I complain of frequent forgetfulness in my prayer, even though I strive to focus in my prayer. I ask that you guide me?
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good. I notice, Shaykh Salih, that she frequently asks about forgetfulness. In another question, she says: Sometimes I forget in my prayer, and it becomes obligatory for me to prostrate for forgetfulness, either because I forgot the first tashahhud or something else. However, sometimes when I prostrate for forgetfulness, and before I say the taslim, I recite the tashahhud again out of forgetfulness. Do I prostrate for forgetfulness again after the taslim? May Allah reward you with good. Also, I complain of frequent forgetfulness in my prayer, even though I enter from the left and seek refuge from Satan three times before starting the prayer, and I strive to focus in my prayer. But I find myself distracted from my prayer and drifting in a sea of thoughts and imaginations. I ask that you guide me. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
What appears from the questioner's condition is that she is afflicted with waswas (whispers of doubt), so she should seek refuge in Allah. Allah is the One to be sought for help.
From waswas, and if it becomes frequent, she should not pay attention to it, but rather she should pray, and her prayer is valid, if Allah wills, and she should not pay attention to the whispers. However, if it happens that she left an obligatory part of the prayer, such as the first tashahhud, or saying Subhan Rabbi al-Azim in the ruku', or saying Subhan Rabbi al-A'la in the sujud, or saying Rabbi ighfir li between the two prostrations. The important point is: if she left an obligatory part of the prayer out of forgetfulness, she prostrates for it. She prostrates for it before the taslim. And if she prostrates for forgetfulness, she says the taslim. If she prostrates the two prostrations of forgetfulness, she says the taslim immediately and does not recite the tashahhud after the prostration of forgetfulness. And what the questioner mentioned about her experiencing multiple instances of forgetfulness, for example leaving the first tashahhud, or leaving Subhan Rabbi al-Azim in the ruku', and the forgetfulness repeating, or that she recites the tashahhud after the prostration of forgetfulness as she mentioned: if forgetfulness occurs multiple times, two prostrations suffice for it. If one forgets repeatedly, two prostrations suffice for him, and it is not required for him to prostrate for every instance of forgetfulness. Yes.
May Allah reward you with good. I notice, Shaykh Salih, that she frequently asks about forgetfulness. In another question, she says: Sometimes I forget in my prayer, and it becomes obligatory for me to prostrate for forgetfulness, either because I forgot the first tashahhud or something else. However, sometimes when I prostrate for forgetfulness, and before I say the taslim, I recite the tashahhud again out of forgetfulness. Do I prostrate for forgetfulness again after the taslim? May Allah reward you with good. Also, I complain of frequent forgetfulness in my prayer, even though I enter from the left and seek refuge from Satan three times before starting the prayer, and I strive to focus in my prayer. But I find myself distracted from my prayer and drifting in a sea of thoughts and imaginations. I ask that you guide me. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
What appears from the questioner's condition is that she is afflicted with waswas (whispers of doubt), so she should seek refuge in Allah. Allah is the One to be sought for help.
From waswas, and if it becomes frequent, she should not pay attention to it, but rather she should pray, and her prayer is valid, if Allah wills, and she should not pay attention to the whispers. However, if it happens that she left an obligatory part of the prayer, such as the first tashahhud, or saying Subhan Rabbi al-Azim in the ruku', or saying Subhan Rabbi al-A'la in the sujud, or saying Rabbi ighfir li between the two prostrations. The important point is: if she left an obligatory part of the prayer out of forgetfulness, she prostrates for it. She prostrates for it before the taslim. And if she prostrates for forgetfulness, she says the taslim. If she prostrates the two prostrations of forgetfulness, she says the taslim immediately and does not recite the tashahhud after the prostration of forgetfulness. And what the questioner mentioned about her experiencing multiple instances of forgetfulness, for example leaving the first tashahhud, or leaving Subhan Rabbi al-Azim in the ruku', and the forgetfulness repeating, or that she recites the tashahhud after the prostration of forgetfulness as she mentioned: if forgetfulness occurs multiple times, two prostrations suffice for it. If one forgets repeatedly, two prostrations suffice for him, and it is not required for him to prostrate for every instance of forgetfulness. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، أشكو من كثرة السهو في صلاتي، مع أنني أجاهد نفسي في صلاتي، أرجو أن توجهوني؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.
