What is Sujud al-Sahw?
Sujud al-Sahw is the prostration performed by the person praying before or after the Salam (Ending of Salah), if there is a reason for it and their prayer has been unintentionally disrupted. This may happen due to an addition in the prayer, such as an extra bowing, prostration, standing, or sitting, or due to a deficiency, such as omitting an obligatory (Wajib) part of the prayer like the first Tashahhud, or due to doubt, such as uncertainty about the number of rak’ahs performed.
What is the ruling on Sujud al-Sahw?
The views of the scholars from the four schools of thought on the ruling of Sujud al-Sahw for the imam, the individual praying alone, and the follower are as follows:
The Hanafi School:
The Hanafis hold that Sujud al-Sahw is obligatory, based on the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) Hadith: (إنَّما أنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ أنْسَى كما تَنْسَوْنَ، فَإِذَا نَسِيَ أحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَسْجُدْ سَجْدَتَيْن) “I am but a human being like you, I forget as you forget. So if one of you forgets, let him perform two prostrations.” (Muslim, 572)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed those who made a mistake in their prayer to perform Sujud al-Sahw, and his consistent practice of maintaining it emphasizes its obligation. If the imam or the individual praying alone makes a mistake in their prayer, whether by adding something, omitting something, or doubting something, they must perform two prostrations of forgetfulness, and they sin by neglecting it, though their prayer remains valid. As for the follower, Sujud al-Sahw is not obligatory if they make a mistake; they must follow their imam. If the imam prostrates for forgetfulness, the follower must follow him.
The Maliki and Shafi’i Schools:
The Malikis and Shafi’is hold that Sujud al-Sahw is recommended for the imam and the individual praying alone but not obligatory, whether before or after the salutation. For the follower, Sujud al-Sahw is not prescribed because the imam bears the responsibility for his forgetfulness and mistakes. The follower must prostrate for forgetfulness when the imam does, as failing to follow the imam invalidates their prayer, requiring them to repeat it for it to be accepted.
The Hanbali School:
The Hanbalis state that Sujud al-Sahw can be obligatory, recommended, or permissible for the imam and the individual praying alone. The follower must follow the imam in Sujud al-Sahw; if the imam prostrates, the follower must prostrate. If not, the follower does not prostrate. Failing to follow the imam in Sujud al-Sahw invalidates the prayer. The rulings for the imam and the individual praying alone are as follows:
Obligatory:
- When the prayer is invalidated by deliberate action, such as adding or omitting a pillar of the prayer.
- Omitting an obligatory part of the prayer, like forgetting to say “Subhan Rabi al-Ala” in bowing or prostration.
- Doubting the prayer, such as the number of rak’ahs performed or omitting a pillar of the prayer.
- Mistakes in recitation that change the meaning out of forgetfulness or ignorance.
Recommended:
- Saying a prescribed phrase in an incorrect place, other than the salutation, out of forgetfulness or deliberately, like saying the Tashahhud while standing.
Permissible:
- Leaving a recommended act of the prayer.
How is Sujud al-Sahw done in cases of doubt?
Doubt in the prayer occurs when one is uncertain about an addition or omission in the prayer, such as doubting whether they have prayed three or four rak’ahs. Sujud al-Sahw in cases of doubt is performed in two ways:
- If one leans towards one of the two possibilities (addition or omission) and acts upon it, for example, if one leans towards having prayed four rak’ahs, they complete the prayer based on this assumption, perform the final Tashahhud, prostrate for forgetfulness before the salutation, and then give the salutation.
- If one does not lean towards either possibility and is equally doubtful, they build on the lesser number (certainty), complete the fourth rak’ah, sit for Tashahhud, give the salutation, and then prostrate for forgetfulness after the salutation.
When is Sujud al-Sahw performed after the salutation?
The person praying prostrates twice after the salutation, saying what they normally say in prostration, then gives the salutation again. Sujud al-Sahw after the salutation is performed in the following cases:
- Adding to the prayer unintentionally, like extra bowing or standing. If done deliberately, the prayer is invalid.
- Acting on certainty when doubt persists, as explained earlier.
- Omitting an act of the prayer unintentionally, such as forgetting a bowing or prostration. For example, if one forgets the second prostration in the first rak’ah and remembers during the recitation in the second rak’ah, they interrupt the recitation, sit and prostrate, complete the prayer, and prostrate for forgetfulness after the salutation.
What do I say in Sujud al-Sahw?
In Sujud al-Sahw, one says, سبحان ربي الأعلى “Subhan Rabi al-Ala” as in regular prostration.
What is the Dalil (Hadith) for Sujud al-Sahw?
The Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned Sujud al-Sahw in various hadiths, such as:
إذا شَكَّ أحَدُكُمْ في صَلاتِهِ، فَلَمْ يَدْرِ كَمْ صَلَّى ثَلاثًا أمْ أرْبَعًا، فَلْيَطْرَحِ الشَّكَّ ولْيَبْنِ علَى ما اسْتَيْقَنَ، ثُمَّ يَسْجُدُ سَجْدَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ أنْ يُسَلِّمَ، فإنْ كانَ صَلَّى خَمْسًا شَفَعْنَ له صَلاتَهُ، وإنْ كانَ صَلَّى إتْمامًا لأَرْبَعٍ كانَتا تَرْغِيمًا لِلشَّيْطانِ.
“If any of you is uncertain about his prayer and does not know how many rak’ahs he has prayed, three or four, let him cast aside his doubt and base his prayer on what he is certain of. Then he should perform two prostrations before the salutation. If he has prayed five rak’ahs, they will make his prayer even; if he has prayed four, they will be a humiliation for the devil.”
(Muslim, 571)
Summary of the Ruling on Sujud al-Sahw
Sujud al-Sahw is obligatory, and not performing it, is sinful if there’s an addition or omission of a pillar or an obligatory part of the prayer (There’s more details in it, You can read this article to find out). It is recommended if it is for saying a prescribed phrase in the wrong place, and it is permissible if a recommended act of the prayer is omitted.