Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (1) said: Rather, he should prostrate even if a long time has passed, because this makes up for the deficiency that occurred; whenever he remembers it, he should make it up.

However, the stronger view is what the author—may Allah have mercy on him—stated, and it is the established position of the school (2): if a long interval has passed, it lapses. This is because it is either an obligation for the prayer or an obligation within it; thus, it is attached to the prayer and is not an independent prayer such that we might cite the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: “Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, let him pray it when he remembers it” (3). Rather, it follows something else: if he remembers it after a short time, he prostrates; otherwise, it lapses.

“Whoever forgets repeatedly, two prostrations suffice for him.”

His statement, “Whoever forgets repeatedly, two prostrations suffice for him,” means that the two prostrations make up for everything that was omitted.

An example of repeated forgetfulness is that one omits saying, “Glory be to my Lord, the Magnificent,” while bowing; omits the first tashahhud; and omits saying, “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High,” while prostrating. These are three reasons, each of which entails the prostration of forgetfulness, yet two prostrations suffice, because the obligation in this case is of one and the same kind, so some of it is subsumed under the rest. This is like someone who invalidates his ablution through urination, defecation, passing wind, and eating camel meat: one ablution suffices for him, and he is not required to perform a separate ablution for each cause. Likewise here, the causes for prostration are multiple, but what is required on account of these causes is one thing: the occurrence of forgetfulness. Thus, they overlap.

However, if two causes come together, one of which requires the prostration to be before the salām and the other requires it to be after the salām,