What is Sunan Ibn Majah 944 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them), narrated by It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri said:, states: "“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you is uncertain about his prayer, let him put aside uncertainty and act upon that which is certain. When he has made sure his prayer is complete, then…"

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Sahih. Sahih hadiths are considered the most authentic grade in hadith classification.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Ibn Majah, which contains 4,345 hadiths across 38 books. It is hadith number 944 in the Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them.

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

‹

#943

#944

Sunan Ibn Majah

#945

›

Sunan Ibn Majah #944

Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them

Sahih

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ الأَحْمَرُ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ إِذَا شَكَّ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلاَتِهِ فَلْيُلْغِ الشَّكَّ وَلْيَبْنِ عَلَى الْيَقِينِ فَإِذَا اسْتَيْقَنَ التَّمَامَ سَجَدَ سَجْدَتَيْنِ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ صَلاَتُهُ تَامَّةً كَانَتِ الرَّكْعَةُ نَافِلَةً وَإِنْ كَانَتْ نَاقِصَةً كَانَتِ الرَّكْعَةُ لِتَمَامِ صَلاَتِهِ وَكَانَتِ السَّجْدَتَانِ رَغْمَ أَنْفِ الشَّيْطَانِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘If anyone of you is uncertain about his prayer, let him put aside uncertainty and act upon that which is certain. When he has made sure his prayer is complete, then let him prostrate twice. Then if his prayer was complete, that (extra) Rak’ah will be counted as voluntary, and if his prayer was lacking, that Rak’ah will complete his prayer, and the two prostrations will rub the Satan’s nose in the dust.’”

Narrated by It was narrated that Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri said:

Context

In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) addresses the uncertainty that can arise during prayer. He instructs believers to disregard their doubts and rely on their certainty regarding the completion of their prayer. If they are unsure, they should perform two additional prostrations to ensure their prayer is complete, emphasizing the importance of confidence in worship and the role of Satan in creating doubt.

Modern Application

In daily salah, when individuals find themselves questioning whether they have completed their prayer correctly, they can apply this hadith by focusing on what they are certain of and performing the extra prostrations if needed. This practice helps maintain the integrity of their prayer and counters any distractions.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer because it provides guidance on how to deal with uncertainty during prayer, ensuring that worship remains sincere and complete.

Prayer