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Is it obligatory for someone who caught three rak'ahs with the Imam and made taslim with him, then prayed the Sunnah (post-prayer voluntary prayer), upon being alerted by his neighbor, to pray one rak'ah, or to repeat the entire prayer because he separated it with the Sunnah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If someone forgets something in their prayer and omits a pillar or a complete rak'ah, and then remembers after concluding the prayer with taslim:

If they remember before a long interval has passed, they must build upon their prayer, perform the remaining part, and then perform the prostration of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw). If they remember after a long interval has passed, they must restart the prayer.

There is disagreement regarding the precise definition of a "long interval." Some say it refers to what is customary and usual, while others say it is the duration of a long or short rak'ah. The more cautious approach for someone who has separated by two rak'ahs is to restart the prayer.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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