‘Is there any other upon me?’ He replied: 'No, unless you perform it voluntarily' (40). And his saying, peace be upon him: 'Five prayers which Allah has prescribed for the servant [during the day and night]' (41). The hadith (42). And because it is a prayer with bowing (ruku‘) and prostration (sujud) for which no adhan was prescribed, it is not obligatory as an original requirement by the Shari‘ah, like the prayer for rain (istisqa‘) and the eclipse (kusuf). They differed, and some of them said: If all people refrain from performing it, the Imam shall fight them over it. Others said: He shall not fight them.

Our evidence, that it is not individually obligatory (wajib ‘ala al-a‘yan), is that there is no adhan prescribed for it, so it is not individually obligatory, like the funeral prayer. Furthermore, the report mentioned by Malik and those who agreed with him implies the negation of the obligation of any prayer other than the five. It was only differed upon due to the action of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and those who prayed with him; thus, it is specific to those who were like them. Moreover, if it were individually obligatory, its sermon would be mandatory, and listening to it would be mandatory, like Jumu‘ah.

Our evidence, for its obligation in general, is the command of Allah the Almighty for it, in His saying: {So pray to your Lord and sacrifice}. A command necessitates obligation, as does the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) perseverance in performing it, which is evidence of its obligation. Because it is one of the manifest symbols of the religion, it is obligatory like Jumu‘ah. If it were not obligatory, it would not be mandatory to fight those who abandon it (43), unlike other Sunnah prayers. This is verified by the fact that fighting is a punishment that is not directed at one who abandons a recommended (mandub) act, such as killing or beating. As for the hadith of the Bedouin, there is no proof for them in it because the Bedouin are not required to perform Jumu‘ah due to the lack of permanent settlement, so the Eid is even more so. The other hadith is specific to what we have mentioned, provided that it explicitly mentioned the obligation of the five, and singled them out for mention due to their emphasis (44), their obligation upon individuals, their constant obligation, and their repetition every day and night, whereas others are required rarely or due to an occasion, such as the funeral prayer, the vowed prayer, and the disputed prayer, so he did not mention them. Their analogy is not valid because the fact that it involves bowing and prostration has no effect, as all supererogatory (nawafil) prayers involve bowing and prostration, and they are not obligatory. Therefore, this description must be removed because it lacks effect. Furthermore, their analogy is invalidated by the funeral prayer, and is invalidated in any case by the vowed prayer.