Source Reference
Fiqh Rulings and Issues in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith
Rulings and Issues of Salah
Volume 01 – Page 130
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
❀ A human being is prone to forgetfulness, and it is the desire of Shayṭān to distract the worshipper during the prayer by engaging him in various thoughts and concerns.
❀ At times, due to this forgetfulness, either a deficiency or an addition occurs in the prayer.
❀ In such a situation, Allah the Exalted has commanded the worshipper to perform two prostrations at the end of the prayer, which serve as an expiation.
❀ Through these prostrations, Shayṭān is humiliated, the Most Merciful is pleased, and the deficiency of the prayer is made complete.
❀ The scholars refer to these prostrations as Sujūd as-Sahw.
✔ The Noble Prophet ﷺ experienced forgetfulness in prayer on multiple occasions.
✔ The forgetfulness of the Prophet ﷺ became a great blessing for the Ummah of Muḥammad ﷺ, so that the Ummah could follow his method in cases of forgetfulness.
✔ All incidents related to the Prophet’s ﷺ forgetfulness are preserved in the books of ḥadīth.
◈ On one occasion, the Prophet ﷺ offered two rakʿahs instead of four, then ended the prayer with salām, completed the remaining two rakʿahs, and performed Sujūd as-Sahw before salām.
◈ On another occasion, he ﷺ offered three rakʿahs, then ended with salām, completed one additional rakʿah, and performed Sujūd as-Sahw.
◈ On another occasion, he ﷺ stood up for the third rakʿah after two rakʿahs and did not sit for the middle tashahhud, so he performed Sujūd as-Sahw at the end.
Translation:
“When one of you forgets in prayer and does not know whether he has added or omitted something, then he should perform two prostrations.”
① When an addition occurs in the prayer due to forgetfulness.
② When a deficiency occurs in the prayer due to forgetfulness.
③ When doubt arises during the prayer.
✔ If any one of these situations occurs, Sujūd as-Sahw becomes prescribed.
✔ Its evidence is firmly established from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
✔ Not every doubt or deficiency necessitates Sujūd as-Sahw; rather, the matter is decided according to the Sunnah.
✔ Sujūd as-Sahw is prescribed in both obligatory and voluntary prayers, as the evidences are general.
◈ Standing when one should be sitting
◈ Sitting when one should be standing
◈ Performing an extra rukūʿ or sujūd
In all these cases, Sujūd as-Sahw is obligatory.
Translation:
“When a person adds to or omits something from his prayer due to forgetfulness, he should perform two prostrations.”
✔ If an extra rakʿah is performed and remembered after completing the prayer, only Sujūd as-Sahw is required.
✔ If it is remembered during the extra rakʿah, one should immediately sit, recite tashahhud, perform Sujūd as-Sahw, and then say salām.
◈ If the Imām makes an addition, the male followers should say Subḥānallāh, and female followers should clap.
◈ The Imām should return to the correct position if he is not certain of being correct.
◈ Reciting an additional sūrah after al-Fātiḥah in the last two rakʿahs of a four-rakʿah prayer or in the third rakʿah of Maghrib
In these cases, Sujūd as-Sahw is recommended. ✔ [Abū Zayd]
✔ If Takbīrat al-Iḥrām is omitted, the prayer does not take place at all.
✔ If a pillar such as rukūʿ or sujūd is omitted:
◈ If remembered before starting the recitation of the next rakʿah, one should return and perform the omitted pillar.
◈ If the recitation of the next rakʿah has already begun, the previous rakʿah becomes invalid, and an additional rakʿah must be performed.
◈ If remembered after salām, one complete rakʿah must be offered.
◈ If the final tashahhud or salām is omitted, one should recite tashahhud only and then perform Sujūd as-Sahw.
✔ If one has fully stood up, returning is disliked.
✔ If the recitation of al-Fātiḥah has begun, returning is not permissible.
✔ In all these cases, Sujūd as-Sahw is obligatory.
◈ One should adopt the lesser number.
◈ Sujūd as-Sahw should be performed before salām.
Translation:
“When one of you doubts in his prayer and does not know whether he has prayed one rakʿah or two, he should consider it as one. And if he does not know whether he has prayed two or three, he should consider it as two.”
◈ If a follower (muqtadī) experiences doubt, he should adopt the lesser number and perform Sujūd as-Sahw.
◈ If there is doubt regarding an addition or omission of a wājib, it should be ignored.
These are some of the rulings related to Sujūd as-Sahw. Detailed discussions are found in the larger books.
وَاللّٰهُ الْمُوَفِّقُ، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
Fiqh Rulings and Issues in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith
Rulings and Issues of Salah
Volume 01 – Page 130
Question
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتهDescription of Sujūd as-Sahw (Prostration of Forgetfulness)
Answer (With the Help of Allah, Subject to the Validity of the Question)
وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته!الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
❀ A human being is prone to forgetfulness, and it is the desire of Shayṭān to distract the worshipper during the prayer by engaging him in various thoughts and concerns.
❀ At times, due to this forgetfulness, either a deficiency or an addition occurs in the prayer.
❀ In such a situation, Allah the Exalted has commanded the worshipper to perform two prostrations at the end of the prayer, which serve as an expiation.
❀ Through these prostrations, Shayṭān is humiliated, the Most Merciful is pleased, and the deficiency of the prayer is made complete.
❀ The scholars refer to these prostrations as Sujūd as-Sahw.
Meaning of Sahw and Its Wisdom
✔ Sahw means to forget.✔ The Noble Prophet ﷺ experienced forgetfulness in prayer on multiple occasions.
✔ The forgetfulness of the Prophet ﷺ became a great blessing for the Ummah of Muḥammad ﷺ, so that the Ummah could follow his method in cases of forgetfulness.
✔ All incidents related to the Prophet’s ﷺ forgetfulness are preserved in the books of ḥadīth.
◈ On one occasion, the Prophet ﷺ offered two rakʿahs instead of four, then ended the prayer with salām, completed the remaining two rakʿahs, and performed Sujūd as-Sahw before salām.
◈ On another occasion, he ﷺ offered three rakʿahs, then ended with salām, completed one additional rakʿah, and performed Sujūd as-Sahw.
◈ On another occasion, he ﷺ stood up for the third rakʿah after two rakʿahs and did not sit for the middle tashahhud, so he performed Sujūd as-Sahw at the end.
Prophetic Hadith
إِذَا سَهَا أَحَدُكُمْ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ أَزَادَ أَوْ نَقَصَ فَلْيَسْجُدْ سَجْدَتَيْنِ
Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Bāb fī man yashukku fī al-ziyādah wa al-nuqṣān, ḥadīth: 398; Sharḥ al-Sunnah lil-Baghawī: 3/282, ḥadīth: 755; Kanz al-ʿUmmāl: 7/473, ḥadīth: 19843
Translation:
“When one of you forgets in prayer and does not know whether he has added or omitted something, then he should perform two prostrations.”
Situations in Which Sujūd as-Sahw Is Prescribed
Sujūd as-Sahw is legislated in three situations:① When an addition occurs in the prayer due to forgetfulness.
② When a deficiency occurs in the prayer due to forgetfulness.
③ When doubt arises during the prayer.
✔ If any one of these situations occurs, Sujūd as-Sahw becomes prescribed.
✔ Its evidence is firmly established from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
✔ Not every doubt or deficiency necessitates Sujūd as-Sahw; rather, the matter is decided according to the Sunnah.
✔ Sujūd as-Sahw is prescribed in both obligatory and voluntary prayers, as the evidences are general.
① Addition in Prayer Due to Forgetfulness
❀ Addition in prayer may occur in actions or statements.Addition in Actions
This refers to adding something from the category of prayer actions, such as:◈ Standing when one should be sitting
◈ Sitting when one should be standing
◈ Performing an extra rukūʿ or sujūd
In all these cases, Sujūd as-Sahw is obligatory.
Hadith
إِذَا زَادَ الرَّجُلُ أَوْ نَقَصَ فَلْيَسْجُدْ سَجْدَتَيْنِ
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Masājid, Bāb al-sahw fī al-ṣalāh wa al-sujūd lah, ḥadīth: 572
Translation:
“When a person adds to or omits something from his prayer due to forgetfulness, he should perform two prostrations.”
✔ If an extra rakʿah is performed and remembered after completing the prayer, only Sujūd as-Sahw is required.
✔ If it is remembered during the extra rakʿah, one should immediately sit, recite tashahhud, perform Sujūd as-Sahw, and then say salām.
◈ If the Imām makes an addition, the male followers should say Subḥānallāh, and female followers should clap.
◈ The Imām should return to the correct position if he is not certain of being correct.
Addition in Statements
◈ Reciting Qur’an in rukūʿ or sujūd◈ Reciting an additional sūrah after al-Fātiḥah in the last two rakʿahs of a four-rakʿah prayer or in the third rakʿah of Maghrib
In these cases, Sujūd as-Sahw is recommended. ✔ [Abū Zayd]
② Deficiency in Prayer Due to Forgetfulness
❀ When a pillar (rukn) or obligatory act (wājib) of prayer is omitted.✔ If Takbīrat al-Iḥrām is omitted, the prayer does not take place at all.
✔ If a pillar such as rukūʿ or sujūd is omitted:
◈ If remembered before starting the recitation of the next rakʿah, one should return and perform the omitted pillar.
◈ If the recitation of the next rakʿah has already begun, the previous rakʿah becomes invalid, and an additional rakʿah must be performed.
◈ If remembered after salām, one complete rakʿah must be offered.
◈ If the final tashahhud or salām is omitted, one should recite tashahhud only and then perform Sujūd as-Sahw.
Omission of the First Tashahhud
✔ If one has not fully stood up, one should return and sit.✔ If one has fully stood up, returning is disliked.
✔ If the recitation of al-Fātiḥah has begun, returning is not permissible.
Omission of Tasbīḥāt in Rukūʿ or Sujūd
✔ They should be completed as long as one has not fully stood up.✔ In all these cases, Sujūd as-Sahw is obligatory.
③ Doubt During Prayer
❀ Doubt regarding the number of rakʿahs.◈ One should adopt the lesser number.
◈ Sujūd as-Sahw should be performed before salām.
Hadith
إِذَا شَكَّ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ أَوَاحِدَةً صَلَّى أَمْ ثِنْتَيْنِ فَلْيَجْعَلْهَا وَاحِدَةً وَإِذَا لَمْ يَدْرِ ثِنْتَيْنِ صَلَّى أَمْ ثَلَاثًا فَلْيَجْعَلْهَا ثِنْتَيْنِ
Reference: Musnad Aḥmad: 1/190; Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, ḥadīth: 398; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Masājid, ḥadīth: 571
Translation:
“When one of you doubts in his prayer and does not know whether he has prayed one rakʿah or two, he should consider it as one. And if he does not know whether he has prayed two or three, he should consider it as two.”
◈ If a follower (muqtadī) experiences doubt, he should adopt the lesser number and perform Sujūd as-Sahw.
◈ If there is doubt regarding an addition or omission of a wājib, it should be ignored.
These are some of the rulings related to Sujūd as-Sahw. Detailed discussions are found in the larger books.
وَاللّٰهُ الْمُوَفِّقُ، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
