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Prostration of Forgetfulness

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Qibla.com

Answered by Sidi Moustafa Elqabbany

1. How exactly do you perform sujud sahw. Do you recite everything, perform two prostrations and then the taslim? What if you remember after completing the prayer then what do you do?

Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

When to Perform it

The prostration of forgetfulness is performed immediately before the closing salams of the prayer. If one does close the prayer with salams, one is no longer entitled to perform it unless one satisfies three conditions:

1. That one utter the salams having forgotten the need to prostrate;

2. That one prostrate shortly after salams; and

3. That the prayer not be invalidated by anything, such as losing one’s wudu, becoming affected by filth, or turning away from the qibla for a long period of time.

Additionally, if, after salams, one merely intends not to prostrate, one is not entitled to do so if one changes one’s mind later.

How to Perform it

One prostrates twice, like the prostrations of prayer. One says in them what one says while prostrating for prayer. The Arabic, transliteration, and translation of these supplications can be found in Reliance of the Traveller, Maqasid, and other books. Additionally, some scholars encourage one to say subhan-alladhee la yas-hu wa la yanam (Glorified is the One Who doesn’t forget or sleep)

سبحان الذي لا يسهو و لا ينام

if the cause of the prostration is forgetfulness. If the cause of prostration is an intentional lapse, one is encouraged to ask Allah’s forgiveness during the prostration.

Allah the Exalted knows best.

Moustafa Elqabbany
Metro Vancouver, Canada

 

This answer was indexed from Qibla.com, which used to have a repository of Islamic Q&A answered by various scholars. The website is no longer in existence. It has now been transformed into a learning portal with paid Islamic course offering under the brand of Kiflayn.

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