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Not doing sujood al-sahw in order to ward off waswaas (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan)

25-08-2000

Question 10271

He always gets confused whilst praying [as to how many rak’ahs he has done]. Should he act on the basis of what he is certain of or what he thinks is most likely? This happens to him a lot, so should he forgo doing sujood al-sahw (prostration of forgetfulness) in order to ward off waswaas (insinuating whispers from the Shaytaan)?

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:

He should not pay attention to those doubts and he should not do sujood al-sahw for them, because too many doubts lead to waswaas.

Forgetfulness During Prayer
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