"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed Zuhr or 'Asr and said the taslim following two rak'ahs and left. Dhul-Shimalain bin 'Amr said to him: 'Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'What is Dhul-Yadain saying?' They said: 'He is speaking the truth, O Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' So he led them in praying the two rak'ahs that he missed."
Hadith Context & Significance
This narration from Sunan an-Nasa'i 1230 in The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer) demonstrates the Prophet's human fallibility in prayer, providing crucial guidance for correcting prayer errors.
Dhul-Shimalain's respectful inquiry exemplifies proper etiquette when noticing an imam's mistake - addressing with humility rather than public accusation.
Scholarly Commentary
Classical scholars note this hadith establishes the obligation to complete missed rak'ahs when prayer is shortened unintentionally.
Imam Nawawi explains the Prophet's question "What is Dhul-Yadain saying?" shows leaders should verify concerns before acting, maintaining orderly worship.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani emphasizes the companions' confirmation ("He is speaking the truth") demonstrates collective responsibility in preserving prayer correctness.
Legal Rulings Derived
Forgetting rak'ahs necessitates making prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) after completion.
The congregation must follow the imam in completing missed portions, as established by the Prophet leading them in the remaining two rak'ahs.
Scholars unanimously agree this incident forms the primary evidence for correcting prayer omissions through immediate completion rather than repetition.