PROSTRATION OF FORGETFULNESS IN SALAH (SAJDA SAHU)

Allah the most merciful has granted us an easy method through which we can make up for some of our shortcomings or mistakes during Salah (prayer). This is done by making two extra prostrations (sujdah/sujood) and this is called Sajdah Sahw in arabic or prostrations of forgetfulness as translated in english. Please note that sajdah sahw is only to compensate for certain (some) mistakes during salah and not all or every mistake.

Brothers and sisters take a few moments to read, some very crucial points are listed..

CONDITIONS OR RULING WHEN ONE IS REQUIRED TO DO SAJDAH SAHW;

1. Doing something extra : for example, doing an extra bow (rukoo’), prostration (sujood), extra standing or sitting etc.
2. Omitting something: such as omitting an essential part of the prayer, or omitting one of the obligatory parts of the prayer like not sitting after 2 rakats (in a 4 rakat prayer) and directly standing or missing a tashahud etc..
3. Being uncertain: such as when a person is not sure how many rak’ahs he has prayed, whether it was three or four and similar kinds of mistakes

IS DOING SAJDAH SAHW NECESSARY TO MAKE UP FOR THE MISTAKES?

Our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) said

If any one of you forgets [something in the prayer], let him do two prostrations (Called as sajdah sahw). ( Muslim, 402 )

Abu Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

When any one of you stands up to pray, the devil comes to him and confuses him to that he does not know how much he has prayed. If any one of you has such an experience he should perform two prostrations while sitting down (in qa’da). ( Muslim,1159 )

Abdullah Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

The Prophet (ﷺ) named the two prostrations of forgetfulness disgraceful for the devil. ( Abu Dawood, 1020 )

SAJDAH SAHW IS TO BE DONE BY AN INDIVIDUAL PRAYING ALONE OR THE IMAM LEADING A JAM’AAT?

Sajdah sahw is not applicable individually for the one who is praying in a Jamaat behind an Imam.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reports that

the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

“The imam is selected to be followed; therefore, do not differ with him. When he makes the takbir, (then) make the takbir, when he goes into ruku’, (then) make ruku’. When he says ‘Allah hears him who praises Him (Samiallah huliman hamidah),’ (then) say ‘O Allah, our Lord, to You belongs the Praise. (Rabbana wa lakal hamd)’ When he goes into sajdah, (then) make sajdah. If he prays sitting, then all should be sitting.” ( Muslim; 826, Muwatta Malik; 61, Sunan Al Nasai; 923, Bukhari; 1236 and others )

The above hadith means that one has to follow the Imam even with regards to Sajdah Sahw.

SAJDAH SAHW CAN NOT BE MADE/USED TO COMPENSATE IF ONE LEAVES ANY OF THE OBLIGATORY PILLAR OF SALAH

In the case of forgetting or leaving out any of the obligatory pillars of the prayers the sajdah sahw will not compensate for it. The obligatory pillars constitute:

1 Praying being in a state of purity (wudhu and being free from sexual/menstrual discharge. Breaking wind also invalidates the purity)

2 Intention (in your heart and not verbally speaking it out) so as to which prayer are you praying

3 Facing the Qiblah (except during praying a nafil salah during travel or in the case when one cannot determine the qiblah at all)

The Prophet (ﷺ) said to ‘Imraan ibn al Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him): “Pray Standing” ( Bukhari 1/264 #1117 )

4 Beginning the prayer by raising the hands and saying Takbirat-ul-Ihram (saying: Allahu Akbar [Allah is the Greatest] upon starting Prayer).

Then Face the Qiblah and Perform the Takbeer ( Bukhari; 1/178 #793, Muslim; 1/82: #397 )

5 Having Tuma’neenah (tranquility and khushu in each position (posture) of the prayer)

It was narrated from Hudhaifah that:

He saw a man praying (And his bowing and prostration) were lacking. Hudhaifah said to him: ‘For how long have you been praying like this?’
He said: “For forty years.’
He said: ‘You have not been praying for forty years and if you die praying like this, you will have died following a path other than the path of Muhammad (ﷺ). Then he said: ‘It is possible for a man to pray briefly (shortly/quickly), but still do it properly.” ( Sunan an-Nasa'i 1312; Also see Bukhari 2/13, #1313 )

6 Not missing/leaving out single or multiple rakah

7 Not missing a sajdah or rukoo’

Then bow until you are tranquil, then prostrate until you are tranquil ( Bukhari: 1/178, #793 and Muslim: 1/82, #397 )

8Rising from rukoo

then rise until you are tranquil ( Bukhari: 1/178, #793 ), (Muslim: 1/82, #397 )

9Sitting between two prostrations

then rise from the prostration until you are tranquil ( Bukhari: 1/178, #793 ), ( Muslim: 1/82, #397 )

10Covering the awrah (the parts of the body that are compulsory to be covered during salah)

11Sitting for the final tashahud and sending the salaat and salaam upon the prophet (ﷺ)

If you sit during the prayer say; at Tahiyaat liLaah ( Muslim: 4/92, #402 )

Sending the Salaat and Salaam upon the Messenger after the last Tashahhud. The evidence for sending the salaat and salaam (durood ibraahim):

The Hadeeth of Abu Mas’ood al Ansaari ( Muslim: 4/98, #495 )

The Hadeeth of Abu Sa’eed al Khudree. ( Bukhari: 3/215, #6358 )

And Many More......

12Tasleem (saying As-salamu `alaykum warahmatullah on both the shoulders to end the prayer after completing the final tashahud)

The Hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with him. ( An Nasaa-i: P.227, #1320 ) and Many more

13The following of these pillars in order

First Standing, then bowing, then rising, then prostrating, then sitting between the two prostrations, then prostrating again. ( Fiqh al ‘Ibaadaat by Shaykh ibn ‘Uthaymeen P.132 )

If a person leaves the above obligatory pillars of salah on purpose or forgets then he has to make up for it either by going back to the forgotten pillar or re-doing the Salah.

RULING CORRECTING THE MISTAKE IMMEDIATELY OR AFTER CONCLUDING THE PRAYER

IMMEDIATELY; It is recorded from al-Mughirah ibn Shu’bah, that

the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

If one of you (in a 3 or 4 rakat prayer) stands after two rak’at (forgetting to sit for the tashadud) and he has not completely stood, then he should sit (i.e if he remembers his mistake before completely standing straight with his spine being upright then he should sit back continuing the tashahud) but If he is already completely standing (and thereafter he remembers his mistake), he should not sit , (rather he should continue the prayer) and he should make two sujood of forgetfulness (before ending the prayer i.e. before making the taslim) ( Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah )

REALIZING THE MISTAKE AFTER (ending) THE PRAYER;

If one realizes that one has made an error in his prayer after he has completed his prayer then immediately as soon as he realizes his mistake, he should make the two sajdahs of ‘sajdah-sahw’ and then say the tasleem as explained below:

Ibn Mas’ood said:

The Prophet led us in prayer and he performed five Rak’ahs (instead of 4 rak’ah). When he turned around after ending the prayer, the people whispered to one another. He said: “What is the matter?” They said: ‘O Prophet of Allah! Has the prayer been increased?’ He replied: “No”. They said: ‘You performed five Rak’ahs’. So, he stood up again and performed two prostrations for forgetfulness, and then, said Salaam (i.e. tasleem). After that, he said: “I am just a human being like you (i.e. I forget)” ( Muslim; 1177, Bukhari 2/22, #317 )

NOTE:

1. Sajdah Sahw can compensate only for certain mistakes and not All mistakes such as the obligatory pillars of Salah.
2. Sajdah Sahw insults the shaitan and is a mercy from Allah to help us correct our mistakes.
3. Sajdah Sahw is fardh in certain cases (forgetting to sit for tashahud, leaving a rak’ah and etc) as explained above
4. Sajdah Sahw is to be done ONLY once (2 prostrations) at the end of the salah/after the salah (Depending upon the case) to compensate for

ALL THE ERRORS together at once. Meaning, if you made 4 mistakes in your Dhuhr prayer then you have to do sajdah sahw only once and not 4 separate times.

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