What should a worshiper do if he forgets the number of rak'ahs he has prayed? Thank you.
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If a worshiper doubts the number of rak'ahs (units of prayer), he should base his prayer on certainty, which is the lesser number, and then perform the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujood as-sahw). So, if he doubts whether he has prayed two or three rak'ahs, he should consider it two. If he doubts whether he has prayed three or four rak'ahs, he should consider it three. Then, he performs two prostrations before the tasleem (salutation of peace that concludes the prayer).
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/40353
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 40353
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy