation renders them lawful again.”

This is narrated on the authority of Ali and others (1).

Another form is the prayer of Najd: he prayed one raka with one group, which then went to face the enemy. The second group came (2), and he prayed the second raka with them. They then went to face the enemy, and the first group returned and completed the prayer with one raka (3). The second group then returned and completed the prayer with one raka (4).

Abū Hanīfa prefers this form because, in his view, it accords with analogical reasoning: all it involves is considerable movement and turning one’s back to the qibla (5) for a valid excuse, which he permits for someone whose ritual purity is broken during prayer. There are also other forms of the prayer (6).

The correct view—and no other may be maintained—is that every form authentically established from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is permissible. Even if one chooses to prefer some of these forms, this is merely a matter of legitimate variation (7).

The same applies to the various forms of opening supplication in prayer, such as the opening supplication of Abū Hurayra, which