Q 8: After concluding Salah (Prayer), I doubted whether I added or omitted parts of the Salah. When I stood up, my doubts were gone. What should I do? A: It is obligatory upon the person who is doubtful of their Salah to base their Salah upon that which they are certain about, which is the lesser actions they performed. For example, if someone doubts whether they have offered three or four Rak‘ahs (units of Prayer), they should consider them as three and offer a fourth Rak‘ah and then offer Sujud-ul-Sahw (Prostration of Forgetfulness). This is based on the following Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If any of you doubts during their Salah and does not know whether they have performed three or four (Rak‘ahs), they should cast aside their doubts and build on what they are sure of. Then they should perform two prostrations before offering Taslim (salutation of peace ending the Prayer). (Part No. 6; Page No. 12

A: It is obligatory upon the person who is doubtful of their Salah to base their Salah upon that which they are certain about, which is the lesser actions they performed. For example, if someone doubts whether they have offered three or four Rak‘ahs (units of Prayer), they should consider them as three and offer a fourth Rak‘ah and then offer Sujud-ul-Sahw (Prostration of Forgetfulness). This is based on the following Hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If any of you doubts during their Salah and does not know whether they have performed three or four (Rak‘ahs), they should cast aside their doubts and build on what they are sure of. Then they should perform two prostrations before offering Taslim (salutation of peace ending the Prayer). (Part No. 6; Page No. 12) If the Rak‘ah they have prayed is the fifth, they (the two prostrations) will make their Salah of an even number of Rak‘ahs; and if by praying it they have completed four Rak‘ahs, they (the two prostrations) will be vexing humiliation for Satan.” (Related by Muslim) But when in doubt as to whether one has omitted or completed a part of Salah, one should build on what is more likely to have occurred and complete the missing parts of their Salah, say Taslim and then offer Sujud-ul-Sahw. This is because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When any of you is in doubt during their Salah, they should seek what is correct and complete their Salah accordingly, then say Taslim and afterwards offer the two prostrations (of forgetfulness).” (Related by Al-Bukhari) As for experiencing doubts after offering Salah, one should ignore them for they do not affect the validity of their Salah.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.