Sujud as-Sahw — Prostration of Forgetfulness

Sujud as-Sahw (the prostration of forgetfulness) is a provision in Islamic jurisprudence for correcting unintentional mistakes during prayer. It consists of two additional prostrations performed either before or after the final salam, depending on the type of error and the school of jurisprudence. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself performed sujud as-sahw on multiple occasions, demonstrating that error in prayer is human and that Islam provides a remedy rather than requiring the prayer to be repeated entirely.

When Sujud as-Sahw Is Required

Sujud as-sahw is legislated for three types of errors: addition (ziyadah), such as performing an extra rak'ah or adding an extra prostration; omission (naqs), such as forgetting the first tashahhud or skipping a sunnah mu'akkadah (emphasized sunnah); and doubt (shakk), such as being uncertain whether one has prayed three or four rak'ahs. The Prophet (peace be upon him) once prayed five rak'ahs of Dhuhr and was told after completing the prayer. He then performed two prostrations and made the salam (Sahih al-Bukhari). On another occasion, he prayed only two rak'ahs of Dhuhr, and when reminded, he completed the prayer and then performed sujud as-sahw (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Before or After the Salam

The schools differ on when to perform the prostrations. The Hanafi school holds that sujud as-sahw is always performed after the salam. The Maliki school distinguishes: if the error was an addition, it is performed after the salam; if it was an omission, before the salam. The Shafi'i school holds that it is generally before the salam. The Hanbali school follows the evidence case by case, based on the specific hadith for each situation, sometimes before and sometimes after the salam. Ibn Taymiyyah's opinion, which reconciles the evidence, is that each hadith specifying before or after the salam should be followed for its specific case.

The Method

The prostration consists of two sajdahs (prostrations) with a sitting between them, just like the prostrations in the regular prayer. In each prostration, the person says "Subhana Rabbiyal-A'la" (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High). If performed before the salam, the person makes the prostrations after the final tashahhud and then says the salam. If performed after the salam, the person makes the salam, then performs the two prostrations, then makes the salam again.

Practical Examples

If a person prays four rak'ahs but is unsure whether they prayed three or four, they should assume the lesser number (three) and complete the fourth, then perform sujud as-sahw. This is based on the hadith: "If any of you is uncertain in his prayer and does not know whether he prayed three or four, let him cast aside doubt and build upon what he is certain of" (Sahih Muslim). If a person forgets the first tashahhud and stands up directly, they should not return to it once they have fully risen. Instead, they continue the prayer and perform sujud as-sahw at the end, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did (Sahih al-Bukhari).