[Q 393] Muqtadi’s Tashahhud Before Sajdah Sahw

Question:

If a person is reading behind an imam and the imam does sajdah sahw but the muqtadi has not finished his tashahhud, should the muqtadi complete his tashahhud and then do 1 salaam and then do sajdah sahw? Or should the muqtadi not complete his tashahhud and just follow the imam straight into sajdah sahw?

If the muqtadi is supposed to finish his tashahhud and then do sajdah sahw, the imam could be a few positions ahead due to the muqtadi reading tashahhud — so how does he catch up?

بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم

الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایة الحق والصواب

ANSWER:

It is wajib (obligatory) upon both the imam and the muqtadi (follower) to complete the tashahhud. And the ruling is the same for the tashahhud before performing sajdah sahw. Therefore, if the muqtadi has not yet completed his tashahhud and the imam makes salaam to initiate sajdah sahw, it is still wajib for the muqtadi to complete his tashahhud and then join the imam in sajdah sahw. During this if the imam has already moved on to the next posture, the muqtadi should perform the required act and then catch up with the imam.

It is not permissible for the muqtadi to intentionally skip tashahhud — if he does, the salah will become wajib ul i‘adah (necessary to repeat).

Note: The same ruling applies to a masbuq (a person who joined the prayer late and missed one or more rak‘ahs). However, in the case of sajdah sahw, although the masbuq must perform both prostrations of sahw along with the imam, he will not turn his head for the salaam given towards the right side (which the imam uses to initiate the sajdah sahw). Instead, he will go into sajdah sahw directly without making salaam.

Mufti Muhammad Amjad Ali Aazmi رحمه اللہ تعالی states: “Those things which are Fard (obligatory) or Wajib (necessary), the muqtadi must perform them with the imam — provided that doing so does not clash with another Wajib. If there is a conflict, then he will not miss it, rather fulfil the Wajib, and then follow the imam. For example, if the imam rises after completing tashahhud and the muqtadi hasn’t finished his yet, it is Wajib upon the muqtadi to complete it before rising. In acts that are sunnah, following the imam is sunnah on the condition there is no conflict, if so then he will abandon it and follow the imam. For example, within Ruku or sajdah he wasn’t able to say the tasbih three times before the imam rose.

(Bahar-e-Shariat, Volume 1, Page 519, Maktaba-tul-Madina)

Sayyidi Imam Ahl-ul-Sunnah رحمه اللہ تعالی states: “The masbuq will only follow the imam in sajdah (prostration), not in the salaam.”

(Fatawa Radawiyah, Volume 7, Page 238, Raza Foundation)

answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)

Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari

Translation check by Mawlana Hamza

Date: 14th April 2025.