Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

asalamo alaikum,

can u plz explain what Sajadah Suhoo is & how is it performed?

jazakAllah khayr

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Sajda sahu

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Your Question: can u plz explain what Sajadah Suhoo

The ‘sajdah-sahoo’ or prostration of forgetfulness is a process which can and must be performed at the end of the prayer by one who has made an unintentional error or mistake in his rite of prayer.  Amongst the unintentional errors in prayer which would require a ‘sajdah-sahoo’ are:

 

1.                  If a person makes the taslim before he actually completes the prayers.

Ibn Sireen relates from Abu Hurairah, who said: "The Prophet (saws) prayed either zuhr or 'asr salah with us and he prayed only two rak'at and made the taslim.  He got up and leaned against a piece of wood in the mosque as if he was angry. He put his right hand on his left and interlocked his fingers. Then, he placed his cheek on the back of his left hand. And some people left the mosque in a hurry.  And they said: 'The prayer has been shortened?' Among the people were Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and they were shy to speak to him.  One of the people, who was called Dhul-Yadain, said: 'O Messenger of Allah (saws), have you forgotten or has the prayer been shortened?'  He (saws) answered: 'I have not forgotten and it has not been shortened.'  Then he asked: 'Is it as Dhul-Yadain has said?'  The people answered in the affirmative...At that, he led the people in what he had ommitted and made the taslim.  After which he made the takbir and prostrated the way he usually prostrated or perhaps even longer. Next, he raised his head and made the takbir. Then, he made the takbir [again] and prostrated, like one of his customary sujjud or perhaps even longer, and finally, he raised his head."

This is related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

 

2.                  In the case of an addition to the prayer.

Ibn Mas'ud narrates that the Prophet (saws) prayed five rak'at and the people

asked him: "Has there been an addition to the prayer?"  He (saws) asked: "Why do you say that?"  They replied: "You prayed five rak'at"  Then he made two sujJud after he had made the taslim. 

This is related by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood.

 

3.                  In the case of forgetting the first tashahud, or one of the other sunnah acts of the prayer.

 

Ibn Buhainah narrates that the Prophet (saws) stood after two rak'at. The people tried to correct him but he continued. When he finished his salah, he made two sujjud and made the taslim.’

This is related by Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood. 

This hadith shows that one who forgets the first sitting but is reminded of it and he recalls it before he completely stands should return and sit, but if he is already completely standing, he should not sit down. This is supported by what Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and Ibn Majah recorded from al-Mughirah ibn Shu'bah, that the Prophet (saws) said: "If one of you stands after two rak'at and he has not completely stood, then he should sit. If he is already completely standing, he should not sit and he should make two sujjud of forgetfulness."

 

4.                  In the case of doubt over whether or not one performed some act of the prayer.

Abdurrahman ibn 'Auf reported that he heard the Prophet (saws) say: "If one of you has some doubt during his salah and he does not know if he prayed one rak'ah or two, he should take it to have been just one. If he does not know if he prayed two rak'at or three, he should take it to have been just two. If he does not know if he prayed three rak'at or four, he should take it to have been just three. [In all such cases] at the end of his prayer, while sitting, he should make two sujjud before the taslim."

This is related by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmidhi.

 

Your Question: how is it performed?

If one fears that one has forgotten or omitted or made any unintentional mistake in one’s prayer due to forgetfulness, regardless of whether the prayer is obligatory or supererogatory, one should perform the ‘sajdah-sahoo’ or prostration of forgetfulness; it is expected that the Lord Most Gracious will accept their worship of prayer and will not reduce their reward in the least.

 

There are two ways prescribed in the authentic narrations on how the Messenger of Allah (saws) performed the Sajdah-Sahoo and both are acceptable.  Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws)  did two sujjud before the taslim,  and  in the narration of Dhul-Yadain narrated by Abu Hurairah,  it is recorded that  the Prophet (saws) made the prostrations after the taslim.

 

The way to perform the ‘Sajdah-Sahoo’ (or Sajdahs of forgetfulness) is to go into sajdah and glorify Allah, then sit and make supplication to Allah, then again go into sajdah and glorify Allah, and then perform the tasleems on either side.  

 

This whole set of actions related above is called ‘sajdah-sahoo’ and is to be done only once at the end of the prayer, if the person has made an unintentional mistake/s in their prayer.

 

Sajdah-Sahoo 1 (before the ‘tasleem’):

If one realizes one has made an error in prayer during  the prayer, one should complete the prayer to the best of his conviction and recite the ‘tashahud’;   just before the tasleems of either side at the end of the ‘tashahud’,  one should make the two sajdahs for  ‘sajdah-sahoo’ and then perform the taslems on either side.

 

Sajdah-Sahoo 2 (after the ‘tasleem’):

If one realizes that one has made an error in prayer after one has already completed one’s prayer and performed the ‘tasleems’; then immediately after realization of the error, one should make the two sajdahs for ‘sajdah-sahoo’ and then again perform the tasleems on either side.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan