(a) Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the Zuhr prayer with five rak'ahs. He (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Has something been added to the prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How so, or what addition is that?" It was said: You prayed five rak'ahs. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed two prostrations while sitting; or he said: after he had finished.
(b) Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated this hadith in his Sahih from Abu al-Walid (may Allah have mercy on him), that he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed two prostrations after giving the salam; and this is because they mentioned it to him only after the salam.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3838
Another narration states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed the Zuhr prayer with five rak'ahs. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam, someone said: Has something been added to the prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "How so?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: You have prayed five rak'ahs. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed two prostrations.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3839
(a) Ibrahim bin Suwayd (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him) led us in the Zuhr prayer with five rak'ahs. When he gave the salam, the people said: O Abu Shibl! You have prayed five rak'ahs. He said: No, I did not do so. The people said: Yes indeed, you did. Ibrahim bin Suwayd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I was at one side of the people, and I was a boy at the time. I said: Sir! You did indeed pray five rak'ahs. He said: You too say so, O one-eyed one? I said: Yes. So he turned back towards the qiblah and performed two prostrations, then gave the salam. Then he said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in a prayer of five rak'ahs. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam, the people whispered among themselves, and someone said: O Messenger of Allah! Has something been added to the prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No." The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: But you have led us in five rak'ahs. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned back and performed two prostrations, then, after giving the salam, he said: "I am only a human being like you; I forget just as you forget. So when any of you forgets in the prayer, let him perform two prostrations."
(b) These are the words of Jarir's narration. Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him) recorded it in his Sahih, but the wording there differs slightly; there it reads: "When any of you forgets, let him perform two prostrations." This was narrated by Ibn Numayr (may Allah have mercy on him).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3840
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led one of the daytime prayers. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) turned away from the prayer, the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: O Messenger of Allah! You prayed five rak'ahs. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am a human being like you; I remember just as you remember, and I forget just as you forget."
Then he turned back and performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3841
(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness after the salam and after speaking.
(b) Imam al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remembered the forgetfulness only after he had spoken. When he (peace and blessings be upon him) became certain that he had indeed forgotten, he performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.
(c) The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This is clear in the hadith of al-Hakam bin Utaybah (may Allah have mercy on him), which he narrates from Ibrahim bin Yazid al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him), then in the narration of Ibrahim bin Suwayd al-Nakha'i (may Allah have mercy on him) from Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him), and then in the narration of al-Aswad (may Allah have mercy on him) from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3842
(a) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and either left something out of it or added to it. Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This uncertainty (about whether it was less or more) is from me. It was said to him (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! Has something been added to the prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am only a human being; I forget just as you forget. So when any of you forgets in the prayer, he should perform two prostrations while sitting." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned back and performed two prostrations.
(b) In this hadith and in the narration of al-Aswad (may Allah have mercy on him) from Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), his (peace and blessings be upon him) prostrations came after his saying: "I am only a human being."
(c) The narration of Mansur (may Allah have mercy on him) from Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) has already passed, which indicates that he (peace and blessings be upon him) first prostrated, then gave the salam, and then, after giving the salam, turned to the people and said what he said.
(d) In this chapter, a narration like that has already passed from Ibrahim bin Suwayd (may Allah have mercy on him) through Alqamah (may Allah have mercy on him), and it is more worthy of being correct than the narration of one who did not keep to the order of events in relating it.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الصلاة / 3843