Salat Al Ihtiyat

Zurarah ibn Ayun once asked one of the two Imam, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, about a man who performs Salah (prayer) but does not know if he is in the second or fourth Rak‘at but he knows that he has performed two Rak‘at. He (the Imam) said, ‘He performs two Rak‘at and four Sujud (prostrations). He does it in a standing position with al-Fatihah al-Kitab and Tashahhud (testimonies of belief) and he is not obligated for anything in this matter. If he does not know he is in the third or fourth and if he has secured three Rak‘at, he stands up to perform one more Rak‘at and he is not obligated for anything in this matter. He does not destroy his certainty with doubt and doubt does not enter into certainty. No one of them mixes with the other but doubt is destroyed by certainty and he completes with certainty, based on certainty and does not depend on doubt in no condition whatsoever.’

Imam jafar(as) was asked about a man who does not know if he has performed two Rak‘at or four. He (the Imam) said, ‘He says Tashahhud (testimonies of belief) and the phrase of offering greeting of peace, then stands up to perform two Rak‘at and four Sujud (prostrations) in which he reads al-Fatihah al-Kitab, thereafter says Tashahhud (testimonies of belief) and the phrase of offering greeting of peace. If he has, in fact, performed four Rak‘at, the two Rak‘at are optional; but if they were two Rak‘at, then these two Rak‘at complete the four, and if he has spoken something other than what is part of Salah (prayer) he performs two Sajdah (prostrations) because of mistake.’”

Abu Basir once asked him (the Imam) (a.s), about a man who performs Salah (prayer) but does not know if he is in the third or fourth Rak‘at. He (the Imam) said, ‘It depends on what his guessing indicates. If he according to his guess thinks it is the third or fourth he accepts it along with his soul, then performs two Rak‘at in which he reads al-Fatihah al-Kitab only.”