1362 — “If one of you performs the prayer and does not know how he has prayed, let him prostrate twice while seated.”

Abu Dawud (1/236, al-Halabi edition), al-Tirmidhi (2/243, Shakir edition), Ibn Majah (1/363–364), and Ahmad (3/12) recorded it through Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from ‘Iyad ibn Hilal, who said: I said to Abu Sa‘id, “One of us prays and does not know how he has prayed.” He replied: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said—then he mentioned it.

Al-Tirmidhi said: “A good hadith.”

I say: It is as he said, or stronger. By this he meant that it is good due to supporting evidence; he did not classify it as intrinsically good—Allah knows best—because this ‘Iyad is unknown. Yahya ibn Abi Kathir alone narrated from him, as stated in al-Taqrib. However, he was corroborated by ‘Ata’ ibn Yasar, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, in a similar report traced back to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Muslim, Abu Dawud, and others recorded it, and it is included in Sahih Abu Dawud (939). Ibn Hibban (537) and al-Hakim (1/322) also recorded it, with wording similar to Muslim’s version. Its chain of transmission is good, and it is a version recorded by Abu Dawud. In his version through the first route, there is an additional wording, for which reason I included it in Da‘if Abu Dawud (187); it is also found in Ibn Hibban (187–188).

1363 — “If the imam prays sitting down, then pray sitting down.”

Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded it in al-Musannaf (2/65/2): Khalid ibn Makhlad narrated to us from Sulayman ibn Bilal, from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, who said: I heard al-Qasim ibn Muhammad say: Mu‘awiyah said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said—then he mentioned it.

I say: This is an authentic chain of transmission; its narrators are trustworthy and meet the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.