What should I do if I get a doubt during Isha prayer whether I am praying 3rd or 4th rakat after completing the second sajda? | Ask A Question | Al-Islam.org

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What should I do if I get a doubt during Isha prayer whether I am praying 3rd or 4th rakat after completing the second sajda?

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Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answer updated 4 years ago

Thank you for your question. The following is the ruling found in Ay Sistani’s Islamic Laws translated by Shaykh Muhammad Ali Ismail (1) 303-304. Your question pertains to the first scenario for someone whow doubts about the number of rakats in a four rakat prayer:

Ruling 1185. In nine situations if one doubts about the number of rakʿahs in a four rakʿah prayer, he must think [about the doubt]; then, if he becomes certain or he supposes that a particular possibility is correct, he must act according to that possibility and complete the prayer; otherwise, he must act according to the instructions that will be mentioned later. The nine situations are as set out below.

First: after starting the second sajdah, one doubts whether he has performed two rakʿahs or three rakʿahs. In this situation, he must assume he has performed three rakʿahs and perform one more rakʿah and complete the prayer, and after the prayer he must perform one rakʿah of ṣalāt al-iḥtiyāṭ in a standing position; and based on obligatory precaution, performing two rakʿahs in a sitting position will not suffice.

Rebecca Masterton, Dr Rebecca Masterton graduated with a BA in Japanese Language and Literature; an MA in Comparative East Asian and African Literature and a PhD in Islamic literature of West Africa. She has been... Answered 4 years ago

According to Ayatollah Syed Mohsin al-Hakim Tabatabai, when you doubt as to whether you have completed three or four raka'at, complete the salah assuming that you have completed four raka'at. Then do salat al-ihtiyat, consisting of one raka'a standing, or two raka'at sitting.

Nour Tessie Jørgensen, Nour Tessie Jørgensen has an MA in Islamic studies from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and a degree in Philosophy of Ethics at Al Mustafa International University in Qum, Iran. She works as... Answered 4 years ago

You should assume that you have performed 3 units (rakat) and finish the prayer after performing one more rakat. After you finish the prayer (saying salam), without turning to the sides (meaning you are still in prayer) you should pray one rakat Ihtiyat-prayer (standing) as an obligatory precaution. It is a one unit prayer which symbolize the third or forth rakat.