The two prostrations of forgetfulness rebuke the shaytan

People Ideas

سجدتا النسيان ترغيم للشيطان

Whoever doubts his prayer and does not know how many he prayed prays one rak a then prostrates twice sitting before the salam; if the rak a was the fifth the two prostrations complete it, and if it was the fourth the two prostrations are a rebuke to the shaytan 1 Muwatta 252.

Depth

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Era
The Prophetic Era

Creed

The story

Malik relates from Zayd ibn Aslam from Ata ibn Yasar mursal: if one of you doubts his prayer and does not know whether he prayed three or four, let him pray one rak a and prostrate twice sitting before the salam; if the rak a was the fifth the two prostrations complete it, and if it was the fourth the two prostrations are a rebuke to the shaytan 1 Muwatta 252.

The meaning

In this report the two prostrations of forgetfulness, when the prayer is complete, are a rebuke to the shaytan — a rebuff to him for what he whispered into the worshipper s prayer 1.

Notes

From the prayer fiqh of the Muwatta; the Jinn & Devils Browser shows it in the devils section 1.

Connections

Explore the connections

Related to
Muhammad· Prostrations of forgetfulness (sujud al-sahw)· Evil ones among humans and jinn· Salah (the prescribed prayer)· Muwatta 252
Mentioned in
Muwatta 252

People and things also explored

The one who passes before the praying person is a shaytan· Muwatta 26· Muwatta 177· Muwatta 263· Muwatta 421· Muwatta 486· Muwatta 252· The good dream is from God and the bad dream is from the shaytan

Sources

  1. Muwatta, recension of Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi (ed. Bashar Awwad Ma'ruf)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The two prostrations of forgetfulness rebuke the shaytan”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/prostrations-of-forgetfulness-rebuke-shaytan/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-11-11.

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Related

The one who passes before the praying person is a shaytan

The Prophet ordered the praying person not to let anyone pass between his hands, to push him away as much as he can, and if he refuses let him fight him — for he is only a shaytan Muwatta 421.