Those Who Said He Should Complete (The Prayers) Based Upon His Strongest Judgement

AbuUbaydah reported, on the authority of his father Abdullah (ibn Mas'ud), the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying:

When you offer the prayer, and you are in doubt about the number of rak'ahs whether offered three or four, and you have prayed four rak'ahs in all probability in your opinion, you should recite tashahhud and make two prostrations while you are sitting before giving the salutation. afterwards you should recite the tashahhud and give the salutation again.

Abu Dawud said: This tradition has been narrated by 'Abd al-Wahid from Khusaif, but he did not report it as a statement of the Prophet ﷺ. The version of 'Abd al-Wahid has been corroborated by Sufyan, Sharik, and Isra'il. They differed amongst themselves about the text of the tradition and they did not narrate it with the continuous chain up to the Prophet ﷺ.

حَدَّثَنَا النُّفَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ خُصَيْفٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " إِذَا كُنْتَ فِي صَلاَةٍ فَشَكَكْتَ فِي ثَلاَثٍ أَوْ أَرْبَعٍ وَأَكْبَرُ ظَنِّكَ عَلَى أَرْبَعٍ تَشَهَّدْتَ ثُمَّ سَجَدْتَ سَجْدَتَيْنِ وَأَنْتَ جَالِسٌ قَبْلَ أَنْ تُسَلِّمَ ثُمَّ تَشَهَّدْتَ أَيْضًا ثُمَّ تُسَلِّمُ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ رَوَاهُ عَبْدُ الْوَاحِدِ عَنْ خُصَيْفٍ وَلَمْ يَرْفَعْهُ وَوَافَقَ عَبْدَ الْوَاحِدِ أَيْضًا سُفْيَانُ وَشَرِيكٌ وَإِسْرَائِيلُ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْكَلاَمِ فِي مَتْنِ الْحَدِيثِ وَلَمْ يُسْنِدُوهُ .

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri:

The Prophet ﷺ said: When one of you prays, and he does not know whether he prayed more or less rak'ahs (than those prescribed by the Shari'ah), he should perform two prostrations while he is sitting. If the devil comes to him, and tells him (suggests him): "You have been defiled," he should say: "You have told a lie," except that he feels smell with his nose, or sound with his ears (then his ablution will break). These are the wording; of the tradition reported by Aban.

Abu Dawud said: Ma'mar and 'Abi b. al-Mubarak mentioned the name "Iyad b. Hilal and al-Awza'i mentioned the name of Iyad b. Abi Zuhair.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامٌ الدَّسْتَوَائِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عِيَاضٌ، ح وَحَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبَانُ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ عِيَاضٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " إِذَا صَلَّى أَحَدُكُمْ فَلَمْ يَدْرِ زَادَ أَمْ نَقَصَ فَلْيَسْجُدْ سَجْدَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ فَإِذَا أَتَاهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَقَالَ إِنَّكَ قَدْ أَحْدَثْتَ فَلْيَقُلْ كَذَبْتَ إِلاَّ مَا وَجَدَ رِيحًا بِأَنْفِهِ أَوْ صَوْتًا بِأُذُنِهِ " . وَهَذَا لَفْظُ حَدِيثِ أَبَانَ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَقَالَ مَعْمَرٌ وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ عِيَاضُ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ وَقَالَ الأَوْزَاعِيُّ عِيَاضُ بْنُ أَبِي زُهَيْرٍ .

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying; When one of you stands up to pray, the devil comes to him and confuses him so that he does not know how much he has prayed. If any of you has such an experience, he should perform two prostrations while he is sitting.

Abu Dawud said; This tradition has been narrated in a similar manner by Ibn ‘Uyainab, Ma’mar and al-Laith.

حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ " إِنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ إِذَا قَامَ يُصَلِّي جَاءَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَلَبَسَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى لاَ يَدْرِي كَمْ صَلَّى فَإِذَا وَجَدَ أَحَدُكُمْ ذَلِكَ فَلْيَسْجُدْ سَجْدَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَكَذَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ وَمَعْمَرٌ وَاللَّيْثُ .

This tradition has also been transmitted by Muhammad b. Muslim through a different chain of narrators. This version adds; “While he is sitting before he gives the salutation.”

حَدَّثَنَا حَجَّاجُ بْنُ أَبِي يَعْقُوبَ، حَدَّثَنَا يَعْقُوبُ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَخِي الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ، بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ بِإِسْنَادِهِ زَادَ " وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ قَبْلَ التَّسْلِيمِ " .