Doing It in Order (tartib)

The pillars are done in the order the Prophet ﷺ taught: the takbir, then standing and reciting, then bowing, then rising, then prostrating, then sitting, and so on to the end. In teaching the man who prayed badly, he joined each step to the next with "then".

Someone who prostrates before bowing, for example, has not done the bowing. A forgotten pillar is never simply skipped: it must be made up, and the prostration of forgetfulness is added at the end.

All four schools agree that this order is required.