What is Sunan Ibn Majah 950 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah Regarding Them), narrated by It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:, states: "“The Satan comes to any one of you while he is praying and comes between him and his soul, until he does not know whether he as added something or omitted something. If that happens, then he should pr…"

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 950 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.

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#949

#950

Sunan Ibn Majah

#951

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Sunan Ibn Majah #950

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 سُفْيَانُ بْنُ وَكِيعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، حَدَّثَنِي الزُّهْرِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ قَالَ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَأْتِي أَحَدَكُمْ فِي صَلاَتِهِ، فَيَدْخُلُ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ نَفْسِهِ حَتَّى لاَ يَدْرِي زَادَ أَوْ نَقَصَ. فَإِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ، فَلْيَسْجُدْ سَجْدَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسَلِّمَ. ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

“The Satan comes to any one of you while he is praying and comes between him and his soul, until he does not know whether he as added something or omitted something. If that happens, then he should prostrate twice before the Salam, then he should say the Salam.”

Narrated by It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

Context

In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) addresses the issue of distractions during prayer caused by Satan. He explains that Satan can interfere with a person's awareness of their prayer, leading them to doubt whether they have added or omitted parts of it. The Prophet provides a solution by instructing that if one experiences this confusion, they should perform two prostrations before concluding their prayer with the Salam.

Modern Application

In daily Salah, individuals may find their minds wandering or doubts arising about their prayer. This hadith encourages believers to remain focused and reassured that if they feel uncertain, they can perform the prostrations of forgetfulness to regain composure and complete their prayer with confidence.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Prayer because it provides guidance on addressing distractions during prayer, ensuring that worshippers can maintain their focus and complete their prayers correctly.

Prayer