Islamic Fiqh > Prayer > The prostration of forgetfulness
Sujud as-sahw: its timing (before or after the salam), the causes requiring it, the related rules, forgetting the prostration itself and its description, in the four schools.
Contents
Updated on 24 September 2026 at 7:46 PM
The prostration of forgetfulness (sujud as-sahw) is an institution of the prayer meant to repair an excess, a deficiency or a doubt that occurs through distraction. Scholars of all schools have defined its timing, its causes, the cases in which it is required, and how it is performed. This page faithfully conveys the substance of the sheets the fiqh encyclopedia al-Mawsua al-fiqhiyya devotes to this chapter.
Among what may fall from the parts of the prayer is the excess, and the prostration required for an excess is like a plea for forgiveness: it has no substitute (Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/266). There is no disagreement among Muslim scholars that the prostration of forgetfulness is permitted before the salam as well as after it, because of the authenticity of the reports transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in both cases. Al-Mawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "There is no disagreement among the jurists that the prostration of forgetfulness is permitted before the salam and after it; they only differed over what is prescribed" (al-Hawi al-Kabir, 2/214). And Imam an-Nawawi said: "Al-Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) and a group of our fellow scholars said: there is no disagreement, among these differing scholars and all the others, that if he prostrates before the salam or after it, for an excess or a deficiency, it suffices him and his prayer is not invalidated; their difference concerns only what is preferable, and Allah knows best" (Sharh Sahih Muslim, 5/50).
The scholars nevertheless differed over what is preferable: should the prostration be performed before the salam or after it?
The Hanafis held that the prostration of forgetfulness comes after the taslim in all cases, whether the lapse is an excess or a deficiency: the person performs the tashahhud, says the salam once, this being the soundest view, prostrates for the forgetfulness, performs the tashahhud again, and then says the salam; if he says the salam twice, the prostration lapses, based on the hadith of Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"For every forgetfulness, two prostrations after he has said the salam."Hasan hadith, narrated by Abu Dawud (1038) and Ahmad in al-Musnad (5/280)
It has also been said that he says the salam twice, relying on his words (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "For every forgetfulness, two prostrations after he has said the salam". What is commonly held is that the prostration occurs on both counts, and the hadith is interpreted accordingly. In al-Hidaya, Shams al-A'imma said: "And it is the soundest view, for it is the view of the senior Companions, such as Umar, Ali and Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with them)" (al-Mabsut, 1/219; Mukhtasar al-Quduri, 34; al-Bahr ar-Ra'iq, 2/100; al-Hidaya, 1/74; Ibn Abidin, 2/78; Majma' al-Anhur, 1/219).
The Malikis, Ahmad in one narration, and the Shafi'is in a view opposing the most apparent position retained in the school (the Azhar) distinguished between excess and deficiency: if the prostration is for a deficiency it comes before the salam, and if it is for an excess it comes after the salam. This is based on the hadith of Abdallah ibn Malik ibn Buhayna (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in praying two rak'ahs of one of the prayers, then stood up without sitting, and the people stood with him. When he finished his prayer and we awaited his salam, he said the takbir and prostrated twice while sitting before the taslim, then said the salam."Narrated by Bukhari (1167) and Muslim (570)
This hadith concerns the deficiency. As for the excess, he prostrates after the salam, based on the hadith of Abdallah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed with us five [rak'ahs]. When he turned away, the people began murmuring among themselves. He said: 'What is the matter with you?' They said: 'O Messenger of Allah, has something been added to the prayer?' He said: 'No.' They said: 'You have prayed five [rak'ahs].' He turned away, prostrated twice, then said the salam, and then said: 'I am only a human being like you: I forget as you forget. When one of you forgets, let him prostrate twice.'"Narrated by Muslim (572)
Ibn Qudama (may Allah have mercy on him) said: it is narrated from Ibn Mas'ud that he said: "Whatever you doubt in your prayer, whether a deficiency, a bowing, a prostration or anything else, take what you judge most probable, and make the two prostrations of forgetfulness come before the taslim in that kind of case; as for any other lapse, place the prostration after the taslim" (narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir in al-Awsat, 3/286; al-Mughni, 2/206; see al-Kafi by Ibn Abd al-Barr, 1/57; al-Fawakih ad-Dawani, 1/218; ad-Dasuqi, 1/276; at-Tamhid, 5/33; Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/268). If he combines an excess and a deficiency, he prostrates before the salam, giving preference to the side of the deficiency.
The Shafi'is in the school, and Ahmad in one narration, held that the prostration of forgetfulness always comes before the salam, based on the hadith of Ibn Buhayna (may Allah be pleased with him) cited above, which shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prostrated before the salam; and because this prostration is performed to put the prayer right, it therefore precedes the salam, as when a prostration of the prayer itself is forgotten. The Shafi'is, however, also have a third view: the person chooses, prostrating before the salam if he wishes and after it if he wishes (al-Majmu', 4/145; Rawdat at-Talibin, 1/316; an-Najm al-Wahhaj, 2/265; Kifayat al-Akhyar, 173; al-Mughni, 2/205-206; Kashshaf al-Qina', 1/394; al-Ifsah of Ibn Hubayra, 1/198).
The Hanbalis in the school held that the prostration comes before the salam in all cases, except in two situations where the text establishes a prostration after the salam. The first: when he says the salam from a deficiency of one rak'ah or more, as in the hadith of Dhu al-Yadayn: "he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said the salam from two rak'ahs and prostrated after the salam" (narrated by Bukhari, 682 and 683, and Muslim, 573), and in the hadith of Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him): "he said the salam from three [rak'ahs] and prostrated after the salam" (narrated by Muslim, 574).
The second: when the imam examines the matter and builds on his predominant opinion, as in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud when he deliberated and prostrated after the salam. The two shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) narrated from Ibrahim, from Alqama, that Abdallah said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed..." Ibrahim said: "I do not know whether he added or omitted." When he said the salam, it was said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, has something happened in the prayer?" He said: "And what is that?" They said: "You prayed so and so." He then drew up his two feet, faced the qibla, prostrated twice and said the salam. Then, turning his face to us, he said: "If something were to happen in the prayer, I would tell you. But I am only a human being like you: I forget as you forget. When I forget, remind me. If one of you doubts in his prayer, let him seek what is correct, complete it on that basis, say the salam, and then prostrate twice" (narrated by Bukhari, 392, and Muslim, 572; al-Mughni, 2/205-206; Kashshaf al-Qina', 1/394; al-Ifsah of Ibn Hubayra, 1/198).
Imam Ibn Rushd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the scholars differed over the timing of the prostration of forgetfulness according to five views: the Shafi'is place it always before the salam; the Hanafis always after the salam; the Malikis distinguished: the prostration for a deficiency before the salam, for an excess after the salam. Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: he prostrates before the salam in the situations in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prostrated before the salam, and after the salam in the situations in which the Messenger of Allah prostrated after the salam; any prostration outside those situations is always performed before the salam. The Zahiris said: one prostrates for forgetfulness only in the five situations in which the Messenger of Allah prostrated, exclusively; beyond that, if it is an obligation he performs it, and if it is a recommended act nothing is due from him (Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/268).
The reason for their difference is that it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he prostrated before the salam and after it. The hadith of Ibn Buhayna establishes: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in praying two rak'ahs, then stood up without sitting, and the people stood with him; when he finished his prayer, he prostrated twice while sitting." It is also established that he prostrated after the salam in the previously cited hadith of Dhu al-Yadayn, since he said the salam from two rak'ahs. Those who allow analogy (qiyas) in the prostration of forgetfulness, meaning those who extend the ruling of the situations in which the Prophet prostrated to their likes in these authentic reports, followed three paths: the path of preference (tarjih), the path of combination (jam'), and the path of combination and preference. Whoever preferred the hadith of Ibn Buhayna said: the prostration comes before the salam, relying on the authentic hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"If one of you doubts in his prayer and does not know how much he has prayed, three or four, let him pray one rak'ah and prostrate twice while sitting before the taslim: if the rak'ah he prayed was the fifth, these two prostrations make it even; and if it was the fourth, the two prostrations are a humiliation for Satan."Sahih hadith, narrated by at-Tirmidhi (398)
They said: this hadith establishes the prostration for the excess before the salam, since the excess can take the form of a fifth rak'ah. They also relied on what is narrated from Ibn Shihab (az-Zuhri): "The later of the two practices of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the prostration before the salam." As for whoever preferred the hadith of Dhu al-Yadayn, he said: the prostration comes after the salam. They preferred this hadith because the hadith of Ibn Buhayna was opposed by the hadith of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) "stood up from two [rak'ahs] without sitting, then prostrated after the salam". Abu Amr said: nothing similar exists in the reports to oppose it with. They also relied on the authentic hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: "the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed five rak'ahs forgetfully and prostrated for his lapse after the salam".
As for those who followed the path of combination, they said: these hadiths do not contradict one another: the prostration after the salam in them concerns the excess, and the prostration before the salam the deficiency; the ruling of the prostration in all other situations must therefore follow the ruling of these situations. They said: this is sounder than interpreting the hadiths as contradictory.
As for those who followed the path of combination and preference, they said: one prostrates in the situations in which the Messenger of Allah prostrated, in the manner in which the Messenger of Allah prostrated, for that is the ruling of those situations; as for the situations in which the Messenger of Allah did not prostrate, the ruling there is the prostration before the salam. It is as if he drew an analogy with the situations in which the Prophet prostrated before the salam, without extending the analogy to the situations in which he prostrated after the salam, and he kept the prostration of the situations in which he prostrated as it had occurred. On one side, keeping the ruling of these situations as it was transmitted and making them differ in their rulings is a form of combination that removes the contradiction between their implied meanings; on the other, extending the implied meaning of some of them without others, and attaching to those the case that is left unmentioned, is a form of preference: he drew the analogy with the prostration before the salam, not the one after it.
As for those who derived from these acts no ruling beyond themselves and confined the ruling to the acts themselves, these are the Zahiris: they restricted the prostration to these situations alone. As for Ahmad ibn Hanbal, his reasoning blends that of the Zahiris and that of the proponents of analogy: he restricted, as we have said, the prostration after the salam to the situations in which the report is transmitted, without extending it, while he extended the prostration that is transmitted for the situations before the salam. Each of these scholars has arguments by which he prefers his school from the standpoint of analogy, meaning the proponents of analogy.
The five situations in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forgot are:
The scholars then differed over why the prostration of forgetfulness is required: it was said, because of the excess and the deficiency, which is the more widely held view; and it was said, for the forgetfulness itself, which is the view of the Zahiris and al-Shafi'i (Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/269-270).
The jurists agree that if the worshipper deliberately adds to his prayer a standing or sitting position, a bowing or a prostration, or omits anything of its pillars, his prayer is invalid. The prostration, indeed, is ascribed to forgetfulness, which shows that it is reserved specifically for it, and the legislation came only with forgetfulness, as in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"If one of you forgets, let him prostrate twice."Narrated by Muslim (572)
If the worshipper adds or omits out of heedlessness or forgetfulness, the jurists differed over how the lapse is repaired, a detail that will follow (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 1/126; Nihayat al-Muhtaj, 2/67; Hashiyat ad-Dasuqi, 1/288-289; ash-Sharh al-Kabir ma'a al-Mughni, 2/197).
The second cause is doubt. If the worshipper doubts in his prayer and does not know how much he has prayed, one, two, three or four, or doubts whether he performed a prostration or not, the jurists differed over his ruling. The Malikis, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis in one narration held that he builds on certainty, that is, on the lower figure, and performs what he is in doubt about; deliberation does not suffice him, and he performs the two prostrations of forgetfulness. Their evidence is the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"If one of you is forgetful in his prayer and does not know whether he prayed one or two, let him build on one; if he does not know whether he prayed two or three, let him build on two; if he does not know whether he prayed three or four, let him build on three, and let him prostrate twice before saying the salam."Sahih hadith, narrated by at-Tirmidhi (398)
And the hadith: "If one of you doubts in his prayer, let him cast aside the doubt and build on certainty; when he is certain of the completion, let him prostrate twice: if his prayer was complete, the rak'ah is supererogatory along with the two prostrations, and if it was deficient, the rak'ah completes his prayer, and the two prostrations humiliated Satan" (sahih hadith, cited earlier). The scholars also rely on the fact that the original state is not to perform what one is in doubt about, so he must perform it, just like one who doubts whether he prayed at all (Sharh az-Zarqani, 1/236-237; ash-Sharh as-Saghir, 1/251; Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/275; al-Hawi al-Kabir, 2/215; al-Majmu', 4/106; al-Jamal 'ala Sharh al-Manhaj, 1/454; al-Mughni, 2/200-201; Kashshaf al-Qina', 1/406; al-Kafi, 1/167-168; 'Umdat al-Qari, 7/313).
The Hanafis held that if the worshipper doubts in his prayer, not knowing whether he prayed three or four rak'ahs, and it is the first time, his prayer is spoiled and he begins his prayer anew, based on the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "If one of you doubts in his prayer how much he has prayed, let him return to the prayer". Az-Zayla'i said in Nasb ar-Raya (2/173): it is a gharib hadith, that is, one with no basis, as he stated in the introduction to his book; then he said: Ibn Abi Shayba reported in his Musannaf from Ibn Umar, concerning the one who does not know whether he prayed three or four, that he said: he repeats until he retains it.
Returning to the prayer can only happen after leaving it, by the salam, by speech, or by another act that contradicts the prayer; leaving by the salam is normally preferable, for the salam is a customary marker of release, unlike speech. Leaving by mere intention is not valid: it is void and does not take one out of the prayer. If this happens repeatedly, he examines the matter and acts on his predominant opinion if he has one, then prostrates twice after the salam, based on the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "If one of you doubts in his prayer, let him seek what is correct" (narrated by Bukhari, 392, and Muslim, 572).
If he has no opinion, he builds on certainty, that is, the lower figure, based on the words of the Prophet: "If one of you is forgetful in his prayer and does not know whether he prayed one or two, let him build on one..." to the end of the hadith. Building on the lower figure, he sits at every point that could be the end of the prayer, as a safeguard against omitting the obligatory final sitting, which is a pillar (Ma'ani al-Athar, 1/518; Mukhtasar al-Quduri, 35; al-Bahr ar-Ra'iq, 2/117; Sharh Fath al-Qadir, 1/519; al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 1/130; al-Bunaya, 3/680; 'Umdat al-Qari, 7/313).
The Hanbalis in one narration opted for building on the predominant opinion: the person completes his prayer and prostrates after the salam, based on the earlier hadith of Ibn Mas'ud, in which: "If one of you doubts in his prayer, let him seek what is correct, complete it, say the salam, and then prostrate twice" (narrated by Bukhari, 392, and Muslim, 572).
Ibn Qudama (may Allah have mercy on him) said: al-Kharqi chose to distinguish between the imam and the one praying alone: the imam builds on opinion, and the one praying alone on certainty; this is the apparent position of the school, transmitted from Ahmad by al-Athram and others. The well-known position from Ahmad is building on certainty in the case of the one praying alone, for the imam has someone to alert and remind him if he misses the correct course: he then acts on the more apparent position; if he is right, the followers confirm him and his correctness becomes certain to him; if he errs, they say the tasbih to alert him and he returns to them, correctness being assigned to him in either case. Not so the one praying alone, who has no one to remind him: he therefore builds on certainty so as to complete his prayer and not be deceived by it; this is the meaning of his words: "There is no deception in the prayer" (sahih hadith, narrated by Abu Dawud, 928, and Ahmad, 2/461; the word ghirar meaning that one does not leave the prayer believing something of it remains, until one is upon certainty and completeness).
If the two possibilities are equal in his eyes, he builds on certainty, whether he is an imam or praying alone, performs what remains of his prayer and prostrates for the forgetfulness before the salam, for the original state is building on certainty; its suspension was permitted only for the imam, as a counter to the predominant opinion, and when that is absent one must return to the original state (al-Mughni, 2/200-201; Kashshaf al-Qina', 1/406; al-Kafi, 1/167-168).
Whatever is omitted in the prayer is either a fard (an absolute obligation), a wajib (an obligation), or a sunnah. The scholars agree that whoever omits a fard deliberately invalidates his prayer, and that if he omits it forgetfully he must perform it: the prostration of forgetfulness does not spare him that, and performing it is indispensable. Ibn Abd al-Barr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The scholars agreed unanimously that the bowing, the prostration, the standing and the final sitting in the prayer are all absolute obligations, and that whoever forgets any of them and then remembers returns to it, completes it and builds on it, without proceeding while he remembers it, for the prostration of forgetfulness does not repair it" (at-Tamhid, 10/189).
Ibn Rushd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: as for the sayings and acts prostrated for, those who hold that the prostration of forgetfulness is due for every deficiency or excess occurring in the prayer by way of forgetfulness agreed that the prostration concerns the sunnahs of the prayer, not the absolute obligations and not the recommended acts (ragha'ib): the latter carry no weight with them, meaning if one forgets them in the prayer, so long as it is not more than a single recommended act, just as Malik holds that no prostration is required for forgetting a single takbir, but is required for more than one. As for the absolute obligations, nothing compensates for them except performing them, and repairing them if forgetting them does not require repeating the entire prayer, as mentioned earlier regarding what requires repetition and what requires repair, meaning for one who omits some of the pillars of the prayer.
As for the prostration of forgetfulness for an excess, it occurs for an excess in both the obligations and the sunnahs, and on this there is no difference among them. They differ only through their difference over what, among these, is an absolute obligation or not, a sunnah or not, a sunnah or a recommended act. For example: according to Malik one does not prostrate for omitting the qunut, since it is recommended in his view, whereas one prostrates for it according to al-Shafi'i, since it is a sunnah in his view. Know too that with Malik and his companions the prostration of forgetfulness is due for a slight excess in the prayer, even if it belongs to a kind other than the prayer.
Know also that the sunnah and the recommended act belong, in their view, to the category of recommendation (nadb), differing only by the lesser and the greater, meaning in the stress laid on the prescription, which goes back to the contextual clues of each act of worship. This is why their differences multiply greatly in this category, to the point that some of them hold that certain sunnahs, if deliberately omitted when they are acts, or deliberately performed when they are omissions, take the ruling of the wajib, meaning with respect to the sin incurred; this is very common among the companions of Malik. Likewise you will find them agreed, except for the Zahiris, that one who omits the repeated sunnahs in general is a sinner, such as one who constantly omits the witr or the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer.
On this view, acts of worship include what is an absolute obligation in itself and in kind, like the five prayers; what is a sunnah in itself but an obligation in kind, like the witr, the two rak'ahs of the dawn prayer and similar sunnahs; and with some of them the recommended acts may be recommended in themselves and sunnahs in kind, like what we report from Malik on requiring the prostration for more than one forgotten takbir; but these, as far as I can see, are not sunnahs in themselves and in kind. As for the Zahiris, the sunnahs are with them sunnahs in themselves, based on the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the Bedouin who asked him about the obligations of Islam: "He will succeed if he is truthful, and he will enter Paradise if he is truthful", after telling him: "By Allah, I add nothing to this and I subtract nothing from it", meaning the absolute obligations; this hadith has been cited earlier.
In this chapter they agreed on the prostration of forgetfulness for omitting the middle sitting, and differed over whether it is an absolute obligation or a sunnah. They likewise differed over whether the imam returns when the tasbih is said to alert him, and, if he returns, at what point. The majority said: he returns as long as he is not fully upright; others said: he returns as long as he has not entered the third rak'ah; others said: he does not return if he has left the ground by a span. When he returns, the majority hold his prayer valid, while others hold it invalid, among those who do not accept his return (Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/271-272).
As for the obligations (wajibat) and the sunnahs, here is their exposition. First, the Hanafi school: it is stated in al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya that what is omitted is of three types: fard, sunnah and wajib. For the fard: if repair is possible, he repairs it, otherwise his prayer is invalid. For the sunnah: it does not invalidate, for the prayer stands by its pillars, which are present; and omitting the sunnah is not repaired by the two prostrations of forgetfulness. For the wajib: if omitted forgetfully it is repaired by the two prostrations, and if omitted deliberately it is not; thus in at-Tatarkhaniyya. It is also transmitted from al-Bahr that if he omits a prostration of a rak'ah and remembers it at the end of the prayer, he performs it and prostrates for the forgetfulness because of the omission of the order in that, without having to repeat what precedes it; and if he placed the bowing before the recitation, the prostration is required of him, but the bowing is not counted so as to be imposed anew after the recitation (al-Fatawa al-Hindiyya, 1/126; al-Mabsut, 1/189).
The Malikis held that one who omits a pillar and can repair it must repair it along with the prostration of forgetfulness, this being when he performs it within the same rak'ah, up to before entering another rak'ah by its bowing. If the pillar was omitted in the final rak'ah and he then said the salam, repair by performing the omitted act is no longer possible: he must instead perform another rak'ah so long as he has not prolonged the interruption or left the mosque, the resumption of the prayer being required of him (Hashiyat ad-Dasuqi 'ala ash-Sharh al-Kabir, 1/293; ash-Sharh as-Saghir, 1/160).
The Shafi'is said in ar-Rawda: one who omits a pillar forgetfully does not count what he did after the omission until he performs what he omitted. If he remembers the lapse before performing its like, he turns, at the moment of remembering, to the omitted act; if he remembers after performing its like in another rak'ah, the previous rak'ah is completed by that, and what lies between the two is void. This is when he knows the exact act omitted and its place; if he does not know the exact act omitted, he takes the least possible and performs the remainder. In all cases he prostrates for the forgetfulness (Rawdat at-Talibin, 1/300; al-Majmu', 4/123; al-Muhadhdhab, 1/90; Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/179; Nihayat al-Muhtaj, 1/541).
With the Hanbalis: one who forgets a pillar other than the opening takbir of consecration (tahrima) and remembers it after beginning the recitation of the following rak'ah invalidates only the rak'ah from which he omitted it, for he omitted a pillar whose repair was no longer possible, and the rak'ah he entered becomes its substitute. If he remembers the forgotten pillar before beginning the recitation of the following rak'ah, the return is obligatory: he performs the pillar and what comes after it (Kashshaf al-Qina', 1/402).
The jurists differed over what calls for the prostration of forgetfulness. The Hanafis held that it is required for the forgetful omission of a wajib among the obligations of the prayer, and that making it up (qada) is required of him if he does not prostrate for it. It is stated in ad-Durr al-Mukhtar: the prayer has obligations which do not invalidate it when omitted and which must be repeated, in the case of deliberate omission as of forgetfulness, if he does not prostrate for them; if he does not repeat them he is a disobedient sinner (ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, 1/456).
Al-Quduri said in his Mukhtasar: forgetfulness binds the worshipper if he adds to his prayer an act of its kind that is not part of it, or omits a prescribed act (masnun), or omits the recitation of the Fatiha or the qunut, that is, the qunut supplication in the witr, or the tashahhuds, or the takbirs of the two Eids, or if the imam recites aloud in what is recited quietly, or quietly in what is recited aloud (Mukhtasar al-Quduri, 34).
Al-Haddad (may Allah have mercy on him) said, concerning his words "or omits a masnun act": that is, an act whose being obligatory is known through the sunnah, such as the first sitting, or standing in the place of sitting, or omitting the prostration of recitation from its place. It was specified as an act because if he forgets the invocations the prostration is not required of him, as when he forgets the opening praise (thana'), the seeking of refuge (ta'awwudh), the takbirs of bowing and prostration and their glorifications, except in five places: the takbirs of the Eid, the qunut, the tashahhud, the recitation, and delaying the salam from its place (al-Jawhara an-Nayyira, 1/465; al-Bahr ar-Ra'iq, 2/108).
As for the Malikis and the Shafi'is, they divided the prayer into absolute obligations and sunnahs, as explained earlier. With the Malikis the prostration of forgetfulness is required for eight sunnahs: the recitation other than the Fatiha; reciting aloud and quietly, meaning one who recites quietly in the place of loud recitation or aloud in the place of quiet recitation; the takbir said twice or more apart from the opening takbir, meaning one who omits the takbir twice or more; the praise (tahmid); the first tashahhud and the sitting for it; and the second tashahhud in the three-rak'ah prayer, that is, the maghrib, or in the four-rak'ah prayer, such as dhuhr (al-Qawanin al-fiqhiyya, 55; ash-Sharh as-Saghir, 1/249 and what follows; al-Khulasa al-fiqhiyya, 1/93).
As for the Shafi'is, the sunnah is of two types in their view: parts (ab'ad) and forms (hay'at). The parts are those whose omission is repaired by the prostration of forgetfulness when omitted forgetfully, without disagreement; likewise in the case of deliberate omission, according to the preferred view. These parts are six: the first tashahhud; the sitting for it; the qunut of the dawn prayer and that of the second half of the month of Ramadan; the standing for the qunut; the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the first tashahhud; and the prayer upon the family in the last tashahhud (Kifayat al-Akhyar, 170). Al-Khatib ash-Shirbini (may Allah have mercy on him) said: a seventh was added: the prayer upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in the qunut, as Ibn al-Firkah affirmed (Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/206).
The Hanbalis held that what is not a pillar is of two types: obligations and sunnahs. The obligations invalidate the prayer when omitted deliberately, and lapse when omitted forgetfully or in ignorance; their omission is repaired by the two prostrations of forgetfulness.
Ibn Hubayra (may Allah have mercy on him) said: they agreed that if he omits it, meaning the prostration of forgetfulness, forgetfully, his prayer is not invalidated, except for one narration from Ahmad; the well-known position from him is that it is not invalidated, like the majority. Malik said: if it is a prostration for a deficiency due to omitting two sunnahs or more, and he omits it forgetfully, does not prostrate until he has said the salam, the interruption has been prolonged, and he has left his place of prayer, or his ablutions have been broken, his prayer is invalidated (al-Ifsah, 1/197).
Al-Qadi Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: what our school requires is that the prostration of forgetfulness for the deficiency is an obligation (wajib) in the prayer, for Malik's position on it varied. He said: if he omits it until it is prolonged or his ablutions are broken, he repeats the prayer in the case of a forgetful deficiency. The shaykh Abu Bakr al-Abhari refrained from affirming its obligation in absolute terms and said: the prayer is repeated if it is omitted. In my view this is only a difference of wording, the purpose being attained, namely the invalidity of the prayer through its omission. That is the benefit of its being an obligation. Our evidence is the hadith of Ibn Buhayna, in which: "When he finished his prayer and we awaited his salam, he prostrated twice, then said the salam." His actions likewise point to its being an obligation, and he said: "Pray as you have seen me pray." It is further the repair of a deficiency occurring in an act of worship, making it an obligation within the prayer like the sacrificial blood in the Hajj; and it is a prostration performed within the prayer to perfect it (al-Ishraf 'ala nukt masa'il al-khilaf, 1/91).
If he remembers it before the interruption is prolonged, while he is in the mosque, he prostrates, whether he has spoken or not: this is what Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad said, based on what Ibn Mas'ud narrated, in a version transmitted by Muslim: "that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness after the salam and the speech". Abu Hanifa said: he prostrates as soon as he remembers, even if much time has passed, so long as he has not spoken; if he speaks after the prayer, the prostration of forgetfulness lapses, for he has done what contradicts it, like one who has entered a state of major impurity.
If he remembers after the interruption has been prolonged, two views are held among the Shafi'is: the recent, more apparent view is that he does not prostrate, since the moment has passed with the salam and repair is made impossible by the length of time; the earlier view is that he prostrates. Abu Hanifa said: he prostrates as soon as he remembers, even if much time has passed, so long as he has not spoken. Malik said: if the lapse was an excess, he prostrates as soon as he remembers, even after a month; if it was a deficiency, he prostrates if the interruption is close; if it is long, he resumes the prayer.
Imam Ahmad said, in the well-known position from him: he prostrates as long as he is in the mosque, even if he has spoken and turned his back to the qibla; if he has left, he does not prostrate, for the prostration serves to complete the prayer and is therefore not performed after a prolonged interruption, like a pillar of it. Ibn Qudama (may Allah have mercy on him) said: we confined it to the mosque because it is the place of the prayer and its location, the duration thus being taken into account there as in the khiyar al-majlis (the right of option attached to the place of sitting). Another narration from him states that he prostrates even if he has left and gone far away (al-Mughni, 2/222 and 224; see Radd al-Muhtar, 1/505; al-Kafi, 1/58; Mawahib al-Jalil, 2/17; al-Majmu', 4/147; Sharh al-Manhaj, 1/202; Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/213; Kashshaf al-Qina', 1/409).
The follower (al-ma'mum) prostrates when his case differs, for he becomes one who differs; and the follower prostrates only in following the imam: if the imam does not prostrate, the cause warranting the prostration of the follower does not exist. Imam Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad in one narration held that the follower prostrates for the forgetfulness if the imam does not prostrate, for the follower's prayer was diminished by the imam's lapse and was not repaired by his prostration: the follower must therefore repair it (Radd al-Muhtar, 1/499; al-Bunaya, 2/66 and 662; al-Kharshi, 1/331-332; al-Umm, 1/115; Rawdat at-Talibin, 1/162; al-Majmu', 4/143 and 147; al-Mughni, 2/233).
The prostration of the latecomer (al-masbuq) for forgetfulness: when the latecomer has caught part of the imam's prayer and the imam forgot in what he did not catch, the scholars agreed that he prostrates, but differed over the timing of this prostration. They first differed over the measure of participation that obliges following the imam in the prostration of forgetfulness. The majority of the Hanafis, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis held that if the worshipper has caught with his imam any pillar of the prayer before the prostration of forgetfulness, following the imam in that prostration is required of him, whether the lapse occurred before or after he joined the prayer, given the general scope of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The imam has only been appointed to be followed", and his words: "Pray what you catch and complete what you miss".
The Malikis, in the well-known position, and Ahmad in one narration held that if the latecomer has not caught a complete rak'ah with the imam, no prostration is required of him, whether the prostration is for an excess after his entry or a deficiency before it; and if he prostrates with his imam, his prayer is invalidated, whether he acts deliberately or in ignorance, for he is not truly a follower; this is why he does not prostrate either at the end of his prayer. As for the latecomer of the second category (al-ba'di), his prayer is invalidated by his prostration even if he has caught a rak'ah. Al-Kharshi, among the Malikis, said: this is the correct view.
Abu Hanifa and his companions, as well as Ahmad, held that the latecomer prostrates with the imam and then stands to make up what is due from him, whether the imam's prostration came before the salam or after it. Imam Malik held that if the imam prostrates before the taslim, the latecomer performs the two prostrations with him; and if he prostrates after the taslim, he performs them after making up what is due from him. Imam al-Shafi'i held that he performs them with the imam, then makes up what is due from him, then performs them again after the completion of the prayer.
Ibn Rushd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: they agreed that when the imam forgets, the follower follows him in the prostration of forgetfulness, even if he did not follow him in his lapse; and they differed over when the follower prostrates when he has missed part of the prayer with the imam and the imam owes a prostration of forgetfulness. Some said: he prostrates with the imam and then stands to make up what is due from him, whether the prostration came before the salam or after it; this is the view of Ata', al-Hasan, an-Nakha'i, ash-Sha'bi, Ahmad, Abu Thawr and the proponents of reasoned opinion. Others said: he makes up the prayer and then prostrates; this is the view of Ibn Sirin and Ishaq. Others said: if the imam prostrates before the taslim he performs the two prostrations with him, and if he prostrates after the taslim he performs them after the completion; this is the view of Malik, al-Layth and al-Awza'i. And others said: he performs the two prostrations with the imam and then performs them a second time after the completion; this is the view of al-Shafi'i (Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, 1/499; Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/274; al-Kharshi, 1/331; Rawdat at-Talibin, 1/314; al-Mughni, 2/232; al-Umm, 1/132; al-Awsat, 2/323).
The majority held that the imam bears the forgetfulness on behalf of the congregation, while Makhul held an isolated view by making the prostration obligatory upon the follower himself. The reason for their difference is their difference over which pillars the imam bears on behalf of the follower and which he does not (Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/274). This is based on what Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with father and son) narrated as words ascribed to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
"There is no forgetfulness upon the one who stands behind the imam: if the imam forgets, the forgetfulness is upon him and upon the one behind him; and if the one behind the imam forgets, there is no forgetfulness upon him, for the imam suffices him."Narrated by ad-Daraqutni (1/377) and al-Bayhaqi (2/352); al-Albani graded it weak in al-Irwa' (2/131)
Al-Albani wrote: we know with certainty that the Companions who prayed behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forgot behind him in ways that would have required prostration of them had they been praying individually; this no one can deny. That being so, it was not transmitted that a single one of them prostrated after the salam behind the Prophet; had it been prescribed, they would have done it, and had they done it, it would have been transmitted; since it was not transmitted, this shows that it was not established, and that is what is apparent, Allah willing. It may be supported by what precedes in the hadith of Mu'awiya ibn al-Hakam as-Sulami, who spoke during the prayer behind the Prophet while unaware of its prohibition, and the Prophet did not order him the prostration of forgetfulness.
Ibn Rushd (may Allah have mercy on him) said: as for the description of the prostration of forgetfulness, the scholars differed over it. Malik held that the ruling of the two prostrations of forgetfulness, when they occur after the salam, is to perform the tashahhud in them and say the salam on leaving them; Abu Hanifa said the same, since in his view all the prostration comes after the salam. When they occur before the salam, he performs the tashahhud only, the salam of the prayer serving as their salam; al-Shafi'i said the same, since in his view all the prostration comes before the salam. It has been narrated from Malik that he does not perform the tashahhud for the prostrations that precede the salam, and a group said this.
Abu Amr said: as for the salam of the prostrations performed after the salam, it is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); as for the tashahhud, I recall nothing of it from an established source. The cause of this difference is their difference over authenticating what has come of that in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud, meaning his words: "he performed the tashahhud and then said the salam", and over likening the two prostrations of forgetfulness to the last two of the prayer: whoever likened them to those did not require the tashahhud for them, especially when they fall within the prayer itself.
Abu Bakr ibn al-Mundhir said: the scholars differed over this question according to six views:
Abu Bakr said: it is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said the takbir four times in these prostrations and that he said the salam; the certainty of his tashahhud in them remains a matter of discussion (Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/273).