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What must a worshiper do and say when making a mistake in the movements or recitations of the prayer?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Prophet (peace be upon him) clarified what a Muslim should do if they make a mistake (sahu) in their prayer, whether by adding or omitting a saying or action: they should perform two prostrations (sujud). The prostration of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahu) has many rulings and sub-categories, and for detailed information, one can refer to specialized fatwas. The prostration of forgetfulness is performed in the same manner as the prostration of prayer: the worshipper prostrates on seven bones and says, "Subhana Rabbi al-A'la (Glory be to my Lord, the Most High)," and between the two prostrations, they say, "Rabbi ighfir li (My Lord, forgive me)." If the mistake was omitting a pillar (rukn), then that pillar must be performed, or the entire rak'ah must be repeated. If the error was in recitation, one can refer to specific fatwas on that matter.

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

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