Understanding the Imam’s Mistake: What to Do When Standing for a Fifth Rak’ah

What Should an Imam Do If He Stands for a Fifth Rak’ah?

 Question: If an Imam mistakenly starts to stand up for a fifth rak’ah (unit of prayer) and the congregation says “SubhanAllah” to alert him, should the Imam continue standing or sit back down? Some people say that if the Imam has fully stood up, he should complete the fifth rak’ah and then perform the prostration of forgetfulness (sujood al-sahw) at the end. Is this correct?

 Answer: If an Imam is attempting to stand up for a fifth rak’ah or has already stood up and the congregation alerts him that he is making a mistake, the Imam must sit back down immediately. This is obligatory because adding extra actions to the prayer invalidates it. If someone intentionally adds to the prayer, it nullifies the prayer. The person who told you that the Imam should complete the fifth rak’ah if he has fully stood up is incorrect and does not have proper knowledge of this issue.

This issue is different from the case of the first tashahhud (sitting after the second rak’ah in a four-rak’ah prayer). If an Imam forgets to sit for the first tashahhud and stands up for the third rak’ah, he should not sit back down but continue the prayer and perform the prostration of forgetfulness at the end. This is because the first tashahhud is obligatory, and missing an obligatory part of the prayer can be compensated by the prostration of forgetfulness.

 Answer by: Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi (Jeddah)