Errors clearly need to be put right. A plumber or electrician who makes a mistake is expected to ensure that their fault is remedied, and the same applies to acts of worship. However, if doubts persist about the same issue, jurists recommend they be ignored. The basis of their ruling rests mainly upon ahadith related by the error-free Imams (‘a).

The Basis Of This Principle

From Ahadith

1. Zurarah and Abu Basir report that they asked Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) about a person who prayed without concentration and was thus not aware of the number of rak’at they had offered.

The Imam's answer was that such prayer needed to be repeated.

When asked, what if that person continues to retain persistent doubt every time he repeats the prayer?

He (‘a) said, 'such repeated doubting needs to be ignored because it represents the attempt of Shaytan to ruin prayer. Once he is ignored he will not return'.1

2. Muhammad Ibn Muslim narrates from Imam al-Baqir (‘a) that those who are persistently inattentive must ignore that fault and continue with their prayers.2

3. Shaykh Al-Tusi reports via a reliable chain of narrators from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) concerning a person who entertains persistent doubts during prayer as to whether he had gone into sajdah, ruku or not.

He (‘a) said, 'He must ignore his doubts and only if he is absolutely certain that he has missed something should he correct his prayer.'3

4. Muhammad Ibn Abi Hamzah narrates from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) that those who doubt one in three of their actions are to be considered 'persistent doubters'.4

Who Is A Persistent Doubter?

On many occasions we cannot find a definition for a particular term in the ahadith. The only way in which to determine precisely what it means is to refer to ‘urf - custom. Persistent doubting is a psychological phenomenon known as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

However, hadith number 4 above characterizes such people as those who entertain doubts three times in one action. People with this psychological disorder need not wait for doubt to occur three times in one action and should ignore them entirely as and when they occur.

When A Normal Person Has Doubts During Prayer

The general rule from the error-free Imams (‘a) for doubts as to the number of rak’at offered during a prayer is to assume that the greater number has been offered and to then offer an additional precautionary rak’ah after the prayer has been completed.

The doubts of a normal person may be relieved in the following manner:

• If after the recital of the second prostration a person entertains doubt as to whether he has performed two or three rak’at, he should assume that he has indeed performed three and complete his prayer accordingly. After finishing he should then rise and perform one precautionary rak’ah - just in case he had only performed two.

• If after the recital of the second prostration a person entertains doubts as to whether he has performed two or four rak’at he should assume that he has indeed performed four rak’at and complete his prayer accordingly. After completion, he should then rise and perform two precautionary rak’at - just in case he had only performed two.

• If after the recital of the second prostration a person entertains doubt as to whether he has performed two, three or four rak’at he should assume that he has indeed performed four rak’at. After finishing the prayer, he should then rise and perform two precautionary rak’at plus two rak’at in the sitting posture. It is the opinion of all Imamiyah jurists that two rak’at performed in the sitting position equate to one in the normal standing position.

• If after the recital of the second prostration a person entertains doubt as to whether he has performed four or five rak’at, he should assume that he has indeed performed four rak’at and complete his prayer accordingly. After finishing the prayer, he should perform two prostrations for inattentiveness - sajdat al-sahw.

• If at any stage of the prayer, a person entertains doubts as to whether he has performed two or four rak’at he should assume that he has indeed performed four rak’at and complete his prayer accordingly. After finishing the prayer, he should rise and perform two precautionary rak’at plus two rak’at in the sitting posture.

• If while standing, a person entertains doubts as to whether this is his fourth or fifth rak’ah, he must sit down and recite tashahud and the salam of the prayer. After the prayer has been finished, he should perform either one rak’ah of precautionary prayer in the normal way or two rak’at in the sitting position.

• If while standing, a person entertains doubts as to whether this is his third or fifth rak’ah, he must sit down and recite tashahud and the salam of the prayer. After the prayer has been finished, he should perform two rak’at of precautionary prayer in the normal way.

• If while standing, a person entertains doubts as to whether this is his third, fourth or fifth rak’ah, he must sit down and recite tashahud and the salam of the prayer. After the prayer has been finished, he should perform two rak’at of precautionary prayer in the normal way plus two rak’at in the sitting posture.

Doubts That Render A Prayer Void

When two possibilities of doubt are meaningless in terms of the number of rak’at completed, it is clear that no basis exists for the prayer to be recognized as valid. For example, one has to pray four rak’at for Zuhr and whilst doing so to entertain doubts as to whether one has completed three or six rak’at. Both possibilities are meaningless because neither three nor six rak’at are valid for the Zuhr prayer. At least one of the possibilities has to be credible - if both are not, the prayer cannot be valid.

In all the situations below the offering of the prayer is considered to be void. The prayer thus still needs to be offered in its entirety.

• Doubts about the number of rak’at offered in salat al-Fajr or Maghrib.

• Doubts as to whether two or five rak’at have been completed during the Zuhr, ‘Asr or ‘lsha prayers.

• Doubts as to whether three or six rak’at have been completed during the Zuhr, ‘Asr or ‘lsha prayers

• Doubts as to whether four or six rak’at have been completed during the Zuhr, ‘Asr or ‘lsha prayers.

• 1. Wasa'il al Shi’ah Vol. 8, p. 228.
• 2. Wasa'il al Shi’ah Vol. 8, p. 228.
• 3. Wasa'il al Shi’ah Vol. 8, p. 229.
• 4. Wasa'il al Shi’ah Vol. 8, p. 229.