The Ruling on Doubt Regarding the Number of Rak'ahs in Prayer
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Question:
We return at the beginning of this episode to the message from the listener (M. A. Q.) from Makkah al-Mukarramah. Our brother raised a question for him in a previous episode, and in this episode he asks and says: I prayed the Zuhr prayer one day and I doubted in the prayer whether it was three or four, and then I did not pray the fourth one in which I doubted, and on the second day I repeated the prayer in full. What is the ruling on what I did?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
What you did is the correct thing; because it is obligatory for you, when you doubted, to make it three, and to come with a fourth, then to prostrate for forgetfulness before you say the taslim. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it. He said, (peace and blessings be upon him):.
The point is: if a believer doubts whether he prayed two or three, he makes it two, and if he doubts whether he prayed three or four? That is, in the four-rak'ah prayer, he makes it three, and if it is in the Maghrib and he doubts whether he prayed two or three, he makes it two, and he comes with the third, and if it is in the Fajr, or in the Jumu'ah, and he doubts whether he prayed one or two, he makes it one, then he completes it, then after the end he prostrates two prostrations before he says the taslim. This is what is obligatory for the believer if he is praying alone or is the imam. If he does not do this and limits himself to the three in which he doubted, then his prayer is invalid, and he has to repeat it. As for if he is a ma'mum, he follows his imam. The ma'mum follows his imam, and he does not have the ruling of praying alone, but he follows his imam. If he doubts, he follows his imam.
It is not befitting for the believer to be lenient in these matters, but rather he should act according to the truth, the Sunnah. If he doubts whether he prayed two or three, he makes it two and completes it. If he doubts whether he prayed three in the Zuhr, or the 'Asr, or the 'Isha', or whether he prayed four, he makes it three and completes it, then after that, at the end, if he is the imam or praying alone, he prostrates for forgetfulness. And likewise, if he doubts whether he prostrated one prostration or two, he makes it one, and he comes with the second prostration, or if he doubts while standing whether he bowed or did not bow, he bows, meaning: he builds on the certainty that he did not bow and he bows, then he prostrates for forgetfulness after the end, when he has finished his prayer, and has finished the tashahhud and the supplication, he prostrates two prostrations for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. Your Eminence, do you allow me to repeat the question?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter : He says: I prayed the Zuhr one day and I doubted in the prayer whether it was three or four, and I did not pray the fourth one in which I doubted, and on the second day I prayed it all after the 'Asr prayer. What is the ruling on what I did?
The Shaykh : As mentioned before, if his doubt was after the prayer, then he does not have to repeat it. If the doubt was about three or four after he prayed—he prayed four with his intention that it was four... the doubt occurred to him after the prayer, and after the taslim, then there is no action required of him. Doubt after the prayer requires no action, and the original state is that he prayed it as four, and praise be to Allah.
As for if his doubt was in the middle of it, whether he prayed three or four, and he was lenient and limited himself to the three, and did not complete it, then he realized it afterwards, and made it up after the 'Asr prayer, or the Zuhr, or the Duha, then his making it up is valid, and this is what is obligatory for him to do, to make it up; because he did not pray a complete prayer. He said the taslim from it while he was doubting, so he has to make it up if he did not complete it immediately when he realized it, or if the doubt was after the prayer, then there is no action required of him. Doubts after finishing the act of worship require no action.
So if he prayed it as complete, then after this doubts occurred to him, then he has no action required of him. The action is only if the doubt is inside it, doubt whether he prayed three or four before he said the taslim? Then it is obligatory for him to make it three, and complete it, come with a fourth. This is in the Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha. And in the Maghrib, doubt about two or three, if he doubts whether he prayed two or three? He makes it two, then he comes with the third, he completes the Maghrib.
And likewise in the Fajr and the Jumu'ah, if he doubts whether he prayed two, or whether he prayed one? He makes it one, this is the certain thing, then he comes with the second and completes it and prostrates for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. So if he left acting according to this, did not build on the certainty, was lenient and limited himself to the third and said the taslim, or the two and said the taslim in the Maghrib, this would be an error and a contradiction of the Sunnah. If he realized it immediately, he stood up and came with a rak'ah. If he did not realize it until a long interval had passed, he makes it up in full as he did, as this questioner did.
The presenter : So our brother, when he made it up in full on the second day, there is no blame on him?
The Shaykh : Yes; because the interval was long, it happened to him.
The presenter : May Allah bless you, and may Allah reward you with good.
We return at the beginning of this episode to the message from the listener (M. A. Q.) from Makkah al-Mukarramah. Our brother raised a question for him in a previous episode, and in this episode he asks and says: I prayed the Zuhr prayer one day and I doubted in the prayer whether it was three or four, and then I did not pray the fourth one in which I doubted, and on the second day I repeated the prayer in full. What is the ruling on what I did?
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
What you did is the correct thing; because it is obligatory for you, when you doubted, to make it three, and to come with a fourth, then to prostrate for forgetfulness before you say the taslim. This is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it. He said, (peace and blessings be upon him):
If one of you prays and doubts in his prayer and does not know how many he prayed, three or four, then let him discard the doubt and build on what he is certain of, then let him prostrate two prostrations before he says the taslim. If he had prayed five, they would have made his prayer even, and if he had prayed the full amount, they would be a humiliation for Satan.
إذا صلى أحدكم وشك في صلاته فلم يدر كم صلى ثلاثًا، أم أربعًا فليطرح الشك وليبن على ما استيقن، ثم ليسجد سجدتين قبل أن يسلم، فإن كان صلى خمسًا شفعن له صلاته، وإن كان صلى تمامًا كانتا ترغيمًا للشيطانThe point is: if a believer doubts whether he prayed two or three, he makes it two, and if he doubts whether he prayed three or four? That is, in the four-rak'ah prayer, he makes it three, and if it is in the Maghrib and he doubts whether he prayed two or three, he makes it two, and he comes with the third, and if it is in the Fajr, or in the Jumu'ah, and he doubts whether he prayed one or two, he makes it one, then he completes it, then after the end he prostrates two prostrations before he says the taslim. This is what is obligatory for the believer if he is praying alone or is the imam. If he does not do this and limits himself to the three in which he doubted, then his prayer is invalid, and he has to repeat it. As for if he is a ma'mum, he follows his imam. The ma'mum follows his imam, and he does not have the ruling of praying alone, but he follows his imam. If he doubts, he follows his imam.
It is not befitting for the believer to be lenient in these matters, but rather he should act according to the truth, the Sunnah. If he doubts whether he prayed two or three, he makes it two and completes it. If he doubts whether he prayed three in the Zuhr, or the 'Asr, or the 'Isha', or whether he prayed four, he makes it three and completes it, then after that, at the end, if he is the imam or praying alone, he prostrates for forgetfulness. And likewise, if he doubts whether he prostrated one prostration or two, he makes it one, and he comes with the second prostration, or if he doubts while standing whether he bowed or did not bow, he bows, meaning: he builds on the certainty that he did not bow and he bows, then he prostrates for forgetfulness after the end, when he has finished his prayer, and has finished the tashahhud and the supplication, he prostrates two prostrations for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good. Your Eminence, do you allow me to repeat the question?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The presenter : He says: I prayed the Zuhr one day and I doubted in the prayer whether it was three or four, and I did not pray the fourth one in which I doubted, and on the second day I prayed it all after the 'Asr prayer. What is the ruling on what I did?
The Shaykh : As mentioned before, if his doubt was after the prayer, then he does not have to repeat it. If the doubt was about three or four after he prayed—he prayed four with his intention that it was four... the doubt occurred to him after the prayer, and after the taslim, then there is no action required of him. Doubt after the prayer requires no action, and the original state is that he prayed it as four, and praise be to Allah.
As for if his doubt was in the middle of it, whether he prayed three or four, and he was lenient and limited himself to the three, and did not complete it, then he realized it afterwards, and made it up after the 'Asr prayer, or the Zuhr, or the Duha, then his making it up is valid, and this is what is obligatory for him to do, to make it up; because he did not pray a complete prayer. He said the taslim from it while he was doubting, so he has to make it up if he did not complete it immediately when he realized it, or if the doubt was after the prayer, then there is no action required of him. Doubts after finishing the act of worship require no action.
So if he prayed it as complete, then after this doubts occurred to him, then he has no action required of him. The action is only if the doubt is inside it, doubt whether he prayed three or four before he said the taslim? Then it is obligatory for him to make it three, and complete it, come with a fourth. This is in the Zuhr, 'Asr, and 'Isha. And in the Maghrib, doubt about two or three, if he doubts whether he prayed two or three? He makes it two, then he comes with the third, he completes the Maghrib.
And likewise in the Fajr and the Jumu'ah, if he doubts whether he prayed two, or whether he prayed one? He makes it one, this is the certain thing, then he comes with the second and completes it and prostrates for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. So if he left acting according to this, did not build on the certainty, was lenient and limited himself to the third and said the taslim, or the two and said the taslim in the Maghrib, this would be an error and a contradiction of the Sunnah. If he realized it immediately, he stood up and came with a rak'ah. If he did not realize it until a long interval had passed, he makes it up in full as he did, as this questioner did.
The presenter : So our brother, when he made it up in full on the second day, there is no blame on him?
The Shaykh : Yes; because the interval was long, it happened to him.
The presenter : May Allah bless you, and may Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.