Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
If I forget to perform Sujud al-Sahw, I can do so after prayer. However, how long after prayer can we perform it? I stood up and folded my prayer mat before recalling while reading Ayat al-Kursi.
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
It is necessary (wajib) for you to perform the prostrations of forgetfulness as long as you are still facing the qibla and as long as you have not uttered worldly speech. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
The reason for this ruling is that exiting the prayer with a Salam is a condition for performing the prostrations of forgetfulness in the best manner, and this Salam is a remembrance (dhikr) that doesn’t break the sacrality of the prayer. Thus there is still room to perform the prostrations of forgetfulness. If, on the other hand, the qibla is not faced anymore or if worldly speech has been uttered, the sacrality of the prayer has been broken, and there is no possibility anymore to perform the prostrations of forgetfulness. [Tahtawi, Hashiya ala Maraqi al-Falah]
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “It is not befitting for the prayer to contain the speech of people.” [Muslim]
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.