Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 482
sahih

Narrates Ibn Seereen:

Abu Huraira said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) led us in one of the two `Isha' prayers (Abu Huraira named that prayer but I forgot it)." Abu Huraira added, "He prayed two rak`at and then finished the prayer with Taslim. He stood up near a piece of wood Lying across the mosque and leaned on it in such a way as if he was angry. Then he put his right hand over the left and clasped his hands by interlacing his fingers and then put his J right cheek on the back of his left hand. The people who were in haste left the mosque through its gates. They wondered whether the prayer was reduced. And amongst them were Abu Bakr and `Umar but they hesitated to ask the Prophet. A long-handed man called Dhul- Yadain asked the Prophet, 'O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ! Have you forgotten or has the prayer been reduced?' The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, 'I have neither forgotten nor has the prayer been reduced' The Prophet (ﷺ) added, 'Is what Dhul Yadain has said true?' They (the people) said, 'Yes, it is true.' The Prophet (ﷺ) stood up again and led the prayer, completing the remaining prayer, forgotten by him, and performed Taslim, and then said, 'Allahu Akbar.' And then he did a prostration as he used to prostrate or longer than that. He then raised his head saying, 'Allahu Akbar; he then again said, 'Allahu Akbar', and prostrated as he used to prostrate or longer than that. Then he raised his head and said, 'Allahu Akbar.' " (The subnarrator added, "I think that they asked (Ibn Seereen) whether the Prophet (ﷺ) completed the prayer with Taslim. He replied, "I heard that `Imran bin Husain had said, 'Then he (the Prophet) did Taslim.")

حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ شُمَيْلٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ عَوْنٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ سِيرِينَ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ صَلَّى بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِحْدَى صَلاَتَىِ الْعَشِيِّ ـ قَالَ ابْنُ سِيرِينَ سَمَّاهَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ وَلَكِنْ نَسِيتُ أَنَا ـ قَالَ فَصَلَّى بِنَا رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ، فَقَامَ إِلَى خَشَبَةٍ مَعْرُوضَةٍ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَاتَّكَأَ عَلَيْهَا، كَأَنَّهُ غَضْبَانُ، وَوَضَعَ يَدَهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى الْيُسْرَى، وَشَبَّكَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ، وَوَضَعَ خَدَّهُ الأَيْمَنَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ كَفِّهِ الْيُسْرَى، وَخَرَجَتِ السَّرَعَانُ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالُوا قَصُرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ‏.‏ وَفِي الْقَوْمِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، فَهَابَا أَنْ يُكَلِّمَاهُ، وَفِي الْقَوْمِ رَجُلٌ فِي يَدَيْهِ طُولٌ يُقَالُ لَهُ ذُو الْيَدَيْنِ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَنَسِيتَ أَمْ قَصُرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ قَالَ ‏"‏ لَمْ أَنْسَ، وَلَمْ تُقْصَرْ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ أَكَمَا يَقُولُ ذُو الْيَدَيْنِ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَقَالُوا نَعَمْ‏.‏ فَتَقَدَّمَ فَصَلَّى مَا تَرَكَ، ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ وَسَجَدَ مِثْلَ سُجُودِهِ أَوْ أَطْوَلَ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَكَبَّرَ، ثُمَّ كَبَّرَ وَسَجَدَ مِثْلَ سُجُودِهِ أَوْ أَطْوَلَ، ثُمَّ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ وَكَبَّرَ‏.‏ فَرُبَّمَا سَأَلُوهُ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ فَيَقُولُ نُبِّئْتُ أَنَّ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 8, Hadith 129
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 1, Book 8, Hadith 469 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Prayer is an act of worship that nourishes the soul. In the prayer, the individual stands before his Lord, and he should take measures to help him focus properly and not be distracted whilst praying. But he may make mistakes, omitting or adding some actions in the prayer. This error or forgetfulness needs to be compensated for, so the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prescribed doing the two prostrations of forgetfulness (sajdatay as-sahw) in such cases. In this hadith, Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led them in praying one of the afternoon prayers, Zuhr or ‘Asr. He prayed two rak‘ahs, then he said the taslim. Then he stood up and leaned against a piece of wood that had been set up in the middle of the mosque. He put his right hand over his left hand, interlaced his fingers, and rested his right cheek on the back of his left hand, as if he was angry. Those who usually left quickly after the prayer had exited the mosque, thinking that the prayer had become two rak‘ahs. Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) were among those who had prayed behind the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but they were afraid to speak to him about this matter, out of awe and respect for him. But a man called Dhul Yadayn spoke up and said to him: O Messenger of Allah, did you forget or has the prayer been shortened? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I did not forget and it has not been shortened.” That was because he thought that he had not made a mistake. Then he asked the people who had prayed behind him: Did it really happen that I only prayed two rak‘ahs? They said: Yes. So he went forward to the imam’s place, then he prayed two rak‘ahs to complete the obligatory four. Then he said the tashahhud and the taslim, then he said takbir and prostrated twice, the prostration of forgetfulness, then he said the taslim. The two prostrations were to make up for the mistake and forgetting, and to make up for the shortcoming. They also serve to annoy the Shaytan if there was not actually any shortcoming in the prayer, for the Shaytan tries to confuse the Muslim when he is praying, and tries to spoil his prayer and make it defective. So Allah (may He be exalted) has given the worshipper a way to make up for any shortcoming in his prayer and a way to handle any confusion caused by the Shaytan, and a way to annoy the Shaytan and send him away empty-handed, having failed to achieve his goal. By doing the prostration of forgetfulness the person’s prayer is completed. This hadith highlights the importance of the prostration of forgetfulness, and that it may be done after the taslim..
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