Risala fi Sujud al-Sahw
- Author died
- 1421 AH
- Editions
- Madār al-Waṭan
Risala fi Sujud al-Sahw (Treatise on the Prostrations of Forgetfulness) is a legal treatise written by the Saudi scholar Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (d. 1421 AH / 2001 CE), outlining the legal rulings, causes, and placement of the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) in Islamic prayer.
Composition and Purpose
Ibn Uthaymin completed the treatise on 4 Rabi' al-Awwal 1400 AH (22 January 1980 CE). In his introduction, he noted that he authored the work because many Muslims were unaware of the specific rulings governing sujud al-sahw—frequently omitting the prostration when required, performing it when unnecessary, or confusing whether it should be performed before or after the final salutation (salam). He directed the treatise particularly to prayer leaders (imams), who bear the responsibility of leading congregations in accordance with prescribed legal proofs.
Content and Structure
The work defines sujud al-sahw as two prostrations performed by a worshipper to rectify a deficiency occurring in prayer due to forgetfulness. Ibn Uthaymin categorizes the causes of forgetfulness into three primary categories:
- Addition (al-ziyadah): Unintentionally adding an action, such as an extra standing, bowing, sitting, or prostration, or reciting five units (rak'ahs) in a four-unit prayer. In such cases, the worshipper completes the prayer and performs the two prostrations after the salam, citing the report of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. Ibn Uthaymin also classifies concluding the prayer prematurely (al-salam qabl tamam al-salah) as an addition of an extra salam within the prayer; if remembered shortly after, the worshipper completes the remaining units, gives the salam, and then prostrates after the salam, based on the hadith of Abu Hurayra.
- Deficiency (al-naqs): Omissions are divided into essential pillars (arkan) and obligatory acts (wajibat). If an opening takbir is omitted, the prayer is void. If another pillar is forgotten, the worshipper must return to it unless they have already reached that position in the subsequent unit, in which case the invalid unit is discarded and replaced by the current one, followed by prostrating after the salam. If an obligatory act (such as the first tashahhud) is missed, it drops if the worshipper has already stood up completely, and they prostrate before the salam, based on the hadith of Abdullah ibn Buhaynah.
- Doubt (al-shakk): Ibn Uthaymin notes that doubt is disregarded if it is mere whisperings (waswas), chronic, or occurs after the prayer has concluded. When doubt must be considered during prayer, two scenarios apply: if one possibility predominates, the worshipper acts upon that likelihood, gives the salam, and prostrates after the salam; if neither possibility outweighs the other, the worshipper builds upon certainty (the lesser number) and prostrates before the salam, based on the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri. If a person builds on certainty or predominance and subsequently realizes that their prayer was entirely correct without addition or omission, the well-known Hanbali position is that the prostration drops, but Ibn Uthaymin preferences performing it before the salam to spite Satan.
Congregational Rulings and Placement Summary
The treatise details rulings specific to congregational followers (al-ma'mum). A follower must emulate the imam in prostrating whether it occurs before or after the salam, except for latecomers (masbuq), who do not join an after-salam prostration because they cannot offer salam with the imam; instead, latecomers rise to complete their missed units and prostrate after their own salam. A follower who forgets behind an imam without having missed any part of the prayer does not perform the prostration.
In summarizing the placement of the two prostrations, Ibn Uthaymin concludes that they are performed before the salam in two cases:
- When the cause is an omission.
- When doubt arises without one possibility predominating.
They are performed after the salam in two cases:
- When the cause is an addition (including premature salutation).
- When doubt arises and one possibility predominates.
If a worshipper incurs two instances of forgetfulness in the same prayer—one requiring prostration before the salam and the other after—the pre-salam prostration takes precedence.
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