Accordingly, a woman is the same as a man in the manner of performing the prayer.

The author, may Allah have mercy on him, has finished discussing the manner of the prayer. However, because the book is concise, he did not mention what a person should say after concluding the prayer with the salam. Yet we ought to know what one says after concluding the prayer with the salam.

After giving the salam, he says, “I seek Allah’s forgiveness,” three times (1)—that is, “I ask Allah to forgive me.” A person has been prescribed to seek forgiveness after performing this great act of worship because it is an act deserving particular care and attention.

Many people fall short in it, whether in its outward prescribed aspects or its inward ones. With regard to its inward aspects, they fall short greatly, so that satanic whisperings overcome all, or most, of their prayer. How many people pray with their bodies, but not with their hearts! Likewise, regarding its outward prescribed aspects, a person is not free of deficiency or excess. He may fall short in placing his hands, in keeping his back level with his head while bowing, in keeping his limbs apart, or in other matters. Or he may go to excess through unnecessary movements, as can be observed in some worshippers.

All of this is from Satan: he reminds a person of something during his prayer, then makes him forget it once he has finished praying, until the next prayer comes and he remembers it. It is therefore mentioned that a man came to Abu Hanifah and said that he had forgotten such-and-such, so he said to him: