Matters Accepted From Salah (Prayer) of a Forgetful Person

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), "Ammar al-Sabatiy has narrated from you a Hadith.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘What Hadith is it? 5 I then said, ‘He narrates that Sunnah is obligatory.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Where does he go! Where does he go! I did not speak to him as such. I only said to him that when performing Salah (prayer) if one is attentive toward it, does not speak to one’s soul in it and does not make mistakes in it, Allah comes forward eagerly to what is performed eagerly. Perhaps one half is raised, one fourth, one third or one fifth is raised. We command to perform Sunnah only to complete what is missed of obligatory ones.’”

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Of Salah (prayer) of a servant (of Allah) sometimes one-half, sometimes one-third, one-fourth or one-fifth is raised. Whatever is raised is only what one has performed with love from his heart. We only command to perform optional Salah (prayer) to complete what it is cut short of obligatory ones.’”

“Once, when I was present, a man said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I make a great number of mistakes in my Salah (prayer).’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Has anyone remained safe thereby?’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘I think no one makes as many mistakes as I do.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said to him, ‘O abu Muhammad, sometimes of Salah (prayer) of a servant (of Allah) one-third is raised, sometimes one-half or three- fourth or less or more depending upon the quantity of one’s mistakes in that Salah (prayer). However, it is completed with his optional Salah (prayer).’ Abu Basir then said to him (the Imam), ‘I think, optional Salah (prayer) should not be omitted in any condition.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘Yes, it should not be omitted.’”

“Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, have said, ‘Of your Salah (prayer) only that much is for you which you have performed with love. If one instills delusion in Salah (prayer) or omits it altogether, then such Salah (prayer) is rolled up and is struck against the face of its owner.’”

“It is in the book of Hariz who has said that once I forgot about my being in obligatory Salah (prayer) until Ruku‘ (bowing down on one’s knees). Can I make my intention for it to be an optional Salah (prayer)? He (the Imam) (a.s.), said, ‘It is what you had stood up for. If you stood up to perform an obligatory Salah (prayer) then doubts entered, you are still in obligatory Salah (prayer). If you stood up for optional Salah (prayer) then made your intention for obligatory Salah (prayer), you were still in optional Salah (prayer). If you stood up for obligatory then you remembered optional Salah (prayer) which was due, you were to complete it as obligatory.’”