If I accidentally recited SubhanAllah instead of reciting the Fatiha right away must I perform the prostrations of forgetfulness?

Question Summary

If I accidentally recited SubhanAllah instead of reciting the Fatiha right away, must I perform the prostrations of forgetfulness?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

If you unduly delayed the recitation of Sura al-Fatiha such that you were not engaged in any of the actions of prayer in the period of that delay, the prostrations of forgetfulness are necessary. [Tahtawi,Shurunbulali; Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]

However, if the delay is short or you were engaged in some actions of the prayer (such as saying SubhanAllah) in that period of delay this does not necessitate a prostration since such delays are excused. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.