ruling on missing 3rd or 4th or adding a 5th rakat?

[mikail2]

salams-

what is the ruling on not remembering if you did a 3rd rakat in maghrib salat, or if you do 5th rakat by mistake but not sure, do you just assume you did it right and Allah will give you credit for that> I think I heard that once?

jazakallah

[hope1]

salams-

what is the ruling on not remembering if you did a 3rd rakat in maghrib salat, or if you do 5th rakat by mistake but not sure, do you just assume you did it right and Allah will give you credit for that> I think I heard that once?

jazakallah

Assalamu aliakum,

For Maghrib if there is confusion between if one is in 2nd rakat or 3rd rakat, then if these kind of confusions occur rarely then one should break the salaat and repeat it. If these confusions happen sometimes, then one must assume one is in the 2nd rakat and do the first sitting. Thereafter one must complete the 3rd rakat and do salaam. Sajda-e-sahw will be necessary

If the confusion is in a 4 rakat salaat and the it is regarding if one is in 3rd rakat or 4th rakat then one must assume it is 3rd rakat. Even though he is assuming it's 3rd rakat he must sit after his assumed 3rd rakat and recite at-tahiyyat because there is a possibility this could have been the 4th rakat and the last sitting is fardh. Thereafter he will get up and do his 4th rakat and sit down again and recit attahiyyat, durood, and dua and make salaam. Sajda-e-sahw will be necessary

Regarding making a 5th rakat if the 5th rakat is made after making the final sitting and having recited attahiyyat in the final sitting, then one can discontinue his 5th rakat by sitting down and making salaams. However if one did not make the final sitting and got up for 5th rakat, then as long as he did not give the sajdah for the 5th rakat then he still has the opportunity to sit down and do the last sitting - but sajda-e-sahw will be necessary. But if he had already given the sajdah for the 5th rakat as well then this salaat will not count as fardh salah but it will be converted to a nafl salaat and he must pray his fardh again. He should also add another rakat and make it a 6 rakat salaat. Sajda-e-sahw will be necessary.

This is from what I had understood. May Allah forgive me if I made a mistake. Brothers are requested to correct me if I made any. JazakAllah.