Sujud Sahwi (MM 3/8/08)

Munyatul Musolli 3rd August 2008

From Hassan Basri (rh), Nabi (saw) said that there are 3 benefits for those who perform solah:

1. Virtues shower onto his head from the skies.


2. Angels surround him from the feet up to the skies.


3. The angels would say “If only he and the people with him knew what’s in store for them, surely they would never turn away from their solah”.

Sunnah Elements in Solah

In Arabic, we ‘safeguard’ and ‘construct’ a solah, instead of merely ‘performing’ it. To construct a complete solah, it is good manners (adab) to take care the sunnah elements also, not only the compulsory ones.
There are 2 kinds of sunnah: Hi’ah and Ab’ad. Both are voluntary elements, missing which (intentionally or not) would not nullify solah. However points lost by missing sunnah ab’ad should be recovered by performing extra set of prostration, called ‘sujud sahwi’.

Basis for Sujud Sahwi

There are 8 elements under Sunnah Ab’ad as we learned in previous sections (e.g Tasyahhud Awwal, Do’a Qunut). Regardless of how many sunnah ab’ad elements we miss or skip, we should patch them up only with one set of sujud sahwi.
Make it known that there are some activities that if we carry out on purpose would nullify a solah, yet if we do inadvertently, would not. Should you commit such mistake, it is proper to recover them by performing sujud sahwi as well. Examples of these activities include:

1. Lengthening a ‘short’ rukun such as standing too long during i’tidal or sitting too long between sujuds.


2. Talking or eating a little.


3. Adding extra unit (rak’at) of solah being doubtful of the count.


4. Misplacing ‘rukun qauli’ (compulsory recitation). This includes reciting the Fatihah during ruku’ or sujud, or reciting the tahiyyat when standing up.

If you are in doubt whether you have performed any of the 8 sunnah ab’ads, you are still encouraged to do sujud sahwi. If you are in doubt whether you have completed 3 or 4 raka’ats, then it is compulsory for you to assume 3, and add another 1. After that, you are encouraged to do sujud sahwi. Even if you become convinced on the number of raka’at just before giving salam, you still owe a set of sujud sahwi.

Say after sujud on 2nd raka’at you forget to sit for tasyahhud awwal, and rise to qiyam. About midpoint (exactly bordering or past ruku’ position), you become aware of the mistake and re-sit for tasyahhud. You should complete the tasyahhud, and remember to do sujud sahwi later.

Likewise, in 2nd raka’at of Subuh, you forget to recite do’a qunut, and proceed for sujud. Halfway down (exactly or past ruku’ position), you put in reverse gear and straighten up. You should complete the qunut, and remember to do sujud sahwi later.

Ustaz Zakaria explained:

1. Hassan Basri (ra) narrated many hadith mursal.


2. ‘Sahwi’ comes from Arabic ‘sahwun’ = forget. Sujud sahwi is performed twice before salam, with sitting in between.


3. Both tasyahhud awwal and qunut must be accompanied by salawat upon Nabi (saw).


4. Talking “a little” does not nullify a solah, as long as unintentional and no longer than 6 words.


5. Talking intentionally with a word 2 letters long, or 1 letter with ‘maad’ will nullify solah. If you cough with equivalent of 2 letters or 1 letter with ‘maad’- even if to clear the throat - would nullify solah.


6. Nibbling and swallowing food those stuck between your teeth is considered ‘eating’. You should be careful with this.


7. 2 ‘short’ rukuns in solah: I’tidal should not be longer than time taken to recite Fatihah. Sitting between sujuds should not be longer than time taken to recite tahiyyat. If you deliberately stand or sit longer, your solah becomes invalid.


8. Always assume positive with the person leading a congregation (imam). If you pray behind a Hanafi imam, and you don’t hear him starting Fatihah with “Bismillah…”, then convince yourself that he already recited it silently. For Hanafi mazhab, it is only sunnah to say “Bismillah…”, while for Syafi’i, it is compulsory. Once you start to doubt the imam, you are supposed to break away from him.

Wallahu a’lam.

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