Speaking in prayer out of forgetfulness

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam after praying two rak'ahs, so Dhu al-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Is Dhu al-Yadayn telling the truth?" The people said: "Yes." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and led the other two rak'ahs, then gave the salam, then said the takbir and prostrated like his usual prostrations or somewhat longer, then raised his head, and said the takbir and performed the second prostration likewise, then raised his head.

(a) Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in one of the prayers after the sun's decline, Zuhr or Asr, but he led us in two rak'ahs and then gave the salam; and he (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and placed his hands on a piece of wood. Anger was evident on his (peace and blessings be upon him) face. The people who hurry out went out saying: "The prayer has been shortened, the prayer has been shortened." Among the people were Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), but they too were too awed to speak. A man stood up whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to call by the name Dhu al-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "O Messenger of Allah, have you forgotten, or has the prayer been shortened?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have neither forgotten, nor has the prayer been shortened." He said: "No, you have forgotten." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to the people and said: "Is Dhu al-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) right?" The people gestured: "Yes." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned to his place, led the remaining two rak'ahs, then gave the salam, said the takbir and prostrated like his usual prostrations or somewhat longer, then raised his head, and said the takbir and prostrated likewise, then raised his head and said the takbir.
(b) The narrator states that someone asked Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him): Did he (peace and blessings be upon him) give the salam after the prostration of forgetfulness? He said: I do not remember it from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), but I was told that Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said that he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam.
Abu Dawud said: No one mentioned "they gestured" except Hammad bin Zayd. It has reached us only through Abu Dawud from Muhammad bin Ubayd from Hammad bin Zayd, and they are trustworthy imams.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in Zuhr or Asr and gave the salam after two rak'ahs, so Dhu al-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked his Companions: "Is Dhu al-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) telling the truth?" They said: Yes. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) led the other two rak'ahs and then performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.
Shu'bah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that Sa'd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I saw Urwah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) give the salam after leading two rak'ahs of the Maghrib prayer and then speak; after that he prayed the rest of the prayer and said: This is how the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did it too.

(a) Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once I prayed Zuhr with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam after two rak'ahs. A man from the tribe of Banu Sulaym stood up and said: O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer has not been shortened, nor have I forgotten." He said: O Messenger of Allah, you have prayed two rak'ahs. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Is Dhu al-Yadayn right?" The Companions said: Yes. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) led the remaining two rak'ahs.
(b) The narrator states: Damdam narrated to me that he heard Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) say that he (peace and blessings be upon him) then performed two prostrations.
Yahya bin Abi Kathir did not preserve the two prostrations of forgetfulness from Abu Salamah; he preserved them only from Damdam bin Jawsh. Sa'd bin Ibrahim did preserve them from Abu Salamah, while al-Zuhri preserved them neither from Abu Salamah nor from the group who narrated this story to him from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).

This hadith is transmitted through another chain, in which Abu Bakr bin Sulayman bin Abi Hathmah states that it reached him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam after praying two rak'ahs, so Dhu al-Shimalayn bin Abd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer has not been shortened, nor have I forgotten." Dhu al-Shimalayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Something has happened. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to the people and asked: "Is Dhu al-Shimalayn right?" They said: Yes. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and completed the rest of the prayer, and did not perform the two prostrations that are performed when one has doubt in the prayer.
Ibn Shihab said: Sa'id bin al-Musayyab informed me of this report from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him); and Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman, Abu Bakr bin Abd al-Rahman bin al-Harith and Ubaydullah bin Abdullah informed me of the same from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).
There is disagreement over this hadith from al-Zuhri. Salih bin Kaysan narrated it in this way, and in our view it is the most correct of the narrations: his narration from Ibn Abi Hathmah is mursal (with a missing link), and his narration from the others is mawsul (connected). Malik bin Anas narrated it from him as mursal, from Ibn Abi Hathmah, Ibn al-Musayyab and Abu Salamah; Yunus bin Yazid narrated it from him with a connected chain from all of them except Ibn Abi Hathmah; and Ma'mar narrated it from him with a connected chain from Abu Salamah and Abu Bakr bin Sulayman bin Abi Hathmah.

(a) 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 Zuhr or Asr prayer and gave the salam after two rak'ahs, so Dhu al-Shimalayn bin Abd Amr, who was an ally of Banu Zuhrah, said: "O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been lightened, or have you forgotten?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "What is Dhu al-Yadayn saying?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: "O Prophet of Allah, he is speaking the truth." He (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in completing the two rak'ahs that had been left.
(b) Imam al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) states that he (peace and blessings be upon him) then performed two prostrations after finishing.
(c) This hadith indicates that they did not mention the two prostrations, although he did perform those two prostrations, and he was informed about them.
(d) Muhammad bin Sirin (may Allah have mercy on him) from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sa'd bin Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him) from Abu Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), report that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.
There is disagreement over the narration of Ibn Abi Dhi'b from Sa'id al-Maqburi from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding this story.

(a) 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 Asr prayer and gave the salam after two rak'ahs. Sayyiduna Dhu al-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah, have you forgotten, or has the prayer been shortened? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "None of that has happened." He said: Something has happened? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned to the people and asked: "Is Dhu al-Yadayn right?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the remaining two rak'ahs and gave the salam, then after the salam performed two prostrations while sitting.
(b) In one narration it is: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and forgot, and gave the salam after two rak'ahs. A man who was called Dhul-Yadayn said: "O Messenger of Allah! Has the prayer been shortened, or have you forgotten?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Neither has the prayer been shortened, nor have I forgotten." He said: "You have prayed two rak'ahs." He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Is it as Dhul-Yadayn is saying?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: "Yes!" Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) went forward and led two rak'ahs, then gave the salam, and then performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness.
Only Abu Usamah Hammad bin Usamah narrated it, and he is among the thiqat (trustworthy narrators).

(a) Sayyiduna Imran bin Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam after three rak'ahs of the Asr prayer, then went away (to his house). A man who was called al-Khirbaq, and who had long hands, stood up and went to him and said: "O Messenger of Allah! Has the prayer been shortened?" So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out in a state of anger, dragging his cloak, and asked: "Is he telling the truth?" The people said: "Yes!" He (peace and blessings be upon him) stood and performed that rak'ah (which had been left), then gave the salam, then performed two prostrations, then gave the salam.
(b) The wording of Ibn Ulayyah is: "Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered his house," and the rest of the narration has the same meaning.

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah bin Hudayj (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer, and while one rak'ah still remained he (peace and blessings be upon him) gave the salam and left. A man caught up with him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! You have forgotten one rak'ah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) turned back, entered the mosque, ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to call the iqamah for the prayer, and then he (peace and blessings be upon him) led the people in that rak'ah. I told the people about this, and they said: Do you know that man? I said: No, but if I see him I will recognise him. Once that man passed by me, and I said: There is the man! They said: This is Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah bin Hudayj (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I prayed the Maghrib prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him); he forgot and gave the salam after two rak'ahs. Then he got up and left, and a man said: O Messenger of Allah! You have forgotten; you gave the salam after two rak'ahs. So he ordered Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) to call the iqamah for the prayer, and then he completed that rak'ah. I asked the people about the man who had said to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he had forgotten, and I was told: Do you know him? I said: No, but if I see him I can recognise him. One day that man passed by me, and I said: Here is that man! They said: This is Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaydullah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Ata' bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates: Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in the Maghrib prayer and gave the salam after two rak'ahs. Then he stood up to go to the Black Stone to touch it. He looked back and saw that the people were still seated. Ata' bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: He came back and led us in the remaining rak'ah, then gave the salam and performed two prostrations. Ata' said: I went straight away to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and asked him about it, and he said: Tell me more, may your father be blessed! How did he do it? I repeated it to him, and he said: He did not deviate from the Sunnah of his Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Through another chain, a similar hadith is reported from Ata' bin Abi Rabah (may Allah have mercy on him). In it he added: We began saying Subhan Allah, so he turned towards us and said: "Have we not completed the prayer?" We said Subhan Allah while gesturing with our heads, meaning that it had not been completed. And of the saying of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) he mentioned only this much: "He did not deviate from the Sunnah of his Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)."

It is narrated from Ata' (may Allah have mercy on him) that Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the Maghrib prayer and gave the salam after praying two rak'ahs. Then he quickly got up to leave, and the people said "Subhan Allah" (Glory be to Allah). He said: What is the matter with them? Then he came back and prayed one rak'ah, then two prostrations. I came to Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and told him about what Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) had done, and he said: He did not go beyond the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Imam al-Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: By Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) is meant Abdullah bin al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah bin al-Hakam al-Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once we were praying with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when one of the worshippers sneezed, and I said "Yarhamuk Allah" (May Allah have mercy on you). The people began looking at me. I said: "Woe to me, may my mother lose me! Why are you looking at me?" They began striking their thighs with their hands. When I saw that they wanted to silence me (I became annoyed), but I kept quiet. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him (peace and blessings be upon him), I have never seen a kinder and more compassionate teacher than him (peace and blessings be upon him). He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not hit me, nor scold me, nor revile me; rather he (peace and blessings be upon him) only said: "This is the prayer; talking with people is not permissible in it. It consists only of glorification (tasbih), magnification (takbir) and recitation of the Qur'an," or he said something similar to that.