some new ruling concerning the prayer had just been introduced.
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The Prophet ﷺ drew attention to the fact that he had omitted that sitting and the tashahhud that accompanies it while still in the prayer; when he finished the supplication that follows the final tashahhud he performed two prostrations before giving the salām—these are the prostrations of forgetfulness.
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The two prostrations of forgetfulness are identical to the ordinary prostrations of the prayer with respect to the takbīr, posture, and the words recited in them. They therefore fall under the general injunction to pronounce the prescribed remembrances in prostration; had they required a special formula, the Prophet ﷺ would have clarified it, for this was precisely the moment when such clarification was needed.
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The prostrations of forgetfulness are to be performed before the salām; a full discussion of this will follow, Allah willing.
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The prostrations of forgetfulness take the place of whatever the worshipper overlooked or forgot in his prayer.
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This ḥadith does not state that after the two prostrations he recited another tashahhud or made any supplication. Rather, the wording “before he gave the salām” indicates that he pronounced the salām immediately afterward, with no tashahhud and no further pause.
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The report shows that forgetfulness can befall the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, even though he is divinely protected. This demonstrates that ordinary human lapses do not impugn his infallibility or undermine his Prophethood; instead, such incidents serve as legislation, instruction, and guidance for his community. Since forgetfulness befell the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, it cannot be deemed a flaw in anyone else’s religion or a deficiency in his worship.
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The ḥadith establishes the legitimacy of the prostrations of forgetfulness for one who neglects the first tashahhud.
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The prostrations of forgetfulness consist of two prostrations.
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It is obligatory for the follower to conform to the imam in omitting the first sitting for the tashahhud, even if the follower himself has not forgotten.
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The first tashahhud is not one of the pillars of the prayer; had it been a pillar, performing it would have been mandatory.
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The takbīr in the prostrations of forgetfulness is a takbīr of transition, including the takbīr before the first of the two prostrations.
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The fact that he ﷺ performed only two prostrations indicates that, whether one commits a single lapse or several, two prostrations suffice.