Ruling On Rising After The Final Sitting And Performing The Salam In The Standing Position

Darulifta Ahlesunnat

(Dawateislami)

Question

   1. What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following matter: If a worshipper rose up forgetfully after the final sitting of salah (qaʿdah akhīrah), and upon remembering, he performed the salam in a standing position; will his salah be complete or must he perform a prostration of forgetfulness (sajdah sahw)? If a prostration of forgetfulness is incumbent upon him and he does not perform it, will the repetition of this salah become necessary for him?

   2. Bahār-i-SharīꜤat mentions, “If he performs salam in the standing position, the salah will still be valid, yet he would have left a sunnah.” 

From this, it seems salah will be correct without a prostration of forgetfulness, as it is not necessary when leaving a sunnah. And likewise, repetition of the salah would not be necessary.

بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ

   If a person forgetfully stands after the final sitting of the salah, and upon remembering, performs the concluding salam in a standing position, his farḍ will be performed. Yet, repetition of the prayer will be wājib. The detail concerning this issue is,  after standing up forgetfully following the final sitting, if the Salah performer has not performed the prostration of this additional unit, it is wājib upon him to return (to the seated position and without repeating tashahhud), perform a prostration of forgetfulness and conclude with salam.

   If the Salah performer does not return and performs salam in a standing position, it will be necessary for him to repeat the salah for omitting the prostration of forgetfulness. The reason a prostration of forgetfulness is necessary here, is due to ‘the delaying of a wājib from its place’. It is necessary to perform salam after reciting tashahhud, ṣalāt upon the Prophet and a duʿā maˈthūrah (any duʿā in Quran or hadith), without any interval foreign to the salah.

   Standing up after the duʿā is an interval foreign to the salah, so if one stands due to forgetfulness, this makes the prostration of forgetfulness necessary(Wajib). If this prostration is not done, the salah is wājib to repeat.

   Performing salam seated is a sunnah, so performing it in the standing position is the leaving of a sunnah alongside the abandoning of a wājib.

   It is mentioned in Ghunyat al-Mutamallī:¹

(وان قعد فی آخر) الرکعۃ(الرابعۃ ثم قام) قبل ان یسلم یعود ایضا ما لم یسجد ویسلم لیخرج عن الفرض بالسلام لانہ واجب ولایسلم قائما لانہ غیر مشروع فی الصلوۃ المطلقۃ وامکنہ الاقامۃ علی وجھہ بالعود الی القعدۃ ویسجد للسھو لانہ اخر واجبا وھو السلام بسبب فعل زائد لم یلتحق بالصلوۃ، بخلاف ما لو اطال الدعاء بعد التشھد لانہ یلتحق بھا فلا یعد تاخیرا

   Returning is wājib and performing salam standing is Makruh (disliked). Imam Ṭaḥṭāwi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه says:^[1]

ان التسلیم فی حالۃ القیام غیر مشروع وامکنہ اقامتہ علی وجھہ بالقعود وما دون الرکعۃ محل الرفض ثم اذا اعاد لا یعید التشھد بحر واستفید من التعلیل ان العود واجب فسلامہ قائما مکروہ

   Delaying the salam necessitates a prostration of forgetfulness. It is written in Khizānat al-Muftiyīn:^[2]

اذا سھی عن الاذکار لا یجب کما اذا سھی عن التعوذوالثناء و تکبیرات الرکوع و السجود وتسبیحاتھا الا فی خمس مواضع: تکبیرات الاعیاد والقنوت والتشھد والقراءۃ وتاخیر السلام

   Performing salam after the duʿā maˈthūrah without any interval foreign to the prayer is wājib, but this wājib has been left here due to standing up. ṬawāliꜤ al-Anwār says:^[3]

(بتاخیر السلام) الذی ھو واجب عن محلہ وکان ذلک عقیب فراغہ من التشھد والصلاۃ والادعیۃ فحیث تخلل القیام

   Consequently, just standing up forgetfully after the final sitting makes the prostration of forgetfulness necessary. It is written in Munyah al-Muṣallī:^[4]

ولو قام الی الخامسۃ ساھیا یجب  بمجرد القیام (ملتقطا)

   If this prostration of forgetfulness is left after it has become necessary, the salah must be repeated. Durr al-Mukhtār says:^[5]

تعاد وجوباً فی العمد والسھو ان لم یسجد

   Performance of the salam in a standing position is also the leaving of a sunnah. In Imdād al-Fattāḥ:^[6]

(ان قعد الاخیر ثم قام عاد وسلم) ۔۔ لو سلم قائماً لم تفسد صلاتہ وان کان تارکاً للسنۃ، لان السنۃ التسلیم جالساً

   2. There is no conflict between the ruling in this fatwa and what is stated in Bahār-i-SharīꜤat. This is because in the latter, the ruling of performing the prostration of forgetfulness is also cited alongside the statement of it being the abandoning of a sunnah. To understand this further, first take note of the complete legal case mentioned in Bahār-i-SharīꜤat:

   If one has performed the final sitting to the length of tashahhud and stands up, he should return, perform a prostration of forgetfulness and conclude with salam, as long as he has not performed the prostration of this (extra) unit. If he performs salam in the standing position, the salah will still be valid, but he will have left a sunnah.

   In the first part of this legal case, the ruling of the prostration of forgetfulness is clearly explained. The words, “If he performs salam in a standing position, the salah will still be valid”, means the farḍ will be performed, but this does not negate the salah being deficient (thus necessitating prostration of forgetfulness and repetition).

   The words, “he will have left a sunnah”, further highlight an action which opposes the sunnah. Additionally, the source of this legal ruling is Durr al-Mukhtār and Radd al-Muḥtār, and the deficiency in the salah despite the farḍ being performed, has been clearly mentioned therein.

   In Durr al-Mukhtār:

(وان قعد فی الرابعۃ ثم قام عاد وسلم) ولو سلم قائماً صح، ثم الاصح ان القوم ینتظرونہ، فان عاد تبعوہ (وان سجد للخامسۃ سلموا) لانہ تم فرضہ، اذ لم یبق علیہ الا السلام

   Below this, Allamah Ibn ꜤĀbidīn Shāmī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه said:^[7]

(قوله اذ لم يبق عليه الا السلام) اشار به الى ان معنى تمام فرضه عدم فساده والا فصلاته ناقصة

   Removal of a confusion

   If it were to be accepted that performing salam whilst standing is merely in opposition to the sunnah and does not necessitate a prostration of forgetfulness and repetition of the prayer, this would necessitate conflict within the legal case in Bahār-e-SharīꜤat. This is because in the very beginning of this legal case, the ruling of returning, performing a prostration of forgetfulness and concluding with salam has been explained.

   If performing the salam standing was only in opposition to the sunnah, then why is a prostration of forgetfulness wājib upon performing this salam seated? The omission of a sunnah does not make a prostration of forgetfulness necessary. The reality is, performing the salam standing is not only in opposition to the sunnah, it is also the abandoning of a wājib. This leaves no conflict within the legal case.

وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَرَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّم

Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari

Ref No: PIN-7034

Date: 8 Ṣafar al-Muẓaffar 1444 AH/ 5th September 2022