One who leaves having omitted part of his prayer and having spoken

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah bin Hudayj (may Allah be pleased with him) said: One day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer, said the salam and left, while one rak'ah of the prayer still remained. A man went after him and said: "You have forgotten one rak'ah of the prayer." He (peace and blessings be upon him) came back, entered the mosque and ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to call the iqamah. He called the iqamah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in one rak'ah. I told the people about this, and they said: "Do you know who that man was?" I said: "I do not know him, but if I see him I will recognise him." Then, on seeing a man, I said: "This is that man." The people said: "This is Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him)."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: One day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and, by mistake, said the salam after two rak'ahs. When he set off, Dhu al-Shimalayn went to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer has not been shortened, and I have not forgotten!" Dhu al-Shimalayn said: "By the One who sent you with the truth! Something of the sort has happened." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the people: "Is Dhu al-Yadayn (he was also called Dhu al-Shimalayn) telling the truth?" They confirmed it, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in two rak'ahs.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in two rak'ahs of the Zuhr prayer and then said the salam. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: "Has the prayer been reduced?" So he (peace and blessings be upon him) led another two rak'ahs and said the salam, then performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.

Ikrimah said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in three rak'ahs and said the salam. A man said: "Has some new ruling been revealed about the prayer?" He said: "Why, what has happened?" The people said: "You have prayed only three rak'ahs." He asked: "O Dhu al-Yadayn (he was also called Dhu al-Shimalayn), did it really happen like that?" He said: "Yes." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led one rak'ah and then performed two prostrations.

Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the Asr prayer and said the salam after three rak'ahs. Then he went into his apartment. A man named al-Khirbaq stood up and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Such-and-such has happened today." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out angrily, dragging his cloak, and asked the people: "Is he telling the truth?" The people said: "Yes." So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led one rak'ah and said the salam, performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness, and then said the salam.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in two rak'ahs and said the salam by mistake. A man named Dhu al-Yadayn said: "Has the prayer been reduced?" He said: "No." Then he led another two rak'ahs, then said the salam, then performed two prostrations, then said the salam.

Al-Musayyib bin Rafi' said: Sayyiduna al-Zubayr bin al-Awwam (may Allah be pleased with him) prayed, then spoke, and then completed that same prayer.

Muhammad bin Yusuf narrates from his father: Sayyiduna Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) missed part of the prayer. Gesturing with his hand, he asked me: "How much of the prayer have I missed?" I said: "I do not understand what you are saying." He said: "How much of the prayer have you prayed?" I said: "We have prayed this much." Then he prayed and performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.

Makhul said: Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer in Sham. Abu al-Darda' was under a roof and the people were outside. Meanwhile it rained and the people got wet. When Abu al-Darda' had finished the prayer, he said to the people: "Was there no person of understanding among the people who would say, 'O imam! Shorten the prayer, it is raining on us'?"

Ikrimah said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led two rak'ahs of the Asr prayer. Then he said the salam and went home. One of his Companions, a man named Dhu al-Yadayn, came to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Has the prayer been reduced?" He said: "Why, what has happened?" He said: "Today you have led two rak'ahs." He came out and asked the people: "What is Dhu al-Yadayn saying?" The people said: "O Messenger of Allah! He is right." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in two rak'ahs and performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.

Al-Sha'bi said: If a lapse occurs to you, pray two rak'ahs, even if you have spoken.

Sa'd bin Ibrahim said: Urwah bin al-Zubayr once led two rak'ahs of the Maghrib prayer and said the salam, and then spoke to his attendant. His attendant said to him: "You have led only two rak'ahs." So Urwah led one rak'ah, said the salam and performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness. Then he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also did the same."