What to Do When Forgetting to Do Dhikr While Bowing and Prostrating?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
If one forgets to say “Subhana Rabbi al-‘Azim” in ruku‘ or “Subhana Rabbi al-A‘la” in sujud then does one just simply need to do the prostration of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) before taslim in the end or anything else?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
No prostrations of forgetfulness are needed for forgetting to say “Subhana Rabbi al-A‘la” during the prostration and “Subhana Rabbi al-‘Azim” during the bowing. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]
It remains recommended to repeat this prayer while saying these words. You will be rewarded for doing so and won’t be punished for not doing it. [Ibid.]
The reason for these rulings is that the prostrations of forgetfulness are only legislated for forgetting a necessary (wajib) element of the prayer, nothing else. [Shurunbulali, Nur al-Idah]
Saying “Subhana Rabbi al-A‘la” three times during each prostration and “Subhana Rabbi al-‘Azim” three times during the bowing is sunna. You will be rewarded for doing so and failing to do so regularly is sinful. [Ibid.]
Thus the prostrations of forgetfulness are not needed in the situation you have described.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam,
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found.
Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.
He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others.
He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
