Chapter: The Sujūd of Forgetfulness, the Sujūd of Recitation, and the Sujūd of Gratitude

Introduction

– sahā ʿan al-shayʾ sahwan: he became heedless of it; his heart drifted from it to something else. Hence, sahw (forgetfulness) is distraction and heedlessness regarding something that had been in one’s mind.

Al-Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ said: sahw during the prayer is simply forgetting within it.

It is also said: sahā ʿan al-shayʾ sahwan—that he was oblivious to it and his heart lost awareness of it.

Ibn al-Athīr explained: sahw fī al-shayʾ is to omit something unknowingly, whereas sahw ʿan al-shayʾ is to omit it despite being aware of it.

Some scholars hold that sahw, nisyān (forgetfulness), and ghaflah (heedlessness) are synonymous terms, all meaning that the heart becomes distracted from what was stored in memory.

Al-Ḥāfiẓ remarked: some have sought to differentiate between them, but such distinctions amount to nothing.

Ibn al-Qayyim said: The Prophet’s ﷺ instances of forgetfulness in prayer were a manifestation of Allah’s perfect favor upon his community and a completion of their religion, so that they might emulate him in what he legislated for them when forgetfulness occurs.

The compiler adds: One of the wisdoms behind his ﷺ forgetfulness is the affirmation of his humanity, lest extremists find a pretext to ascribe to him any of the qualities of divinity or lordship under the guise of veneration. For that reason he ﷺ said, “I am only a human being like you; I forget just as you forget, so when I forget, remind me.” [al-Bukhārī 451; Muslim 572]. As for the wisdom of the sujūd of forgetfulness, it is to humble—