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The opening takbīr of consecration (takbīrat al-iḥrām) is obligatory; it renders every utterance and movement that conflicts with the prayer’s words and acts unlawful. No alternative wording suffices for entering the prayer, for designating this takbīr is a matter of pure devotional prescription that rests solely on revelation.
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Reciting al-Fātiḥah is obligatory without prefacing it with the basmalah; the recommendation to recite it softly will be discussed, God willing.
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Bowing (rukūʿ) is compulsory, and the preferred manner is to keep the back level, neither raising nor lowering the head.
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Rising from bowing is compulsory, and standing straight thereafter is likewise compulsory.
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Prostration (sujūd) is compulsory, as is rising from it and sitting upright afterward.
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The tashahhud is obligatory after every two rakʿahs; if the prayer is only two rakʿahs, one ends with the salām at that point, otherwise one rises to continue.
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It is prescribed for a male worshipper, when sitting—except in the final tashahhud whose preferred posture is tawarruk—to spread his left foot flat and keep his right foot upright. The reports make clear that both iftirāsh and tawarruk are practices specific to men, not to women. Abū Dāwūd relates in the Marāsil that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed by two women praying and said, “When you prostrate, bring part of your body closer to the ground, for in this matter a woman is not like a man.” Al-Bayhaqī transmitted the report with a connected chain.
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One is prohibited from imitating Satan in the way he sits—whether by sitting on the heels with the feet flat, by setting the feet upright and sitting between them on the ground, or by setting them upright and then sitting on the heels. Sharḥ al-Muntahā states that both postures are disliked.
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Likewise, one is prohibited from imitating a beast of prey by sprawling, that is, by spreading the forearms on the ground, for such a posture signals laziness and weakness.
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It is obligatory to conclude the prayer with the salām, which is a supplication that all the worshippers—those present and those absent among the righteous—be granted safety from every evil and deficiency.
Differences among the scholars:
The sound position among the theorists of Islamic law is that the Prophet’s actions by themselves indicate recommendation rather than obligation, unless further evidence establishes the latter. The actions and statements described in this ḥadith, however, point to obligation because they are coupled with his command, “Pray as you have seen me pray” (agreed upon by al-Bukhārī and Muslim). This is the governing rule, although the scholars still differ about the obligatory nature of some individual elements because of the apparent conflict between proofs.