the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He then turned to the people and said, “Is what Dhu al-Yadayn says true?” They replied, “Yes.” So he stepped forward and prayed what he had omitted, then gave the salutation, then performed two prostrations and gave the salutation again (1). This is the evidence for this issue, namely his statement: “Then, if he remembers shortly afterward, he completes it and prostrates.”

But if he remembers while standing, should he continue from his standing position, or must he sit down and then stand up?

The jurists, may Allah have mercy on them, said: He must sit down and then stand up, based on the statement of Dhu al-Yadayn: “He prayed what he had omitted.” He had omitted rising from a seated position, so he must rise from a seated position. This is based on the view that rising itself is an intended pillar.

If it is argued that rising is not an intended pillar, but is required only so that one may be standing, then, accordingly, he is not required to sit down and then stand up—as some scholars have held.

The answer is that what the jurists, may Allah have mercy on them, have mentioned is the more prudent view. Thus, if a person has risen and then remembers—or is reminded—he should sit down, then stand up, and complete the prayer.

His statement, “then remembers shortly afterward,” also entails another condition: that he must not do anything that invalidates the prayer. If he does something that invalidates it, such as breaking his ablution, eating, or the like, then he may not continue on the basis of his prayer, because the condition has been lost. This is clear in the case of breaking one’s ablution, for once he has done so, it becomes impossible to join one part of the prayer to another, since it has been interrupted by the nullification of his ablution.