The Book of Forgetfulness (In Prayer)

Sunan an-Nasa'i - Hadith Reference: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1231

Hadith Text

It was conveyed to him that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed two rak'ahs, and Dhul-Shimalain said something similar to him. (One of the narrators Ibn Shihab said: "Sa'eed bin Al-Musayyab informed me of this hadith from Abu Hurairah." He said: "And Abu Salamah bin 'Abdur Rahman, Abu Bakr bin 'Abdur Rahman, abu Bakr bin 'Abdur Rahman bin Al-Harith and 'Ubaidullah bin 'Abdullah informed me."

Commentary

This hadith addresses the matter of forgetfulness in prayer (sahw) and demonstrates the Prophet's humility in accepting correction from his companions. Dhul-Shimalain (the man with two left traits) observed that the Prophet (ﷺ) concluded his prayer after only two rak'ahs when it should have been four. The Prophet's immediate acceptance of this correction establishes the principle that even the Imam can be corrected by congregation members regarding prayer errors.

The multiple chains of narration mentioned (through Sa'eed bin Al-Musayyab, Abu Salamah, Abu Bakr bin 'Abdur Rahman, and 'Ubaidullah) indicate the hadith's strong authenticity and widespread transmission among the scholars of Medina. This incident forms the basis for the prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw) in Islamic jurisprudence, showing that when an Imam omits an essential element of prayer, he should perform the compensatory prostrations before concluding the prayer.

Juridical Rulings

1. The congregation has the right to remind the Imam if he errs in prayer

2. The Imam must accept valid correction from anyone in the congregation

3. Forgetting parts of prayer requires compensatory prostrations (sujud al-sahw)

4. The integrity of prayer is maintained through mutual correction and adherence to proper form