Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: When any one of you stands up to pray. the devil comes to him and confuses him to that he does not know how much he has prayed. If any one of you has such an experience he should perform two prostrations while sitting down (in qa'da).

This hadith has been narrated by al-Zubri with the same chain of transmitters.

Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: When there is a call to prayer the devil runs back breaking the wind so that he may not hear the call, and when the call is complete he comes back. And when the takbir is pronounced he again runs back, and when takbir is over he comes back and distracts a man saying: Remember such and such, remember such and such, referring to something the man did not have in his mind. with the result that he does not know how much he has prayed; so when any one of you is not sure how much he has prayed. he should perform two prostrations while sitting (qa'da).

Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: The devil takes to his heels breaking wind when the prayer begins. and the rest is the same but with this addition:" He (the devil) makes him think of pleasant things (or things productive of enjoyment) and of the things wished for, and reminds him of such needs which he had forgotten."

'Abdullah bin Buhaina reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) led us two rak'ahs of prayer in one of the (obligatory) prayers and then got up and did not sit. and the people stood up along with him. When he finished the prayer and we expected him to pronounce salutation. he said:" Allah is Most Great" while sitting and made two prostrations before salutation and then pronounced (the, final) salutation.

'Abdullah bin Buhaina al-Asadi, the ally of Abual-Muttalib, reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) stood up in the noon prayer (though) he hadith sit (after the two rak'ahs). When he completed the prayer he performed two prostrations and said," Allah is the Most Great" in each prostration, while he was sitting before pronouncing salutation, and the people performed prostration along with him. That was a compensation for he had forgotten to observe jalsa (after two rak'ahs).

'Abdullah bin Malik ibn Buhaina al-Asadi reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) stood up (at the end of two rak'ahs) when he had to sit and proceeded on with the prayer. But when he was at the end of the prayer, he performed a prostration before the salutation and then pronounced the salutation.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said: When any one of you is in doubt about his prayer and he does not know how much he has prayed, three or four (rak'ahs). he should cast aside his doubt and base his prayer on what he is sure of. then perform two prostrations before giving salutations. If he has prayed five rak'ahs, they will make his prayer an even number for him, and if he has prayed exactly four, they will be humiliation for the devil.

This hadith has been narrated by Zaid bin Aslam with the same chain of transmitters and he said: He should perform two prostrations before the salutation, as it was mentioned by Sulaiman bin Bilal (RA) .

'Alqama narrated It on the authority of 'Abdullah (b. Mas'ud) who said: The Messenger of Allah ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) said the prayer; (the narrator added): He made some act of omission or commission when he pronounced salutation; it was said to him: Messenger of Allah, is there something new about the prayer? He (the Holy Prophet) said: What is it? They said: You said prayer in such and such away. He (the narrator) said: He (the Holy Prophet) turned his feet and faced the Qibla and performed two prostrations and then pronounced salutations, and then turned his face towards us and said: If there is anything new about prayer (new command from the Lord) I informed you of that. But I am a human being and I forget as you forget, so when I forget, remind me, and when any one of you is in doubt about his prayer. he should aim at what is correct and complete his prayer in that respect and then make two prostrations.