Sajda Sahw: Forgetfulness Prostration in Salah
Sajda sahw ka tarika: when you add, miss or doubt rakahs in prayer, two extra prostrations fix it. Learn exactly when sahw applies, the method, and school differences.
Also searched as: sajda sahw ka tarika | forgetfulness prostration | sujood sahw before or after salam | doubt in rakahs | namaz me shak
How to
Steps in order
- 1Identify the slip: addition, wajib-omission, or genuine count-doubt.
- 2If a fard act was missed, repeat that rakah - sahw alone does not fix it.
- 3For doubt, build on the lower certain number and complete the prayer.
- 4Prostrate twice with Subhana Rabbiyal-Ala, sit, recite tashahhud, give salam.
- 5Followers behind an imam do nothing - the imam’s sahw covers them.
When sahw applies - and when it does not
Sujood as-sahw (prostration of forgetfulness) compensates for three kinds of slips: adding something (an extra rakah or prostration), omitting a wajib act (first tashahhud, a wajib recitation), or genuine doubt about the rakah count. The Prophet ﷺ said: if one of you doubts in prayer, let him build on what he is certain of and prostrate twice before the salam (Sahih Muslim). Missing a fard act - a whole rakah, ruku, sujood - is not fixed by sahw; that rakah must be repeated.
No sahw is needed for tiny slips of attention (mind wandered but every act done), for doubts after finishing prayer, or for the whispers of waswasa that demand endless repetition - those are ignored by ruling, not fixed by prostration. One sahw (two prostrations) covers all slips in a single prayer; slips in congregation are carried by the imam, so followers do not perform their own.
The method and school differences
The method: near the end of prayer, prostrate twice - saying Subhana Rabbiyal-Ala in each - then sit, recite tashahhud (and durood per school detail) and give salam. Hanafis perform it after salam (salam, two prostrations, tashahhud, salam again); Shafiis and Hanbalis generally before salam; Malikis distinguish additions (after) from omissions (before). All positions are established practice - follow your school and teacher without quarrelling.
For doubt in count, build on the lower certain number: unsure between 3 and 4 means you are certainly at 3, so complete to 4 and do sahw. If doubt strikes habitually every prayer, treat it as waswasa (see our doubts guide): act on your first confident instinct and refuse repeat prostrations, because Satan’s game is making worship unbearable, not making it precise.
Sources & review
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim (the Prophet’s ﷺ forgetfulness prostrations; doubt hadith in Sahih Muslim); classical fiqh on placement before/after salam
Learn personal details from a qualified teacher; minor school differences exist.
Educational content — not a fatwa. See methodology and disclaimer.
Reviewed • 2026-01-01Our methodology
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How do you perform sajda sahw?
Prostrate twice near the end of prayer saying Subhana Rabbiyal-Ala, sit, recite tashahhud and give salam. Hanafis do it after salam; Shafiis and Hanbalis generally before - follow your school.
When is sajda sahw required?
After adding an act, omitting a wajib (like the first tashahhud), or genuine doubt about rakah count. Missed fard acts need the rakah repeated; passing doubts and waswasa need nothing.
I always doubt my rakah count - what should I do?
Build on the lower certain number and finish, with sahw. If it happens every prayer it is waswasa: act on your first instinct, refuse repetition, and read our doubts-in-worship guide.
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