What is the ruling on the extent of physical actions permissible during prayer?
Chapter on Imamate and Congregational Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The permissible extent of such actions is not quantified by a specific number, such as three actions. This is because the apparent actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), such as stepping back until the rows reached the women or carrying Umamah in every rak'ah, often exceeded three acts. Furthermore, quantification requires a specific textual command (Tawqif), which is absent here. Instead, the determination of what constitutes 'much' or 'little' refers to custom, and anything resembling the Prophet's actions is considered minor.
Supporting text
If separate acts, which individually are minor, accumulate to many when combined, they are still considered minor, evidenced by the Prophet (peace be upon him) carrying and setting down Umamah in every rak'ah. However, if the actions are numerous and exceed the Prophet's actions, the prayer is invalidated, whether done with or without need, unless it is due to dire necessity (darurah), in which case it is treated like the prayer of fear, and the prayer is not invalidated.