What should a person who forgot what rak’ah he was performing in a prayer do?

Dear Brother / Sister,

If a person doubts and does not remember whether he has performed three or four rak’ahs, and if this confusion takes place for the first time, that is, if this has not become a habit, he needs to perform that prayer again. That prayer is invalid. It is better for him to sit and salute before he performs it again. For, the following hadith exists regarding the issue:

"If any of you doubts how many rak’ahs he has performed, he should perform that prayer again." (1)

Ibn Abu Shayba reports the following hadith from Ibn Umar:  

"A person who does not remember whether he has performed three or four rak’ahs should perform that prayer again unless he remembers it."

Thus, a person who performs it again will know definitely how many rak’ahs he has performed.

However, if he continues the prayer he has started, he will not know it for sure. If a doubt occurs after saluting, this prayer does not have to be performed again. As a matter of fact, if a doubt occurs before saluting but after sitting long enough for tashahhud, this prayer does not have to be performed again, either.  

If a person has doubts like that often, he continues his prayer based on his thought that seems stronger. He prefers the third or fourth rak’ah based on his stronger idea. For, a person who often has doubts about his prayers will have difficulty in performing them again. Besides, the Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

"If a person doubts about his prayer, he should search what is true." (2)

If a person doubts about how many rak’ahs he has performed and cannot decide, he continues the prayer based on the fewer rak’ah he thinks. For, the knowledge about the fewer one is certain. Such a person should sit after each rak’ah he thinks he should. Thus, he will not abandon fard or wajib sittings and will fulfill them. 

If a person who is performing a four-rak’ah prayer doubts whether he is performing the first or second rak’ah, he acts based on his search. If he cannot decide based on his search, he continues his prayer based on the fewer rak’ah he thinks. That is, he regards the rak’ah that he is performing as the first rak’ah and sits after it since it can also be the second rak’ah. For, it is wajib to sit in the second rak’ah. Then, he stands up and performs one more rak’ah, and sits again. 

The evidence for acting upon the fewer rak’ah is the hadith reported by Abu Said al-Khudri. The Prophet (pbuh) stated the following:

"If any of you doubts whether he has performed three or four rak’ahs, he should avoid doubt and continue performing the prayer based on the fewer rak’ah." (3)

The exact words of the hadiths are as follows:

"When one of you has a doubt, he should search and complete the prayer." (4)

Such a person needs to perform sajdah as-sahw at the end of the prayer.

References:

1. Zaylai said gharib for this hadith. Nasbur-Raya, II/173.
2. Bukhari and Muslim reported this hadith from Ibn Mas’ud as marfu. See Nasbur-Raya, II/173.
3. Nasbur-Raya, II/174.
4. Nasbur-Raya, II/174.

(Prof. Dr. Wahba ZUHAYLI, İslam Fıkhı Ansiklopedisi, p. 221)

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