They replied, “Yes.”

So he stepped forward, performed the portion of the prayer he had omitted, and then concluded with the salām. After that—while still seated—he pronounced the takbīr, prostrated a prostration like his customary prostration or even longer, then raised his head and said the takbīr again. He repeated the takbīr, made a second prostration like the first or longer, then lifted his head and said the takbīr. They would sometimes ask him, “And then did he give the salām?” He said, “I was informed (1) that ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn said: ‘Then he gave the salām.’ ”

al-ʿashiyy: the period from the sun’s decline until sunset.

Overall meaning

Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—relates that the Prophet ﷺ led his Companions in either the ẓuhr or the ʿaṣr prayer (2). After completing the first two rakʿahs he gave the salām.

Because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was perfect in every respect and his soul could find no rest except in a complete act of worship, he felt a deficiency and sensed something amiss, though he did not yet know what it was. He therefore moved to a wooden beam in the mosque, leaned against it in a state of unease, and interlaced his fingers, for his noble soul perceived that some part of the prayer had not been fulfilled.

The quick-stepping worshippers left through the mosque doors, whispering among themselves that something unusual had happened—that the prayer had been shortened—yet they deemed it inconceivable that forgetfulness could befall a prophet. So great was their reverence for him ﷺ that none of them dared address him on this vital matter, not even Abū Bakr or ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with them both.

One Companion, however—a man known as Dhul-Yadayn—broke the silence and asked, “Messenger of Allah, did you forget, or has the prayer been shortened?”

Acting on what he presumed at the time, the Prophet ﷺ replied, “I did not forget, nor has it been shortened.”

When Dhul-Yadayn learned that the prayer had not been shortened and was certain they had prayed only two rakʿahs, he realized that the Prophet ﷺ must indeed have forgotten and said, “Rather, you did forget.”

The Prophet ﷺ wished to verify Dhul-Yadayn’s statement, so he asked those around him, “Is it as Dhul-Yadayn says—that I prayed only two rakʿahs?” They answered, “Yes.” He ﷺ then stepped forward and completed the missed portion of the prayer.

After the tashahhud he gave the salām, then, while seated, pronounced the takbīr and made a prostration like the regular prostration of the prayer—or even longer—raised his head and said the takbīr, pronounced it again, performed a second prostration like the first or longer, raised his head and said the takbīr, and finally gave the salām without repeating the tashahhud.

Scholarly disagreement

Doubt arising during prayer is one of the causes that require sujūd as-sahw. Muslim narrates from Abū Saʿīd that the Prophet ﷺ said: “If any one of you is uncertain in his prayer and does not know whether he has prayed three or four (rakʿahs), let him dismiss the doubt and build upon what he is certain of, then perform two prostrations before giving the salām.”

His words, “If he is uncertain,” are