As Salat / prayer is one of the five obligatory pillars of Islam. Every adult male and female is commanded to offer as Salat five times a day. We have already shared a number of posts on the importance of As salat and how it is performed. The information in these posts are based on Al Qur'an and authentic Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Links to these posts are given in our reference pages mentioned at the end of this post.
Today, we share a very useful post of As Salat related to forgetfullness while performing As Salat. Since man is overwhelmed with the worldly affairs or even domestic propblesm, he is likely to forget much rakah / cycles of As Salat he has compeleted or may overshoot the recommended cycles. Or even one's mindset is distrubed by the Satan and thus committing a mistake which neccessiates offering a penalty to correct one's mistake due to forgetfullness, called Sajda Sahw or the Prostration of Forgetfullness.
We will try to explain why, how and when Sajda Sahw is performed very briefly. Thereafter we are sharing a informative video which explains it all.
What is Sajda Sahw?
Sajda Sahw (Prostration of Forgetfulness) is a corrective action in Islamic prayer (Salat) performed when a mistake is made during the prayer. It helps to compensate for errors such as forgetting certain parts of the prayer, adding extra actions, or making mistakes in the sequence.
Why Sajda Sahw is important: It acts as a way of compensating for human mistakes during the prayer, ensuring that the prayer is valid.
When is Sajda Sahw performed?
Sajda Sahw is performed in the following situations:
- Addition: If you add something extra to the prayer unintentionally, like an extra rak’ah (unit) or extra prostration.
- Omission: If you forget a required action, such as a rak’ah, a sujood (prostration), or a recitation.
- Doubt: If you doubt whether you’ve performed a certain action correctly or not, but you're not sure whether it was right or wrong.
- Mistake in the order of actions: If there’s an error in the sequence of the prayer (e.g., performing a sujood before ruku' (bowing), or forgetting a necessary component like tashahhud).
How is Sajda Sahw performed?
Sajda Sahw involves two additional prostrations at the end of the prayer. Here's the process:
- Complete your prayer as usual — Perform all the regular actions of your Salat, including the final tashahhud (testification) before completing your prayer.
- Make the last tashahhud and then say “Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah” (the salaam) to end the prayer as you normally would. However, instead of ending the prayer after saying the last tashahhud, you make two additional prostrations for forgetfulness before concluding.
- Perform two extra prostrations:
- After the last tashahhud, before finishing the prayer, you say “Allahu Akbar” and perform two extra sajdas (prostrations) as a correction.
- In each of these prostrations, you do the usual actions (e.g., saying "Subhana Rabbiyal A’la" while in sujood).
- Conclude with salam: After the two prostrations of forgetfulness, you conclude your prayer by saying the final “Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah” (as usual).
Specific Examples of when and how to perform Sajda Sahw mentioned in Authentic Hadiths attributed to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
- If we forget any part of Rakaat or a whole Rakaat during Prayer/Salat:
- Narrated by Abdullah bin Buhaina Al-Asdi (RA): “Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) stood up for the Zuhr prayer and he should have sat (after the second rak`a but he stood up for the third rak`a without sitting for Tashah-hud) and when he finished the prayer he performed two prostrations and said Takbir on each prostration while sitting, before ending (the prayer) with Taslim; and the people too performed the two prostrations with him instead of the sitting he forgot.” (Sahih Bukhari: 1230)
- This hadith tells us that if we forget to pray At-Tahhiyat in second Rakaat of any prayer consisting of more than two Rakaat (i.e. Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib or Isha), we should do Sujood Sahw in last Rakaat before finishing the prayer with Taslim.
- On similar lines, if someone forgets a whole Rakaat or more than a Rakaat, then again Sujood Sahw has to be performed.
- Refer to hadith: Abu Hurairah (R.A.) reported; The Prophet (S.A.W.) offered the noon prayer and he gave the salutation at the end of two rakahs. He was asked. Has the prayer been shortened? then he offered two rakahs of the prayer and made two prostrations (at the end of it). (Abu Dawud: 1014
NOTE: In other similar narrations it is mentioned that he performed prostrations after Taslim.
- If we pray additional Rakaat in Salat:
- Narrated Abdullah (RA): Once Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) offered five rak`at in the Zuhr prayer, and somebody asked him whether there was some increase in the prayer. Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) said, "What is that?" He said, "You have offered five rak`at." So Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) performed two prostrations of Sahu after Taslim. (Sahih Bukhari: 1226)
- This narration tells us that the Prophet (S.A.W.) performed Sujood Sahw in this case after Taslim. The reason is simple, by the time he came to know that he has prayed additional Rakaat, he had completed his prayer. So he performed Sujood Sahw as soon as he came to know about his forgetfulness.
- What to do when in doubt about how many Rakaat we have prayed while in Salat?
- Forgetfulness is a normal thing which can happen with any human being. Shaitan/Satan/Devil leaves no stone unturned to keep our attentions diverted and distracted from good deeds. This is also one of those efforts of Devil/Shaitan and a Muslim is supposed to be well versed with the technique of combating these tactics of Devil/Shaitan.
- If during a prayer any of us forgets which number of Rakaat is he/she is praying (or how many Rakaat he/she has completed by that time), then he/she is supposed to act according to following advice from our beloved Prophet (S.A.W.):
- It was narrated from Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (R.A.) that: ‘The Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "If one of you does not know whether he prayed three or four (rak'ahs), let him pray a rak'ah then prostrate twice after that when he is sitting. Then if he prayed five (rak'ahs), they (the two prostrations) will make his prayer even-numbered, and if he had prayed four, they will annoy and humiliate the shaitan.”’ (An-Nasai: 1239)
- Therefore, in case of doubt, one should act upon whatever is certain. For example, if one is not sure how many Rakaat he/she has performed, two or three and four or five, he/she should take the lesser number as the basis. Based on the number, he/she should proceed to perform the remaining Rakaat and complete the prayer by performing two prostrations (of Sahw).
- Sujood Sahw is to be done before Taslim or after Taslim?
- After going through all the narrations mentioned above, we come across two scenarios: in one case we come to know that Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) performed two prostrations before Taslim, while in other case he performed two prostrations after Taslim. Although, I see no point of confusion, still different views prevail about whether one should perform Sujood Sahw before or after Taslim?
- Imam Shafi’s view is that the prostrations should be performed before Taslim. However, this view cannot be made universal as there are narrations which prove that the Prophet (S.A.W.) performed it after Taslim as well.
- According to Imam Ahmad, whatever is reported from the Prophet (S.A.W.) about the prostrations for As-Sahw, is to be acted upon. It can be before Taslim or after Taslim, depending upon the cases as done by our beloved Prophet (S.A.W.). In cases where it is reported that the Prophet (S.A.W.) performed Sujood Sahw before Taslim, we should follow that way. For cases where it is reported that the Prophet (S.A.W.) performed Sujood Sahw after Taslim, we have to follow that way. In cases where nothing is reported about, then two prostrations should be followed before Taslim.
- Sujood Sahw is accompanied by Takbir: If we revert back to the Hadith mentioned above, we see that there is mention of Takbir (saying Allah-o-Akbar). Therefore, Takbir is to be said before performing Sujood Sahw.
- Tashahhud is not recited after performing Sujood Sahw: Narrated Salama bin Alqama (R.A.): ‘I asked Muhammad (bin Seereen) whether Tashah-hud should be recited after the two prostrations of Sahu. He replied, "It is not (mentioned) in Abu Huraira's narration."’ (Sahih Bukhari: 1228)
- Sujood Sahw should be performed for Nawafil prayers also.
- Imam Al-Bukhari has said in his Sahih Bukhari “Bab al-Sahw fi’l-fard wa’l-tatawwu’ [Chapter on forgetfulness in obligatory and voluntary (prayers)]. Ibn Abbas (R.A.) did two prostrations after Witr, and al-Haafiz said in al-Fath, commenting on the report of Ibn Abbas: this was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah with a saheeh isnaad.
- In the light is above mentioned Hadith, it is clear that Sujood Sahw should be performed if we commit an error during Nawafil prayers too.
- How many prostrations are to be performed for forgetfulness? Number of prostrations for forgetfulness are two. Some schools of thoughts state that only one prostration is done for forgetfulness. However, almost all the narrations regarding the Prophet’s (S.A.W.) action in this context refers to two prostrations (refer to all narrations mentioned in this discussion). Hence, two prostrations are to be performed.
- It is wrong to say that Sujood Sahw cannot be performed if the person has talked after Salat. Some schools of thoughts are of the view that Sujood Sahw can be performed only till we have not talked after Salat. This is not correct, as several of the narrations mentioned above (first two cases) tell us that Rasool-Allah (S.A.W.) was reminded by others of his forgetfulness after he had completed his Salat and he talked to the persons who reminded him, confirmed his forgetfulness and then performed Sujood Sahw. Therefore, one is allowed to perform prostrations of forgetfulness even if he/she has talked after Salat.
To sum up, it should suffice to say that to err is human. Therefore, it is natural that one may make mistakes; it can happen during Salat too. However, as discussed above, a Muslim should be well versed about how to amend his/her mistake during a prayer so as not to let the prayer be affected. We have discussed the actions of our beloved Prophet (S.A.W.) which all of are supposed to follow.
- Remember, Sujood Sahw compensates for minor mistakes / errors / forgetfulness, like those mentioned in different narrations above. Bigger mistakes (like not reciting Surah Fatiha, or starting pray without Ablution (Wudu) etc.) should not be (or rather cannot be) compensated by Sujood Sahw.
- Also, more than one error during a prayer does not require additional prostrations. One set of prostrations for forgetfulness is enough.
- So, next time, when anyone of us commit any mistake (among those mentioned above), then he/she should not worry. Rather remember the procedure(s) for Sujood Sahw for each case and be assured.
Summing up Types of mistakes and when to do Sajda Sahw:
Adding extra actions (e.g., an extra rak’ah): Perform Sajda Sahw after the final tashahhud before saying salam.
- Forgetting a required action (e.g., forgetting to recite a certain portion of the prayer): Perform Sajda Sahw after the final tashahhud before saying salam.
- Doubt in prayer (e.g., unsure if you've performed 2 or 3 rak'ahs): Perform Sajda Sahw at the end of the prayer (before salam).
Sajda Sahw is a way to ensure that your prayer remains valid despite mistakes, and it’s part of the mercy and flexibility of Islamic prayer.
You may like tolsiten to eminent Muslim scholar, Sheikh Assim bin Luqman Al Hakeem, explaining the mecchanics of performing Sajda Sahw:
About Sheikh Assim bin Luqman Al Hakeem: Assim bin Luqman al-Hakeem (Arabic: عاصم بن لقمان الحكيم; born 23 November 1962) is a Saudi Arabian cleric of Indonesian descent. He is based primarily in the city of Jeddah, where he hosts programs dealing with Islam. Al-Hakeem mostly talks in English, and he is also known for his witty sarcasm and humorous approach to questions. He mostly preaches in English, delivering Islamic programs on social media channels, including Questions and Answers (ASK HUDA), Umdatul Ahkaam, Youth Talk, and Mercy to the Worlds. He also preaches on television and radio channels, such as Huda TV, Zad TV, Peace TV, Iqraa, and Saudi 2.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
You may refer to our following reference pages for any Q&A you may have with regard to prayers:
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