Issue No.1093- The rulings of the Precautionary prayer with regard to adding or omitting foundational and non-foundational elements and doubts in performing the parts, are the same as other obligatory prayers.
Issue No.1094- When a person doubts about the number of the rak‘ats of Precautionary prayer, he should select the higher amount doubted, but if the higher amount renders the Precautionary prayer void, he should select the lesser amount doubted and his prayer will be correct.
Issue No.1095- If an act, in Precautionary prayer, is omitted or added inadvertently, it will not be necessary to perform sajdah al-sahw for it.
Issue No.1096- If a person forgets tashahhud or sajdah in Precautionary prayer, the obligatory precaution is that he should perform its qaḍā after salām.
Issue No.1097- If a person is obliged to perform a Precautionary prayer and he should also perform qaḍā of a sajdah/tashahhud as well as a sajdah al-sahw; he should first offer the Precautionary prayer, and then perform the qaḍā of sajdah/tashahhud followed by sajdah al-sahw.
Issue No.1098- There is no difference between the rules of doubt, inadvertence, and presumption regardless of its occurring in the daily obligatory prayers or other obligatory prayers. For example, if one doubts in Signs (āyāt) Prayer whether he has performed one rak‘at or two, his prayer will be void since it is a doubt which has occurred in a two rak‘ats prayer; similar to other rules of doubt, inadvertence and presumption.
Issue No. 1046 - There are 23 kinds of doubts, which one may experience during prayer:1- Doubts which invalidate one's prayer and are a total of eight.2- Doubts which should be ignored and they are six (invalid doubts)3- The other nine doubts are valid doubts.inshallah the listed doubts shall be explained in the coming issues.
Issue No. 1047 - The following eight doubts make the prayer void:1- Doubtingin the number of rak‘ats of the 'two rak‘at prayers'; such as fajr prayer or qaṣr prayer. Doubt in the number of rak‘ats in recommended (two-rak‘at) prayers does not make them void however.2- Doubt in the number of rak‘ats occurring in three-rak‘at prayer, that is, maghrib prayer. 3- Doubt occurring in four-rak‘at prayer as to whether one has performed one rak‘at or more. 4- Doubt in four-rak‘at prayers before going into the second sajdah, whether he has performed two rak‘ats or more. 5- Doubt between two and five [rak‘ats] or between two and more than five [rak‘ats].6- Doubt between three and six [rak‘ats] or between three and more than six rak‘ats. (Of course, such doubts rarely occur, yet, their rules should be made clear).7- Doubt between four and six rak‘ats or between four and more than six rak‘ats. 8- Doubts in the number of rak‘ats in prayer when one does not know how many rak‘ats he has performed.
Issue No. 1049 - The following doubts should be ignored:1- Doubt about an act whose time of performance has already passed.2- Doubt occurring after the salām of prayer.3- Doubt after the time of the prayer has already passed.4- Doubt of a person who doubts too much.5- Doubt by the imam (one who leads the prayer) and the ma’mūm (follower of an imam in congregational prayer).6- Doubt which occurs in recommended prayers.All of these will be explained in the coming issues.
Issue No. 1077 - As it was said earlier, having doubt in the number of rak‘ats in four rak‘ats prayers is valid in the following nine cases: First - If a person doubts after the second sajdah whether he has performed two or three rak‘ats, he should consider himself performed three rak‘ats [which means that after performing one more rak‘at the prayer would be completed] Thereupon, one should perform one rak‘at of Precautionary prayer in standing posture (as it will be explained later). If however, the doubt occurs, after the obligatory dhikr while he is in the second sajdah, he should, as an obligatory precaution, follow the same rule, and repeat the prayer as well (In all cases where the doubt occurs after the obligatory dhikr [1] of the second sajdah, one should in addition to the prescribed rule, repeat the prayer as an obligatory precaution).Second - If one doubts at any point during prayer, whether he has performed three rak‘ats or four, he should assume that he has offered four rak‘ats and finish his prayer. Thereafter he should offer one rak‘at Precautionary prayer standing or two rak‘ats in sitting posture.Third - If after the second sajdah, a person doubts whether he has performed two rak‘ats or four, he should assume that he has performed four rak‘ats, and finish his prayers. He should then offer two rak‘ats of precautionary prayer in a standing posture. Fourth - If after the second sajdah a person doubts, whether he has performed two, three, or four rak‘ats, he should consider that he has performed four rak‘ats, and complete the prayer. He should then offer two rak‘ats of precautionary prayer standing, then two rak‘ats in sitting posture.Fifth - If after the second sajdah a person doubts, whether he has performed four rak‘ats or five, he should assume that he has performed four rak‘ats and finish his prayer. Thereafter, he should perform sajdah al-sahw.Sixth - If a person doubts while standing, as to whether he has performed four rak‘ats or five, he should sit down so that his doubt changes to three rak‘ats and four. Then he should assume that, he has performed four rak‘ats and finish his prayer. Thereafter, he should offer one rak‘at of precautionary prayer standing or two rak‘ats in sitting posture.Seventh - If a person doubts while standing, as to whether he has performed three rak‘ats or five, he should sit down so that his doubt changes to two rak‘ats and four, then, he should assume that he has performed four rak‘ats and finish his prayer. Thereafter, he should offer two rak‘ats of precautionary prayer in standing posture and repeat the prayer, as an obligatory precaution. Eighth - If a person doubts while standing, as to whether he has performed three, four, or five rak‘ats, he should sit down so that his doubt changes to two, three and four rak‘ats, then, he should assume that he has performed four rak‘ats and complete his prayer. Thereafter, he should offer two rak‘ats of precautionary prayer in standing posture and then offer two rak‘ats in sitting posture, and he should, as an obligatory precaution, offer the prayer again. Ninth - If a person doubts while standing, as to whether he has performed five rak‘ats or six, he should sit down so that his doubt changes to four rak‘ats and five, then, he should assume that he has performed four rak‘ats and finish his prayer. Afterward he should perform sajdah al-sahw, and offer the prayer again, as an obligatory precaution.
Issue No. 1078 - A person that has any of the above valid doubts should not dismiss the prayer; rather he should act according to the rules stated previously. One who faces one of the aforementioned situations should first ponder a little about the risen doubt. However, if one could not obtain certainty regarding either sides (of doubt) or even a presumption, [where having a presumption is sufficient]; he should dismiss the prayer if the doubt is among those doubts that are invalidators. Nevertheless, if they are among the valid doubts, he should act according to its prescribed rules.
Issue No. 1050 - If while offering prayer, a person doubts after the time of performance of an act has passed, as to whether he has performed that act or not, like if he doubts, while in rukū‘, whether or not he has recited sūrah al-fātiḥa or the other sūrah or after he goes into sajdah, doubts whether or not he has performed rukū‘, he should ignore the doubts, irrespective of whether the next act is a foundational one or not.
