Mistake in Sajda al-Sahw

Ustadh Tabraze Azam is asked if making mistakes in the forgetfulness prostration invalidates the prayer.

Question:

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

What do I do when I make a mistake in sajda al-sahw [forgetfulness prostration]? And I mean the sajda al-sahw that you do by giving salam to the right and then do two sajdas. Is my prayer valid if I make a mistake? And is it a mistake to pronounce words incorrectly in tashahhud? Is it still a mistake when I correct myself?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assaalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

Unfortunately, your question isn’t entirely clear.

1. If you mean that you omitted the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) accidentally, and instead, ended the prayer entirely, you may still perform them at this point as long as you didn’t do anything which would otherwise affect the validity of the prayer, such as talking or eating. If they were omitted and you remembered later within the prayer time, you should make up the prayer.

2. Making a mistake in the recitation of tashahhud is normally going to be excusable. Work on perfecting its recitation, pronunciation and the like (tajwid) outside of the prayer, and focus on doing your best and directing yourself and attention to the one whom you are addressing in the prayer. Ask Allah Most High to facilitate the matter for you.

Please also see Is My Prayer Still Valid If I Fail to Recite the Tashahud Correctly?

And Allah Most High knows best.

Wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.