Does Silence in Place of the Fatiha Require Sujud al-Sahw?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

One answer permits standing for the length of three tasbihs in place of the Fatiha in the last two cycles, while another states that delaying a necessary act by that length requires the forgetfulness prostration.

Is the silent standing necessary (wajib), sunna, or recommended, and does it affect the prayer’s validity?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

Ma sha Allah, may Allah bless you for your attention to this detail. Both answers are correct, as they refer to different situations. Your prayer is valid in both cases.

The First Answer Is a Dispensation About What Occupies the Standing

According to the Hanafi school, in the third and fourth cycles of an obligatory prayer, reciting the Fatiha is considered sunna, not wajib. You can recite the Fatiha, which is best, say “SubhanAllah” three times, or stay silent for that amount of time. [Ibn ’Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

The answer you read is a dispensation for those with many makeup prayers. It is about how you spend that standing, and is separate from any instruction to pause after reciting.

The Second Answer Concerns Delaying a Necessary Act

The forgetfulness prostration (sujud al-sahw) is only needed if you forgetfully delay a necessary act for as long as it takes to say ‘SubhanAllah’ three times, without doing anything else in the prayer.

If you are reciting, remembering Allah, or even thinking about which cycle you are in, you are still engaged in the prayer, so no delay is counted. [Maydani, al-Lubab; Ibn ’Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

In the last two cycles, being silent does not cause any delay, since no recitation is required. Standing silently is a valid way to fulfill that part of the prayer.

Your Question Answered Directly

Standing silently in those cycles is not required or sunna by itself. It is just one of three valid ways to spend that time, and it is the least preferred. Reciting the Fatiha is best. Your prayer is valid either way.

The forgetfulness prostration only fixes a delay that happens by mistake. If you deliberately delay a necessary act, the prayer is still valid but incomplete, and you should repeat it within its time. [Tahtawi, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]

If you are praying behind an imam, you only do the forgetfulness prostration when the imam does.

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “Pray as you have seen me pray.” [Bukhari] The way the prayer has been passed down gives you flexibility in the last two cycles. Choose the option that fits your situation and pray with focus.

In Summary

Recite the Fatiha in the last two cycles unless you really need to use the dispensation. Avoid adding any deliberate extra pause while standing, and let your past prayers stand as they are. May Allah accept your prayers and help you care for them even more.

And Allah (Most High) knows best.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan (Allah have mercy on him), where he taught.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Shaykh Muhammad Awama, Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Hitu, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has been the Director of the Discover Islam Centre, and for six years, he has been the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has fifteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic podcast, education, and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy Prophetic living and fitness.