What is sujud as-sahw?
Usually it's two extra prostrations you make at the end of the prayer to make up for a slip. Sujud as-sahw means "the prostration of forgetfulness". You do it if you forgot a minor part, added something extra, or weren't sure how many rakat you prayed. It is a mercy that saves the prayer, so you don't need to start again.
When you do it
The Prophet ﷺ himself made these prostrations, which shows that forgetting in prayer is normal. There are three common situations:
- You forgot something minor: once the Prophet ﷺ stood up after two rakat without sitting for the first tashahhud. When he was about to finish, he said "Allahu akbar" and made two prostrations before the salam (Sahih al-Bukhari 829).
- You added something: once he prayed five rakat in Dhuhr by mistake. When people told him, he made two prostrations (Sahih Muslim 572).
- You're unsure how many rakat you've prayed: he taught that you drop the doubt, build on what you're sure of, and then make two prostrations before the salam (Sahih Muslim 571).
How to do it
- Finish the last sitting (the tashahhud and the blessings on the Prophet ﷺ).
- Say "Allahu akbar" and go down into sujud, saying your usual glorification.
- Sit up briefly and go down into a second sujud.
- Sit and end the prayer with the salam.
These steps show the "before the salam" method. It is the same sujud you do in every rakah, just twice more at the end.
Before or after the salam?
The schools differ on the timing, and all are accepted:
- Hanafi: after one salam, then the tashahhud and the final salam.
- Shafi'i: before the salam, after the final tashahhud.
- Maliki: before the salam if you left something out, after the salam if you added something.
- Hanbali: before or after, following the particular hadith that matches your mistake.
Follow your school or your mosque's practice. For a quick overview of all the common slips, see What do I do if I make a mistake in prayer?
When it is not enough
Sujud as-sahw covers minor mistakes. If you skipped a pillar, like a bow, a prostration or al-Fatiha, you need to make up that part, and in some cases repeat the prayer. Forgetting a surah or reciting a different one needs nothing. If you're praying behind an imam, you do not make the prostrations on your own, because the imam covers your slips; follow him if he does them. See What if I forget how many rakat I prayed?
- Sujud as-sahw is two extra prostrations for forgetfulness.
- Use it for forgetting something minor, adding something, or doubt about the count.
- Schools differ on doing it before or after the salam.
- Missing a pillar needs more than sujud as-sahw.
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