Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Q1) Is it neccesary to take a long break between two sajdaas in namaz... n if its not neccesary then for how long(in terms of seconds) shud one sit.Speaking alahu-akbar takes only 1-2 second.. so is that enough?

Q 2) What are the ways of correcting namaz if we have said sumthin extra while offering namaz.

please reply immediately

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Answer:

Time space between two sajdah in prayer

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: Is it neccesary to take a long break between two sajdaas in namaz... n if its not neccesary then for how long(in terms of seconds) shud one sit.Speaking alahu-akbar takes only 1-2 second.. so is that enough?

When one is leading the obligatory prayers as the ‘imam’, the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (saws) is to make the prayers not too long so that it does not become a burden to the believers praying behind them; but if one is offering one’s individual Sunnah or Nafl voluntary prayers, there is absolutely no time limit for one to fulfill the various rites of prayer; and one may take as short or as long a time as one wills and pleases.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.783 Narrated by Al Bara

The time taken by the Prophet (saws) in prostrations, bowing, and the sitting interval between the two prostrations was about the same.

Although there is no specific guidance regarding the exact time one should stay in the sitting posture between the two ‘sajdahs’ in prayer, one should make sure that one rises and sits at least until one’s back is completely straight and has sufficient time to offer one amongst the Sunnah supplications which the Prophet (saws) made during this position in prayer. If one wishes to quantify the minimum time taken in the sitting posture between the two ‘sajdahs’ in prayer, about five seconds would more than suffice to recite the appropriate supplication.

Your Question: What are the ways of correcting namaz if we have said sumthin extra while offering namaz.

If one fears that one has forgotten or omitted or made an unintentional mistake in one’s prayer due to forgetfulness, regardless of whether the prayer is obligatory or supererogatory, one should perform the ‘sajdah-sahoo’ or prostration of forgetfulness; it is expected that the Lord Most Gracious will accept their worship of prayer and will not reduce their reward in the least.

There are two ways prescribed in the authentic narrations on how the Messenger of Allah (saws) performed the ‘Sajdah-Sahoo’ and both are acceptable. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (saws) did two ‘sujoods’ before the ‘tasleem’, and in the narration of Dhul-Yadain narrated by Abu Hurairah, it is recorded that the Prophet (saws) made the two prostrations after the ‘tasleem’.

The way to perform the ‘Sajdah-Sahoo’ (or Sajdahs of forgetfulness) is, at the completion of one’s prayer, go into ‘sajdah’ and glorify Allah, then sit and make supplication to Allah, then again go into ‘sajdah’ and glorify Allah, and then perform the ‘tasleems’ on either side.

This whole set of actions related above is called ‘sajdah-sahoo’ and is to be done only once at the end of the prayer, if the person has made an unintentional mistake/s in their prayer.

Sajdah-Sahoo 1 (before the ‘tasleem’):

If one realizes one has made an error in prayer during the prayer, one should complete the prayer to the best of his conviction and recite the ‘tashahud’; just before the ‘tasleems’ of either side at the end of the ‘tashahud’, one should make the two ‘sajdahs’ for ‘sajdah-sahoo’ and then perform the ‘tasleems’ on either side; thus reciting the ‘tashahud’ only once in their prayer.

Sajdah-Sahoo 2 (after the ‘tasleem’):

If one realizes that one has made an error in prayer after one has already completed one’s prayer and performed the ‘tasleems’; then immediately after realization of the error, one should complete the rakahs they had forgotten in prayer, recite the final ‘tashahud’ again, make the two ‘sajdahs’ for ‘sajdah-sahoo’, and then again perform the ‘tasleems’ on either side; thus reciting the ‘tashahud’ twice in their prayers.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan