Series of the Writings of His Eminence The Shaykh (34)

A Treatise on the Prostration

of Forgetfulness

Written by:

His Eminence Sheikh

Muhammad ibn Sālih Al-‘Uthaymīn

May Allah forgive him, his parents, and all Muslims

Published by
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sālih al-‘Uthaymīn Charity
Foundation
***
 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

A Treatise on the Prostration

of Forgetfulness

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate,

the Most Merciful

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May Allah's
peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, who
conveyed the message clearly and perfectly, and upon his
family, his Companions, and those who followed them in the
best way until the Day of Judgment.

To proceed, Many people are ignorant of the rulings of the

prostration of forgetfulness which is to be offered when an
incident of forgetfulness occurs during prayer. Some people fail
to offer such prostration when it is due, some offer it when it is
not due, some offer it before Taslīm (concluding the prayer
with Salām) when it should be offered after it, and others offer
it after Taslīm when it should be offered before it. Therefore,
knowing its rulings is a matter of great importance, especially
by those who lead people in prayer and shoulder the
responsibility of following the guidance prescribed by the
shariah in their prayer in which they lead other Muslims.

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

This urged me to present to my fellow Muslims some of

the rulings related to this topic, hoping that Allah Almighty
would benefit with it His believing servants.

So I say, seeking Allah's help and depending upon Him in

attaining success and correctness:

The prostration of forgetfulness consists of two prostrations

which one has to offer to make up for a shortcoming that has
occurred in his prayer out of forgetfulness.

It is due in three cases: adding something to the prayer,

leaving something of it, or harboring doubt about its perfection.

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

First: Addition:
If the praying person adds an action to his prayer like
standing, sitting, bowing, or prostrating deliberately, then his
prayer is invalid. If, however, he does so out of forgetfulness
and he did not remember the addition until he finished it, then
he is only required to offer the prostration of forgetfulness, and
his prayer is valid. But if he becomes aware that he is making an
addition while making it, then he has to stop it immediately and
the prostration of forgetfulness becomes due on him, and his
prayer is valid.

Example: Someone performed the Zhuhr prayer five rak‘ahs

without remembering that extra rak‘ah until he comes to recite
the Tashahhud. In this case, he has to complete the Tashahhud,
make Taslīm, then offer the prostration of forgetfulness, then
make Taslīm again. If he fails to remember the addition he
made until he makes Taslīm, he should offer the prostration of
forgetfulness then make Taslīm again. If he remembers the
addition when he is offering the fifth rak‘ah, he should sit down
immediately, recite Tashahhud, make Taslīm, then offer the
prostration of forgetfulness then make Taslīm.

Proof: The Hadīth of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be

pleased with him) wherein he reported: "The Prophet (may
Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) once prayed Zhuhr
five rak‘ahs. So, someone said: 'Has increase been made in the
prayer?' He replied: 'Why do you say that?' They said: 'You have
prayed five (rak‘ahs).' So he performed two prostrations after

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

having made Taslīm." According to another version: "… so he

turned his feet and faced the Qiblah, and he performed two
prostrations then made Taslīm." [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri,
Muslim, Abu Dāwud, An-Nasā’i, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah and
Ahmad]

 Making Taslīm before completing the prayer:

Making Taslīm before completing the prayer is a form of

addition in the prayer [1]. So if the praying person makes Taslīm
before completing the prayer deliberately, then his prayer is
invalid.

If he did that out of forgetfulness and a long time passes

before he remembers, then it is due upon him to perform the
prayer anew.

But if he remembers after a short while, such as two or

three minutes, then he should complete his prayer and make
Taslīm, then he should offer the prostration of forgetfulness
and make Taslīm.

Proof: The Hadīth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased

with him) wherein he reported that the Prophet (may Allah's
peace and blessings be upon him) led them in Zhuhr or ‘Asr
prayer and made Taslīm after two rak‘ahs. So the people rushed
out of the mosque doors asking each other: "Has the prayer
been shortened?" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings
be upon him) got up toward the wooden beam of the mosque
and leaned against it as if he was angry. A man stood up and
said: "O Messenger of Allah, have you forgotten or has the prayer

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

been shortened?" He replied: "Neither have I forgotten nor has

it been shortened." A man said: "Surely, you have forgotten."
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) asked
the Companions: "Is what he is saying true?" They said: "Yes, it
is." So he moved forward and offered the remaining two rak‘ahs
of his prayer then made Taslīm, then he performed two
prostrations (of forgetfulness) then made Taslīm." [Narrated by
Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]

If the imam makes Taslīm before completing the prayer

and there are among those led in prayer some who have
missed part of the prayer, so they get up to make up for what
they have missed and then the imam remembers that he has
left something of the prayer and gets up to complete it; in this
case, those who got up to make up for what they had missed
have the choice either to go on making up for the missed part
then offer the prostration of forgetfulness, or go back to
following the imam and when he finishes they make up for the
missed parts then offer the prostration of forgetfulness after
making Taslīm. This last choice is more proper and cautious.

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

Second: Omission:
 a- Omitting a pillar of the prayer:

If the praying person leaves out a pillar of the prayer; if it is

the Opening Takbīr, then his prayer is annulled whether he
leaves it deliberately or forgetfully, because his prayer has not
validly started in the first place.

If he leaves a pillar other than the Opening Takbīr, his prayer

is invalid if he does that deliberately.

But if he leaves it forgetfully; and he reaches its point in the

second rak‘ah, the preceding rak‘ah is annulled and the
following rak‘ah replaces it. If he has not yet reached its point
in the second rak‘ah, he must go back and perform the
forgotten pillar and the actions that come after it. In both cases
he has to perform the prostration of forgetfulness after making
Taslīm.

Example: someone forgot to perform the second prostration

of the first rak‘ah, and he only remembered that when he was
sitting between the two prostrations of the second rak‘ah. In
this case, the first rak‘ah is annulled and the second replaces it.
He should consider the second rak‘ah as the first, complete his
prayer based upon this and make Taslīm. Then he performs the
prostration of forgetfulness and makes Taslīm.

Another example: someone forgot the second prostration

and the sitting that precedes it of the first rak‘ah. He remembered

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

that after he rose from bowing in the second rak‘ah. In this

case, he has to go back and sit down and perform that second
prostration then complete his prayer and make Taslīm. Then,
he performs the prostration of forgetfulness and makes Taslīm.

 b- Omitting an obligatory act:

If the praying person omits an obligatory act of the prayer

deliberately, his prayer is invalid.

If he does so out of forgetfulness but he remembers before

he moves on from its place in the prayer, he has to perform it
and he does not have to do anything more. If he remembers it
after having moved on from its place in the prayer but before
reaching the next pillar, then he should go back and perform it.
Then he completes his prayer and makes Taslīm, prostrates for
forgetfulness and makes Taslīm.

If he remembers it after reaching the next pillar, the

omitted obligatory act is no longer due. That is, he does not
have to go back to perform it; rather, he continues with his
prayer and performs the prostration of forgetfulness before
making Taslīm.

Example: someone rises from the second prostration of

the second rak‘ah so as to stand up to perform the third rak‘ah,
having forgotten to recite the first Tashahhud; yet, before he
stands up, he remembers. In this case, he settles in the sitting
position, recites Tashahhud, and completes his prayer. He does
not have to do anything else.

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

However, if he remembers after he gets up, yet before

standing up fully straight, he should go back and sit down,
recites Tashahhud, completes his prayer, and makes Taslīm.
Then he performs the prostration of forgetfulness and makes
Taslīm.

But if he remembers after having stood up fully straight, it

is no longer due upon him to recite the first Tashahhud. Instead,
he should complete his prayer and perform the prostration of
forgetfulness before making Taslīm.

Proof: The Hadīth narrated by Al-Bukhāri and others:

‘Abdullah ibn Buhaynah (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be
upon him) led them in the Zhuhr prayer and stood up after the
first two rak‘ahs without sitting for Tashahhud, and the people
stood up with him. When he finished the prayer and the people
were waiting for him to make Taslīm, he said Takbīr while
sitting and prostrated twice before making Taslīm, then he
concluded his prayer with Taslīm.

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

Third: Doubt:
Doubt is the uncertainty about two matters as to which of
them has occurred.

Doubt regarding acts of worship is not taken into

consideration in three cases:

First: if it is a mere illusion that has no actual grounds, like

obsessive whisperings.

Second: if one experiences it frequently in such a way that

he rarely performs an act of worship without experiencing
doubt.

Third: if it occurs after finishing the act of worship. Here it

is not given any consideration so long as it does not reach the
degree of certainty. Instead one should act upon what he is
certain of.

Example: someone prayed Zhuhr, and after finishing the

prayer, he becomes doubtful whether he prayed three or four
rak‘ahs. He should not pay attention to such doubt unless he is
certain that he prayed three only. If only a short while had
passed after he finished the prayer, he should complete it by
offering the missed rak‘ah, make Taslīm, then offer the
prostration of forgetfulness and make Taslīm. If, however, he
remembered after a long time had passed, he should perform
the prayer in full anew. Doubt that occurs in other than those
three cases is to be taken into consideration.

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 A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness

 There are only two cases for doubt that occurs within the
prayer:

The first case: one of the two assumptions is more

preponderant than the other, so he should act upon that
assumption, complete his prayer based on it, make Taslīm, then
offer the prostration of forgetfulness and make Taslīm.

Example: someone prays Zhuhr and has doubt whether he

is praying the second or third rak‘ah. However, he tends to
believe that it is the third. So, he should consider it the third,
perform one more rak‘ah and make Taslīm, then offer the
prostration of forgetfulness and make Taslīm.

Proof: Hadīth narrated by Al-Bukhāri, Muslim, and others

wherein ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him)
reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be
upon him) said: "If anyone of you has doubt in his prayer, then
he should make sure of what he has truly performed and
complete his prayer accordingly and make Taslīm, then he
should perform two prostrations (for forgetfulness)." This is the
wording of Al-Bukhāri.

The second case: neither assumption is preponderant over

the other, so the praying person bases his action on what is
certain, which is the lesser of the two assumptions. Thus, he
should complete his prayer accordingly and make Taslīm, then
offer the prostration of forgetfulness and make Taslīm.

Example: someone is praying ‘Asr and is doubtful whether

he is in the second or third rak‘ah, and neither of the two

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assumptions is stronger than the other. So he considers it the

second rak‘ah, sits for the first Tashahhud, then performs two
rak‘ahs after it, offers the prostration of forgetfulness and
makes Taslīm.

Proof: the Hadīth narrated by Muslim: Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri

(may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet
(may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If one of
you is in doubt about his prayer and does not know how much
he has prayed, three or four (rak‘ahs), he should cast aside his
doubt and base his prayer on what he is certain of (three). Then
he should perform two prostrations before making Taslīm. If he
has prayed five rak‘ahs, they will make his prayer an even
number, and if he has prayed exactly four, then they will be a
humiliation for the devil."

Example of doubt: a latecomer joins the prayer when the

imam is bowing. He recites the opening Takbīr while standing
upright then bows. There are three possible cases in this
situation:

The first: He is certain that he has caught up with the imam

when the latter was bowing before rising. Thus, he has caught
up with the rak‘ah, so reciting Al-Fātihah is not due upon him.

The second: He is certain that the imam rose from bowing

before he joined him, so he missed the rak‘ah.

The third: He is in doubt whether he joined the imam while

the latter was in the bowing position, whereby he has caught
up with the rak‘ah, or the imam had risen from bowing before

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he joined him, thus, he missed the rak‘ah. If either of the two

possibilities is stronger, then he should act upon it, complete
the prayer accordingly, make Taslīm, offer the prostration of
forgetfulness and make Taslīm. But if he did not miss any action
of the prayer, then prostration of forgetfulness is not due upon
him.

If neither possibility is stronger than the other, then he

bases his action on what is certain; i.e. that he has missed the
rak‘ah. So he should complete his prayer accordingly and make
Taslīm, then offer the prostration of forgetfulness and make
Taslīm.

Important note: If the person experiences doubt with

regard to his prayer and he acts upon certainty or upon what
he assumes to be the stronger possibility according to what is
explained in detail above, then he found out that what he did
was actually the correct course of action and that his prayer
involved neither addition nor omission, then no prostration of
forgetfulness is due upon him as per the famous opinion of the
Hanbali school of fiqh. That is because the cause of offering the
prostration of forgetfulness no longer exists, which is doubt.
Another opinion suggests that it is due upon him in order to
cause humiliation and vexation to the devil. This is based on the
statement of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be
upon him): "...and if he has prayed exactly four, then they will
be a humiliation for the devil." Another reason is that he
performed part of the prayer while being in doubt about it. This
is the preponderant opinion.

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Example: while someone is performing the prayer, he

becomes in doubt whether he is in the second or third rak‘ah,
and both possibilities are equal in his mind, so he considers it
the second, completes his prayer accordingly, then he finds out
that it was actually the second rak‘ah. In this case, no
prostration of forgetfulness is due upon him according to the
famous opinion of the Hanbali school of fiqh. But according to
the other opinion which we regard as the preponderant one, he
is required to offer it.

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Offering The Prostration of Forgetfulness

by Someone Led in The Prayer:

If the imam experiences an incident of forgetfulness in the

prayer, those led in prayer should follow him in offering the
prostration of forgetfulness, because the Prophet (may Allah's
peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, the imam is
appointed to be followed, so do not act differently from him...
and if he offers prostration, then offer prostration." [Narrated
by Al-Bukhᾱri and Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah
(may Allah be pleased with him)]
Those led in prayer have to follow the imam in offering the
prostration of forgetfulness whether he does so before or after
Taslīm. But, if someone has missed a part of the prayer, he
does not follow the imam if the latter offers the prostration of
forgetfulness after Taslīm, as he is not allowed to end the
prayer with the imam. So he should make up for what he
missed, make Taslīm, then offer the prostration of forgetfulness
and make Taslīm.
Example: a man joins the imam in the last rak‘ah, and the
imam is required to offer the prostration of forgetfulness after
Taslīm. When the imam makes Taslīm, that man should stand
up to make up for what he missed and not offer the prostration
of forgetfulness along with the imam. When he makes up for

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what he has missed and makes Taslīm, he can then offer the
prostration of forgetfulness after that.
If one who is led in the prayer, not the imam, experiences
an incident of forgetfulness in the prayer but misses nothing of
the prayer, he does not have to offer the prostration of
forgetfulness because if he does so, this will result in acting
differently from the imam and not following him. The
Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) left the first
Tashahhud when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings
be upon him) forgot it. Instead, they got up along with him and
did not sit down for the first Tashahhud, for the sake of
following him and not acting differently from him.

But if the one led in prayer misses something and

experiences an incident of forgetfulness when he is following
the imam or when he is making up for what he has missed, he
is required to offer the prostration of forgetfulness. So he offers
it after making up for what he has missed, before or after
making Taslīm according to the above detailed explanation.

Example: someone led in prayer forgot to say 'subhāna

rabbi al-‘azhīm (Glorified is my Lord, the Great) in his bowing,
but he missed nothing of the prayer. No prostration of
forgetfulness is due upon him in this case. But if he misses a
rak‘ah or more, he should make up for what he has missed then
offer the prostration of forgetfulness before making Taslīm.

Another example: someone is led in Zhuhr prayer. When

the imam gets up to perform the fourth rak‘ah, the one led in

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prayer sits down thinking that it is the last rak‘ah. When he

realizes that the imam is standing, he stands up. If he missed
nothing of the prayer, he does not have to offer the prostration
of forgetfulness, but if he missed one rak‘ah or more, he should
make up for what he missed and make Taslīm then offer the
prostration of forgetfulness and make Taslīm. The reason for
offering the prostration of forgetfulness is the sitting he added
to the prayer when the imam was getting up to offer the fourth
rak‘ah.

To summarize: from what is mentioned above, it becomes

clear that the prostration of forgetfulness is to be offered
before Taslīm in some cases and after Taslīm in others. It is
offered before Taslīm in two cases:

First: When there is omission in the prayer; and this is

supported by the Hadīth reported by ‘Abdullah ibn Buhaynah
(may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Prophet
(may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered the
prostration of forgetfulness before Taslīm when he forgot to sit
for the first Tashahhud. The Hadīth is cited above in its full
version.

Second: If it is due to doubt where neither possibility is

stronger than the other; and this is supported by the Hadīth
reported by Abu Sa‘īd al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with
him) about the one who has doubt during the prayer: "... and
he does not know whether he prayed three or four rak‘ahs."
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)
ordered that person to offer two prostrations (for

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forgetfulness) before making Taslīm. The Hadīth is cited above

in its full version.

 The prostration of forgetfulness is to be offered after

Taslīm in two cases:
First: When there is addition in the prayer; and this is
supported by Hadīth of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be
pleased with him) reporting that when the Prophet (may Allah's
peace and blessings be upon him) prayed Zhuhr five rak‘ahs,
the Companions mentioned that to him after he had made
Taslīm. So, he offered two prostrations of forgetfulness then
made Taslīm. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be
upon him) did not explain that the reason he offered the
prostration of forgetfulness after Taslīm was that he did not
know about the extra rak‘ah until he finished the prayer. This
proves that the ruling is general, and that the prostration of
forgetfulness is to be offered after Taslīm if there is an addition,
whether one knows of such addition before or after Taslīm.
This also applies if one makes Taslīm forgetfully before he
completes his prayer, then he remembers and completes it. He
has indeed added an extra Taslīm to his prayer, so he offers the
prostration of forgetfulness after Taslīm. This is supported by
the Hadīth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)
reporting that when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and
blessings be upon him) made Taslīm in Zhuhr or ‘Asr prayer
after two rak‘ahs only and the Companions mentioned that to
him, he completed his prayer and made Taslīm then offered the

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prostration of forgetfulness and made Taslīm. The Hadīth is

cited above in its full version.
Second: If it is due to doubt where neither possibility is
stronger than the other. This is supported by the Hadīth of Ibn
Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) wherein he reported
that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)
ordered the one who has doubt about his prayer to strive to
verify which possibility is stronger, completes his prayer
accordingly, makes Taslīm, then offers the prostration of
forgetfulness. The Hadīth is cited above in its full version.
If he experiences two cases of forgetfulness, one of them
requiring prostration before Taslīm and the other requiring
prostration after it. The scholars said that offering prostration
before Taslīm is predominant in this case, so he should
prostrate before it.
Example: someone is praying Zhuhr and he gets up to offer
the third rak‘ah without sitting for the first Tashahhud, then he
sits in the third rak‘ah thinking it to be the second mistakenly,
then he remembers that it is the third. He should stand up,
perform a rak‘ah, offer the prostration of forgetfulness, then
make Taslīm.
This person left the first Tashahhud, which entails offering
the prostration of forgetfulness before Taslīm, then he added a
sitting to the third rak‘ah, which entails offering the prostration
of forgetfulness after Taslīm. So, offering the prostration before
Taslīm is given predominance here, and Allah knows best.

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I ask Allah to help us and our fellow Muslims

to understand His book and the sunnah of His Messenger
(may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)
and to act upon them inwardly and outwardly
in matters of belief, worship, and dealings,
and to make good for us our consequence.
Indeed, He is Most Beneficent and Most Generous.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

May Allah's peace and blessings be
upon our Prophet Muhammad,
his family, and all his Companions.

Written by
Muhammad As-Sālih Al-‘Uthaymīn

on 4/3/1400 AH.

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Table of Contents

A Treatise on the Prostration of Forgetfulness .................................... 3

First: Addition: ................................................................................... 5
 Making Taslīm before completing the prayer:....................... 6
Second: Omission: ............................................................................ 8
 a- Omitting a pillar of the prayer: .......................................... 8
 b- Omitting an obligatory act: ................................................ 9
Third: Doubt: ....................................................................................11
 There are only two cases for doubt that occurs within the
prayer: ..........................................................................................12
Offering The Prostration of Forgetfulness by Someone Led in The
Prayer: ................................................................................................16
 The prostration of forgetfulness is to be offered after Taslīm
in two cases: ................................................................................19

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