Praying 5 Rakaats mistaking? Instead of 4.

[Intrepid]

If one accidentally prays 5 rakaats instead of 4 then what is the proper procedure that should follow. I was always under the impression that one should read an extra rakaat, in total 6, so that the latter 2 become nafl and then do sajda sawa. Or do you simply do sajda sawa after 5 rakaats (that you have prayed mistakenly)?

[hope1]

Assalamu alaikum,

I will assume you are talking about fardh salaat - as that is the most important. I will talk about several situations:

i) Did not perform the last sitting but got up for fifth rakat: As long as one realizes his mistake before making even the first sajdah of the fifth rakat then one should abandon the fifth rakat and sit down for the last sitting in which he should also make sajda-e-sahw.

If someone had not done the last sitting and had given the sajdah for the fifth rakat then he should add another rakat to make it six - however his fardh is invalid and he must repeat it.

ii) If someone did make the last sitting and then got up to pray the fifth rakat without making salaam then at any time he remembers the mistake he can sit down for the last sitting again and make sajda-e-sahw. This is even if he had given sajda for the fifth rakat (someone can correct me on this - I am not 100%).

The last sitting must be made before completing the fifth rakat with a sajdah for the fardh salaat to be valid. Sajda-e-sahw is necessary in all cases: in the first case for delaying the last sitting and the salaams and in the second case for delaying the salaams.

[Intrepid]

Assalamu alaikum,

I will assume you are talking about fardh salaat - as that is the most important. I will talk about several situations:

i) Did not perform the last sitting but got up for fifth rakat: As long as one realizes his mistake before making even the first sajdah of the fifth rakat then one should abandon the fifth rakat and sit down for the last sitting in which he should also make sajda-e-sahw.

If someone had not done the last sitting and had given the sajdah for the fifth rakat then he should add another rakat to make it six - however his fardh is invalid and he must repeat it.

ii) If someone did make the last sitting and then got up to pray the fifth rakat without making salaam then at any time he remembers the mistake he can sit down for the last sitting again and make sajda-e-sahw. This is even if he had given sajda for the fifth rakat (someone can correct me on this - I am not 100%).

The last sitting must be made before completing the fifth rakat with a sajdah for the fardh salaat to be valid. Sajda-e-sahw is necessary in all cases: in the first case for delaying the last sitting and the salaams and in the second case for delaying the salaams.

:jazak: for your response, but I have a further question what if you are the imaam and you get up for the fifth rakaat without the last sitting taken place (thinking your getting up for the fourth rakaat). Now can the imaam get back down at any point before the first sajdah of the fifth rakaat takes place and do sajdah-e-sahw and finish the salaat once notified of his mistake by the musalis or does he have to continue (as he has stood up for the fifth rakaat completely).

Reason I ask is because the imaam says that if your closer to qiyaam then you should continue with the fifth rakaat, however i have heard from listening to mufti Abdurrahman's fiqh us salah biyaan something more on the lines you are describing (you can revert back to the sitting aslong as the first sajdah of the fifth rakaat hasn't taken place). I am asking for clarity.

Our imaam prayed five rakaats of fradh salaat without the sitting (for the fourth) and then did sajda-e-sahw and finished salaat, is this prayer valid? From what your saying i am guessing this is not valid.

Is it any different for any other salaat eg. four rakaats of sunnats? From what I gather from the above is that it will be valid aslong as you do six rakaats the first four will be counted as sunnats and the latter two as nafls.

Is there any circumstance where five rakaats (read mistakenly) will be permitted?