Sujud al-Sahw

When we forget something in the prayer — add an extra rak’ah by mistake, leave out a required part, or doubt whether we prayed three rak’at or four — the Prophet ﷺ taught a remedy: two additional prostrations, called sujud al-sahw (سُجُود السَّهْو, the prostration of forgetfulness), performed either before or after the closing tasleem depending on what was forgotten.

This is a mercy. Mistakes happen to everyone, including those who have prayed for a lifetime. The prayer is not invalidated — it is repaired.

The three cases

Forgetfulness in prayer falls into one of three categories. Which one you are in determines whether the two sujood come before or after the final tasleem.

1. You ADDED something

You did something that does not belong in the prayer — an extra rak’ah, an extra ruku, sitting where you should have stood, etc. You realize it during the prayer, at the end, or shortly after tasleem.

→ Two sujood AFTER the tasleem, then a second tasleem.

2. You LEFT OUT something

You forgot a required part of the prayer. The most common case is forgetting the first tashahhud and standing up before realizing; another is forgetting a rak’ah and remembering before tasleem.

→ Two sujood BEFORE the tasleem, after the final tashahhud.

3. You DOUBTED how many rak’at you prayed

You are sitting for the final tashahhud and cannot remember whether you prayed three rak’at or four (in Dhuhr, Asr, or Isha), for example.

Rule: assume the smaller number — i.e., if torn between three and four, assume three. Complete the prayer with the additional rak’ah, then perform two sujood BEFORE the tasleem.

If you have a strong, settled recollection on which to build, follow it (so if you are confident you prayed four, sit and finish), then the sujood go after the tasleem. This is the hadith of Ibn Mas’ud below.

How to perform the two sujood

They are identical in form to ordinary sujood:

Saying “Allahu Akbar,” descend into sujood.
Place the seven body parts on the ground — forehead and nose, both palms, both knees, both feet.
Say “Subhana rabbiya l-a’la” at least three times.
Saying “Allahu Akbar,” sit up briefly in iftirash (or julus).
Saying “Allahu Akbar,” descend into the second sujood.
Say “Subhana rabbiya l-a’la” at least three times again.
Saying “Allahu Akbar,” sit back up.
Give the tasleem to the right then the left.

When the sujood come before the tasleem, you are already seated for the final tashahhud — descend directly from there, perform both sujood, sit back up, then give tasleem normally.

When the sujood come after the tasleem, you have just given tasleem (or were about to). Face the qibla again from your seat, perform both sujood, sit back up, then give a fresh tasleem.

The evidence

Adding — sujood after tasleem

Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ prayed Dhuhr with five rak’at instead of four (an extra). After he gave tasleem, he was told. He turned to face the qibla again and prostrated twice, then gave tasleem.

“Verily I am a human being like you. I forget as you forget. So when one of you forgets, let him prostrate twice.”

Bukhari, Muslim

Leaving out — sujood before tasleem

Abdullah ibn Buhainah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ stood up after the second rak’ah without sitting for the first tashahhud. When his Companions reminded him with the takbir, he did not return to sit (since he had already stood fully). He completed the prayer, and before the final tasleem he prostrated twice while still seated, then gave tasleem.

That was the prescribed remedy for an omission. (Bukhari, Muslim)

Doubt — sujood before tasleem

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“If one of you is in doubt during his prayer and does not know how many he has prayed, three or four, let him cast out the doubt and build on what he is certain of. Then let him prostrate twice before the tasleem. If he had prayed five, the prostrations would intercede for him; and if he had completed it (four), they would be a humiliation for the Shaytan.”

Sahih Muslim

Common scenarios

You forgot the first tashahhud and stood for the third rak’ah. If you catch it before you have stood fully (still rising), sit back down and complete the tashahhud — no sujud al-sahw needed. If you have already stood fully, do not return — the first tashahhud is now lost. Continue the prayer and perform the sujood before tasleem at the end.

You added an extra rak’ah by mistake. If you realize during the rak’ah, sit down and complete the tashahhud as if you had finished the prayer correctly. Then perform the sujood after tasleem.

You doubted in the middle of the prayer. If you cannot determine confidently, assume the smaller number. Complete the prayer. Perform sujood before tasleem.

You forgot to say “Subhana rabbiya l-‘azim” in ruku once. The dhikr inside ruku, sujood, and the sitting between are sunnah, not strict pillars of the prayer. Forgetting them does not require sujud al-sahw. The strict pillars are: standing (qiyam), ruku itself with stillness, standing back up with stillness, sujood twice each with stillness, sitting between the two sujood with stillness, the final tashahhud, and tasleem.

You moved your eyes or scratched an itch. Not significant. Routine attention slips and small adjustments do not break the prayer or require repair.

When in doubt about whether sujud al-sahw is needed

If you are not sure whether what you forgot warrants the two sujood, perform them as a precaution. They do no harm. If they were not strictly needed, they are simply two extra prostrations to Allah — a worship He loves.

A short du’a inside sujud al-sahw

Some scholars recommend a specific du’a inside these two sujood, in addition to the ordinary tasbih:

Subhana man la yanamu wa la yas-hu.

Glory be to the One who never sleeps and never forgets.

This is a settled recommendation but not a strict requirement — the ordinary Subhana rabbiya l-a’la is sufficient.