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The question

Is it permissible for someone who doubts the number of prostrations (sujud) but inclines towards having completed them fully to perform the prostration of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) after the salam, and does this differ from a case where he inclines towards a deficiency or does not incline towards anything?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

Your prayer is valid if you are certain there was no deficiency after the doubt, and your prostration of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) is permissible according to some Maliki scholars. The Maliki school's position on the timing of sujud al-sahw is: before the salutation (taslim) for a deficiency, and after it for an addition. If both a deficiency and an addition occur, it is done before the salutation. There is flexibility in this matter. What you did does not fall under an addition, and sujud al-sahw here is to humble Satan. However, if you are not certain about a deficiency, then you must build upon the lesser number (of rak'ahs), and perform sujud al-sahw after the salutation. This applies if the doubt is not chronic; otherwise, you must obligatorily build upon the greater number.

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

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