Another example is the man whom the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, appointed over a detachment he dispatched. He would recite for them and conclude with: “Say: He is Allah, the One.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, approved of this, (1) yet he did not say to the ummah: “When you recite in your prayers, conclude with: ‘Say: He is Allah, the One,’” nor did he himself do so. This shows that it is not prescribed, though it is permissible and there is nothing wrong with it.

Another example is continuing the fast until the pre-dawn meal. This is permissible; that is, one may refrain from breaking the fast until the end of the night. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, approved of it, saying: “Whichever of you wishes to continue fasting, let him continue until the pre-dawn meal.” (2) Yet it is not prescribed. In other words, we do not tell people: “It is better to refrain from breaking the fast until the pre-dawn meal.” Rather, we say: “It is better to hasten to break the fast.”

This is the issue mentioned by the author, may Allah have mercy on him: if one omits a verbal or practical Sunnah in the prayer, the prostration of forgetfulness is not prescribed for him; but if he does prostrate, there is nothing wrong with it.

In my view, however, the matter requires further detail: if a person forgetfully omits one of the recommended sayings or actions which he habitually performs, then it is prescribed for him to prostrate in order to make up for this shortcoming—a shortcoming in completeness, not a deficiency in an obligation—due to the general wording of the hadith: “For every forgetfulness, there are two prostrations.” (3) And in