When is sajdah sahw needed, and how is it done?
The question as asked, details removedIf I make a mistake in prayer, when do I do sajdah sahw and what is the method?More
This is a sample answer written to show how the site works. It follows the standard Hanafi books, but no mufti has reviewed or signed it yet, so it is not a fatwa. For a real answer, ask a question. Ask a mufti
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِكِ الْوَهَّابِ اَللّٰهُمَّ هِدَايَةَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
1Short answer
Sajdah sahw is wajib when a wajib act of the prayer is missed, or a fard or wajib act is delayed, by mistake. In the last sitting, after the tashahhud, give one salam to the right, make two sajdahs, then sit, read the tashahhud, durood and du'a again, and end with salam.
2Detailed answer
Sajdah sahw becomes wajib when, by mistake:
- A wajib act is left out, for example forgetting the first sitting in a four-rak'ah prayer, or forgetting Surah al-Fatihah or the added surah in a rak'ah where it is wajib.
- A fard or wajib act is delayed, for example by staying silent in thought for as long as it takes to say "Subhan Allah" three times.
Method:
- In the final sitting, read the tashahhud (at-tahiyyat).
- Give one salam to the right.
- Make two sajdahs, as in any prayer.
- Sit again, read the tashahhud, durood and a du'a, and end the prayer with salam on both sides.
If a wajib act is left out deliberately, sajdah sahw is not enough and the prayer must be repeated. If a fard act is left out, the prayer is invalid.
3Evidence and sources
- Sunan Abi Dawud, Book of Prayer
- Al-Hidayah, chapter on sajdah sahw
- Bahar-e-Shariat, chapter on sajdah sahw
Arabic texts, translations and how the ruling was derived
لكل سهو سجدتان بعد ما يسلم
Meaning: For every mistake there are two sajdahs, after the salam.
This narration is the basis for the Hanafi method of making sajdah sahw after a salam. The fuqaha limit it to mistakes, since deliberately leaving a wajib is a fault that two sajdahs do not repair.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُهُ أَعْلَمُ صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ