SAEDNEWS: Sometimes, a person performing prayer may become uncertain about the number of rak‘ahs, whether a prostration was completed, or other aspects of the prayer. By reading this guide, you can learn how to deal with these doubts and understand the proper steps to resolve them.
According to Saednews, It may happen to any of us that, while performing prayer, we experience doubts, uncertainty, or persistent thoughts (waswasah). In such situations, the following supplications are traditionally recommended to help overcome these doubts and distractions.
Hariz narrates that he said to Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (peace be upon him):
“I sometimes experience troubling thoughts in my heart. At times, I even stop my prayers, and sometimes my recitation becomes confused.”
The Imam (peace be upon him) said:
“Why do you not seek refuge through the supplication of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him)?”
I asked, “O son of the Messenger of Allah, teach it to me.”
The Imam said:
Whenever you experience such feelings, place your hand over your heart and say:
In the name of Allah and by Allah. O Allah, You have blessed me with faith, entrusted me with the Qur'an, and granted me the opportunity to fast during the month of Ramadan. So bless me with Your mercy, Your pleasure, Your kindness, forgiveness, and the completion of all the blessings and favors You have bestowed upon me. O Most Compassionate, O Bestower of Blessings, O Everlasting, O Most Merciful. Glory be to You; I have no one besides You. Glory be to You. After all these honors and blessings, I seek refuge in You from humiliation, and I ask You to remove sorrow and distress from my heart.
By the permission of the Lord, you will find relief. Then send blessings upon the Noble Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).
Source: Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 95, p. 137.
According to a traditional devotional practice, to seek protection from waswasah, write Surah al-Nas on a vessel from which you drink on the fourteenth day of the lunar month. Wash the writing into the vessel, drink the water, and perform ablution with it. It is traditionally believed that this will provide protection from waswasah.
Source: Hashiyah Majma' al-Da'awat, p. 39.
For a person who frequently becomes distracted or makes mistakes during prayer, it is traditionally recommended to place the index finger of the right hand on the left thigh before beginning the prayer and recite:
In the name of Allah and by Allah. I place my trust in Allah, and I seek refuge in Allah, the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing, from the accursed Satan.
Source: Kulliyat Majma' al-Da'awat, p. 236.
