Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "When the call for prayer is made, Satan takes to his heels passing wind so that he may not hear the Adhan and when the call is finished he comes back, and when the Iqama is pronounced, Satan again takes to his heels, and when the Iqama is finished he comes back again and tries to interfere with the person and his thoughts and say, "Remember this and that (which he has not thought of before the prayer)", till the praying person forgets how much he has prayed. If anyone of you does not remember whether he has offered three or four rak`at then he should perform two prostrations of Sahu while sitting.
Forgetfulness in Prayer - Sahih al-Bukhari 1231
This hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari addresses the reality of Satanic interference during prayer and provides the divine remedy for forgetfulness.
Satan's Flight from the Call to Prayer
The Prophet (ﷺ) informs us that Satan flees when the Adhan is called, returning only after its completion. This demonstrates the spiritual power of the call to prayer and its ability to repel evil influences.
Similarly, Satan flees during the Iqama (the second call immediately preceding prayer), indicating that these sacred announcements create a protected spiritual environment for worship.
Satanic Whisperings During Prayer
After the prayer commences, Satan returns with subtle whisperings (waswasa), attempting to distract the worshipper with worldly thoughts and concerns they had not previously considered.
This interference is specifically designed to cause confusion about the number of rak'at performed, undermining the worshipper's concentration and devotion.
The Divine Remedy: Prostrations of Forgetfulness
When a worshipper becomes uncertain whether they have performed three or four rak'at, the Shari'ah provides the solution of performing two prostrations of sahu (forgetfulness) before the final tasleem.
This merciful provision demonstrates Allah's understanding of human nature and His desire to make worship accessible despite our imperfections and distractions.
Scholarly Commentary
Classical scholars explain that this hadith teaches us about the reality of spiritual warfare during acts of worship. The prescribed prostrations compensate for deficiencies caused by Satanic interference while maintaining the validity of the prayer.
This ruling applies regardless of whether the forgetfulness was due to excessive or deficient prayer, showing the comprehensive nature of this Islamic legal dispensation.