How to Perform Sajda Sahu?

Answered by Shaykh Dr. Bassem Itani

Question

When I need to perform Sujud Sahu(prostration of forgetfulness), should I recite the Tashahhud only before the first Salam that precedes Sujud Sahu, without reading the Salah Ibrahimiyya (Ibrahimic prayer) or making any supplication?

Answer

You should read the Tashahhud only before the first Salam that precedes Sujud Sahu, and you should not read the Salah al-Ibrahimiyya or make any supplication.

The Method of Sujud Sahu

For someone required to perform Sujud Sahu due to an addition or omission in the prayer, such as an extra bowing or prostration or omitting the Fatiha in the first Rak‘a (cycle of prayer), they should recite the Tashahhud in the final sitting, and then perform two prostrations for Sujud Sahu, followed by sitting, reciting the Tashahhud and the Salah Ibrahimiyya, then make the prescribed supplication, and finally perform the two Salams.

If you recite the Salah Ibrahimiyya and the supplication in the final sitting before the Sujud Sahu, it does not affect your prayer. Still, the preferred method in the madhab is as we mentioned. [Refer to: Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

[Ibn ‘Abidin, Hashiyah Radd al-Muhtar ‘ala ad-Dur al-Mukhtar Sharh Tanwir al-Absar, Egypt, Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi Printing, 2nd Edition, (1386 Hijri = 1966 CE), 2.79]

[Shaykh] Dr. Bassem Itani

Shaykh Dr. Bassem Hussayn Itani was born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1965. He earned his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies in 2005. Among his mentors were Shaykh Muhammad Taha Sukkar, Shaykh Adib al-Kallas, Shaykh Mulla Abdul ‘Alim al-Zinki, Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Abdul Razzaq al-Halabi, Shaykh Dr. Mustafa Dib al-Bugha, Shaykh Dr. Wahba al-Zuhayli, Dr. Muhammad al-Zuhayli, and others, may Allah have mercy on them all. 

Shaykh Itani has a rich background in both academic and administrative fields. He has held significant positions in many governmental and non-governmental institutions in Lebanon and abroad. This includes his role as a member of the Academic Committee at SeekersGuidance and a senior teacher with the free online global seminary.

From 2020 to 2021, he served as the Dean of the College of Da‘wa – University for Islamic Studies (Lebanon) – Postgraduate Studies. He was the Director of Dar Iqra for Islamic Sciences from 1998 to 2018. Shaykh Itani is a well-versed teacher in several academic subjects, including Fiqh, Usul, Aqida, and Tafsir. He has supervised and examined numerous Master’s and Doctoral theses at various universities and colleges in Lebanon.

His contributions to Islamic sciences are also evident in his writings and research. His notable works include “The Relied-upon Statements of Imam Zufar in the Hanafi School,” “Collective Ijtihad: The Sublimity of Thought in the 21st Century,” and “Custom and its Impact in Islamic Jurisprudence.” Shaykh Itani has actively participated in numerous scientific conferences and seminars, both in Lebanon and internationally. He is linguistically adept, excelling in Arabic, proficient in French, and comfortably conversant in English.