Fatwa ID: 06141

Answered by: Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed

Question:

As Salaamu Alaykum, for someone with OCD who tends to forget on a regular basis about matters like how many Sajdahs did you perform,

If one is in Prayer and he feels he is in the third unit and he feels this is the dominant feeling but he can’t recall at all sitting for the first Tashahhud, in this case, what does he do?

If he didn’t perform Sajdah Sahw what is the consequence, if he thought he didn’t need to do Sajdah Sahw, what is the consequence

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

If a person forgets which rakat they are in, they should simply restart the salah. If this happens regularly then we have the dispensation of Sajdah Sahw in place whereby a person continues the salah based on their predominant thought of which rakat they are in, if not they go according to the minimum number that they remember doing, and then perform sajdah sahw at the end of the salah. In your case, you should continue as if you are in the third unit.

The performing of sajdah sahw when required is a wajib act as you are compensating for leaving out a wajib act in the salah, therefore it must be done. If one forgets to do it, they can still do it after the salah as long as they haven’t spoken or turned away from the qiblah. If they have moved or spoken, or remember later then they must repeat the salah if there is still time for that salah remaining. If they remember after the salah time expires then they do not need to do anything. If a person was unaware or didn’t think they needed to do sajdah sahw they do not need to do anything.

Only Allah knows best

Written by Alimah Safiyya-Maryam Ahmed

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

(ويسجد للسهو ولو مع سلامه ) ناويا ( للقطع ) لأن نية تغيير المشروع لغو ( ما لم يتحول عن القبلة أو يتكلم ) لبطلان التحريمة ، ولو نسي السهو أو سجدة صلبية أو تلاوية يلزمه ذلك ما دام في المسجد (رد المحتار, باب سجود السهو, جزء ٢, صفحة ٩١, المكتبة الإسلامية)

ويأتي بالصلاة على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم والدعاء في القعود الأخير في المختار ، وقيل فيهما احتياطا ( إذا كان الوقت صالحا ) فلو طلعت الشمس في الفجر ، أو احمرت في القضاء ، أو وجد منه ما يقطع البناء بعد السلام سقط عنه فتح

وإن كان يعرض له كثيرا بنى على أكبر رأيه ” لقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام ” من شك في صلاته فليتحر الصواب ” ” وإن لم يكن له رأي بنى على اليقين ” لقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام ” من شك في صلاته فلم يدر أثلاثا صلى أم أربعا بنى على الأقل (الهداية شرح بداية المبتدي, جلد ١, كتاب الصلاة, باب سجود السهو, صفحة ٧٦, المكتبة الإسلامية)