📘 ❞ Prostration for Forgetfulness in the Prayer ❝ كتاب ــ Muhammad ibn Saleh al Othaimeen

عن كتاب Prostration for Forgetfulness in the Prayer:
All Praise is for Allaah, the Lord of all creation, and
may He extol and send blessings of peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad who delivered the clear message,
and upon his true followers, his Companions, and
those who follow them upon good until the Day of
Requital. To proceed:
Then many people are ignorant about many of the
rulings concerning the Sujoodus-Sahw (prostration for
forgetfulness) in the prayer. Some of them leave the
Sujoodus-Sahw when it is obligatory upon them;
others perform the prostration in other than its correct
place; some perform it before the salaam (salutation at
the end of the prayer) even in cases when’ it has to be
performed after the salaam; others prostrate after the
salaam even when it should be performed before it.
Therefore, it is very important to become aware of its
rulings, especially for the Imaams whom the people
follow in their prayers, and who have therefore taken
on the responsibility of following that, which is correct
and prescribed in their prayers, and of leading the
Muslims upon that. So I wished to put before my
brothers some of the rulings in this regard, hoping
that Allaah, the Most High, will cause it to be of benefit
to His believing servants.
So I say, whilst seeking the help of Allaah, the Most
High, and asking Him to guide us to and grant us
what is correct:


The Prostration of Forgetfulness is: two prostrations
that the one praying makes in order to compensate for
mistakes occurring in the prayer due to forgetfulness
(sahw).

Its causes are three: having added something (az-
Ziyaadah), having omitted something (an-Naqs) and

having been in a state of doubt (as-Skakk).
( I ) HAVING ADDED SOMETHING (Az-Ziyaadah)
If the person praying deliberately adds an extra
standing, sitting, bowing or prostration, then his
prayer is nullified. If however, he does so due to
forgetfulness and does not remember the addition
until having completed it, then there is nothing due
upon him except Sujoodus-Sahw, his prayer will be
correct. If however, he remembers whilst performing
that addition, then it is obligatory upon him to leave
that addition and also to perform Sujoodus-Sahw (i.e.,
at the end of the prayer), and his prayer will be
correct.
An example of this is a person who prayer the Zuhr
prayer as five rak’ahs, but does not remember that he
has added except whilst in the Tashahhud. So he
should complete the Tashahhud, and make the
salutations (salaam) and then prostrate for
forgetfulness, and then give the salutation (again). If,
however, he does not remember the addition except
after the salutation, then he should perform
prostration for forgetfulness and give the salutation
(again).



An explanation of the different situations in which one must make prostrations for forgetfulness and when to perform them.