Valid doubts

1221. There are nine situation in which a person can have doubts about the number of Rak’ats in the Namaz consisting of four Rak’ats. In those situations, one should pause to think, and if he arrives at any decision or probability, he should act accordingly. If doubt persists, he should follow these rules:

I. After the second Sajdah, if a person doubts whether he has performed 2 Rak’ats or 3, he should assume that he has performed 3 Rak’ats, and finish the prayers after performing one more Rak’at. And after finishing the prayers he should offer, as a precaution, 1 Rak’at of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing, or two Rak’ats sitting according to rules which will be mentioned later.

II. If after the second Sajdah, a person doubts whether he has performed 2 or 4 Rak’ats, he should decide that he has performed 4 Rak’ats and finish his prayers. He should then stand up to offer 2 Rak’ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat.

III. If a person doubts after the second Sajdah, whether he has performed 2, 3 or 4 Rak’ats, he should decide that he has performed 4 Rak’ats. After completing the prayers, he should perform 2 Rak’ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing, and 2 Rak’ats in the sitting position. But if after the first Sajdah or before rising head from the second one, one of those 3 doubts occurs, he/she may stop and offer Namaz again.

IV. If a person doubts after the second Sajdah, as to whether he has performed 4 or 5 Rak’ats, he should decide that he has performed 4 Rak’ats and finish his prayers. After that he should perform two Sajdatus Sahv. But if one of 3 doubts occurs after the first Sajdah or before rising from the second one, he/she must act according to the said rule and, as an obligatory precaution, pray again.

V. If a person doubts at any stage during his prayers whether he has performed 3 or 4 Rak’ats, he should decide that he has performed 4 Rak’ats and finish his prayers. Thereafter, he should offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat of 1 Rak’at standing or of 2 Rak’ats in the sitting position.

VI. If a person doubts while standing as to whether he has performed 4 Rak’ats or 5, he should sit down and recite Tashahhud and the Salam of prayers. Then he should stand up to offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat of 1 Rak’at, or give 2 Rak’ats while sitting.

VII. If one doubts while standing whether he has performed three or five Rak’ats, he should sit down and read Tashahhud and Salam to finish the prayers. After that, he should offer 2 Rak’ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing.

VIII. If a person doubts while standing as to whether he has offered 3, 4 or 5 Rak’ats, he should sit down and recite Tashahhud and Salam of the prayers. Thereafter, he should offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat of 2 Rak’ats standing and another 2 Rak’ats in the sitting position.

IX. If a person doubts while standing whether he has performed 5 or 6 Rak’ats, he should sit down and recite Tashahhud and Salam of the prayers. Thereafter, he should perform two Sajdatus Sahv.

1222. If one of valid doubts occurs, Namaz should not be broken; otherwise, a sin is committed. If one prays again before an act which invalidates Namaz, such as turning head away from Qibla, his/her second Namaz is also void and if he/she starts offering prayer after an act which invalidates Namaz, his/her second Namaz is in order.

1223. If one has one of doubts for which Namaz-e-Ihtiyat (precautionary prayer) is necessary, then if he/she finishes Namaz without offering the Ihtiyat of Namaz, it is void. If he/she starts new prayer before an act, which invalidates Namaz, his/her second Namaz is also void; and if he/she starts it after an act which invalidates Namaz, his/her second Namaz is in order.

1224. If one of valid doubts occurs, as it was mentioned before, one should think immediately. If any certainty or strong idea is not acquired, then doubt will not be removed and if one thinks a little more, there is no harm. For example, if doubt is about Sajdah, he may delay thinking until the Sajdah is over.

1225. If initially the feeling of a person is inclined on one side, and later both the sides become equally strong, he should act according to the rules of doubt. And if initially both sides are equally strong, and he decides to act according to his obligation, but later his feeling inclines to the other side, he should adopt it, and complete the prayers.

1227. If a person learns after prayers, that while in Namaz he was in a state of doubt as to whether he offered 2 Rak’ats or 3 and that he decided in favor of 3 Rak’ats, but does not know whether his strong feeling favored offering three Rak’ats, or whether it favored both sides equally, he must offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, as an obligatory precaution.

1228. If a person doubts after standing up whether or not he has performed the 2 Sajdahs, and simultaneously, has a type of doubt which would only be valid if it occurred after two Sajdahs, like if he doubts whether he has performed two or three Rak’ats, he must act according to the rule prescribed for that doubt and, as an obligatory precaution, he must pray again.

1229. If a person doubts before he begins Tashahhud, or before standing (Qiyam) in the Rak’ats which do not have Tashahhud, whether he has performed one or both the Sajdahs, and right at that moment, a doubt occurs which would only be valid if it occurred after two Sajdahs, the prayers will be void.

1230. If a person doubts while standing whether he is in third or fourth Rak’ats, or whether it is third, fourth or fifth Rak’ats, and at that time he remembers to have omitted one or both Sajdah of the preceding Rak’at, his prayers will be void.

1231. If one doubt of a person is allayed and another doubt takes its place, like if he doubted first whether he had offered 2 or 3 Rak’ats, and later he doubts whether he has offered 3 or 4 Rak’ats, he should act according to the rules of the second doubt.

1232. If a person doubts after prayers whether while in Namaz, his doubt was about 2 and 4 Rak’ats or about 3 and 4 Rak’ats, he may act according to the rules of both the doubts; and also, he must repeat the prayers, as an obligatory precaution.

1233. If a person realizes after prayers that while he was in Namaz he had a doubt, but does not know whether it was a valid or unsound doubt, and further, if it was one of the valid doubts, he does not know to which type it belonged, in such a case, he must act according to the rules of valid doubts which has occurred to him and repeat Namaz also.

1234. If a person who prays in the sitting position has a doubt, which would oblige him to perform either 1 Rak’at Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing or 2 Rak’ats in the sitting position, he should offer 1 Rak’at sitting. And if he has a doubt for which his obligation is to offer two Rak’ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing, he should offer 2 Rak’ats sitting.

1235. If a person who offers prayers in the standing position, becomes unable to stand while offering Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should offer it as one who offers prayers in the sitting position. Rules of these have been detailed above.

1236. If a person who normally sat when offering prayers, becomes capable of standing for offering Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should act according to the obligation of one who offers prayers standing.