On Forgetfulness in Prayer

Allah, exalted is He, prescribed prayer in His Book for His legally accountable servants in general terms. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained how to perform it and, through his words and actions, clarified the rulings concerning forgetfulness in prayer or the omission of any part of it. Allah, exalted is He, would cause him to forget during prayer so that he might establish the Sunnah for his community, as related in his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): “I do forget—or am made to forget—so that I may establish the Sunnah.”

Four instances of forgetfulness in his prayer have been recorded from him (peace and blessings be upon him): “He stood up after two rak‘ahs, omitting the sitting, and did not return to it; he performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness before the closing salutation.” “He gave the closing salutation after two rak‘ahs, whereupon Dhū al-Yadayn spoke to him about it. He then resumed and completed the remainder of his prayer, and performed the two prostrations of forgetfulness after the salutation.” He also prayed a fifth rak‘ah and prostrated after the salutation because of his lapse. On another occasion, he omitted a verse from Sūrat al-Furqān but did not prostrate for his lapse.

He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

“If any of you is uncertain during his prayer and cannot remember whether he has prayed three or four rak‘ahs, let him pray one rak‘ah and perform two prostrations while seated, before the closing salutation. If the rak‘ah he prayed was a fifth, he will have made it even with these two prostrations; if it was a fourth, the two prostrations will humiliate Satan.”

What he prescribed for his community through his words and actions thus makes clear that lapses in prayer fall into three categories: some cannot be remedied by