❖ Question:
If a person misses reciting Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in the second rakʿah of Maghrib Salah and after completing the prayer performs one additional rakʿah followed by a single sajdah sahw, is this action valid and acceptable?❖ Answer by: Fadīlat al-Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakīl Nāṣir ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ ① Ruling on Intentionally Leaving Sūrat al-Fātiḥah
◉ If a person deliberately omits Sūrat al-Fātiḥah, then:
The prayer is invalid (bāṭil).- ✔ Sūrat al-Fātiḥah is a rukn (essential pillar) of Salah and must be recited in every rakʿah.
In such a case, the prayer must be repeated in full.
❖ ② Ruling on Forgetting Sūrat al-Fātiḥah (Out of Forgetfulness)
◉ If someone forgets to recite Sūrat al-Fātiḥah in a rakʿah, the rakʿah is not valid and must be replaced.
❖ Correct Method of Rectification
✔ If Realized
- Do not end the prayer.
- Stand up immediately and perform an additional rakʿah.
- At the end, perform two sajdah sahw either:
- Before the final taslīm (according to one view), or
- After the taslīm (according to another valid view).
✔ If Realized
- Perform one complete rakʿah as a replacement for the one invalidated by the omission.
- Then perform two sajdah sahw either before or after taslīm.
✔ If Praying Behind an Imām:
- If the Imām completes the prayer and you (as a follower) had missed Fātiḥah in a rakʿah:
- Stand and complete one rakʿah, followed by
- Two sajdah sahw either before or after the final taslīm.
❖ Important Notes:
✔ Only one sajdah sahw is not sufficient. Sharīʿah mandates two sahw prostrations.
✔ Replacing the invalid rakʿah is essential; otherwise, the total number of valid rakʿāt is incomplete.
❖ Summary:
➊ Deliberate omission of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah invalidates the prayer.
➋ Forgetful omission invalidates only the rakʿah—not the entire prayer—provided it is corrected.
➌ The person must complete one extra rakʿah and then perform two sajdah sahw.
➍ One sajdah is insufficient; both sajdahs must be performed.
➎ If realization occurs after taslīm, the same correction method applies.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
And Allah knows best and is Most Correct in Judgment.
