2/205. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 1028 — Strong Opinion of Four Rak'ahs and Sajdah Sahw
Those Who Said He Should Complete (The Prayers) Based Upon His Strongest Judgement
Hadith About Stronger Opinion in Prayer Doubt
Sunan Abi Dawud : 1028
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 1028
حَدَّثَنَا النُّفَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ خُصَيْفٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم 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 .
`Abdullah Narrated from:
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).
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 1028In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 639English translation : Book 3, Hadith 1023
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 1028
This hadith describes a case where a person is praying and doubts whether he prayed three or four rak'ahs, while his stronger opinion is that he prayed four. The wording says he should recite tashahhud, then make two prostrations while sitting before salutation. After that, he should recite tashahhud again and give salutation, clearly. For people searching sajdah sahw when most likely four rak'ahs were prayed, the text gives a specific order. Abu Dawud also notes differences in how the report was transmitted, but the main wording in the translation remains focused on prayer doubt, tashahhud, two prostrations, and salutation.
What we learn from this hadith
- The report addresses doubt when the stronger thought is four rak'ahs.
- It mentions tashahhud before the two prostrations and tashahhud again after them.
- The two prostrations are made while sitting before the salutation mentioned in the text.
