It is permissible for the worshipper to build upon what he has already prayed if he forgetfully says the salam after two rak‘ahs before completing the prayer. And the explanation of the evidence that forgetfully saying the salam before finishing the prayer does not invalidate the prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led the prayer and forgot, so he (peace be upon him) ended the prayer with salam after two rak‘ahs. Dhu’l-Yadayn said to him (peace be upon him),“Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?”So he (peace be upon him) said,“Neither has the prayer been shortened nor did I forget.”Then he (peace be upon him) asked (the companions),“Is it as Dhu’l-Yadayn is saying?”(The companions replied,“Yes.”) So he (peace be upon him) stood up and completed the (remaining) prayer, then performed two prostrations. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that only Abu Kurayb and Bishr bin Khalid narrate this hadith from Abu Usamah.

And the explanation of the evidence that the worshipper will perform these two prostrations after saying the salutation, not before.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in one of the two afternoon prayers. After performing two rak‘ahs, he said the salam. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to a piece of wood lying crosswise in the mosque (towards the qiblah) and leaned on it with both his hands, as if he was very angry. The narrator says that, during this time, the hasty people left through the doors of the mosque and began to say to each other that the prayer had been shortened. Among the people were Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), but they too were afraid to speak to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Among the people was a man with long arms, who was called Dhu’l-Yadayn. He said,“O Messenger of Allah, did you forget or has the prayer been shortened?”The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“I did not forget, nor has the prayer been shortened.”Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked the people,“Is Dhu’l-Yadayn speaking the truth?”The Companions replied,“Yes.”The narrator says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and performed the missed prayer, then said the salam, then said“Allahu Akbar”and performed a prostration like his usual prostration or even longer. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head, then said“Allahu Akbar”and performed a prostration like his usual prostration or even longer. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head and said“Allahu Akbar.”(Ibn ‘Awn) the narrator says that sometimes the students would say (to Ibn Sirin),“Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the salam,”so (Ibn Sirin) said,“I have been informed by Sayyiduna ‘Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said in his narration: ‘Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the salam.’”(These words are not in the above narration of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), so Ibn Sirin mentioned these words from ‘Imran at the students’ inquiry.) These are the words of the narration of San‘ani.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم a hadith similar to the one mentioned above. That is, "The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم performed two prostrations of forgetfulness on the day when, after concluding the prayer with salam, Dhu’l-Yadayn came to him صلى الله عليه وسلم (and informed him about the deficiency in the prayer)." Imam Abu Bakr رحمه الله says that this narration of Ibn Sirin from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه indicates the heedlessness of the person who thinks that this incident occurred before the prohibition of speaking during prayer by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. And whoever possesses scholarly understanding and has reflected upon the statements of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the words of the narrators of this hadith, he knows that saying such a thing is based on ignorance. In the narration of Ibn Sirin from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه, these words are present: "The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم led us in prayer." Similarly, Imam Malik bin Anas رحمه الله has narrated this with his chain from Abu Sufyan, the freed slave of Bani Abi Ahmad, from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه. In it, instead of "salla bina," the words "salla lana" are used (the meaning is the same, that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم led us in prayer).

The freed slave of Bani Abi Ahmad, Abu Sufyan, narrates that I heard Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the ‘Asr prayer, and after two rak‘ahs he ended the prayer with salam. Then Dhu’l-Yadayn stood up and said,“O Messenger of Allah, has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?”The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Nothing of the sort has happened.”So he said,“O Messenger of Allah, certainly something of that has happened.”Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) turned towards the people and asked,“Is Dhu’l-Yadayn speaking the truth?”The companions replied,“Yes.”So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the remainder of the prayer, then after saying salam, while sitting in the tashahhud position, he performed two prostrations.

Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that similarly, this narration has been reported by Aban bin Yazid Al-Attar from Yahya bin Abi Kathir, from Sayyiduna Abu Salamah, from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him. That the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, led them in prayer. Then the entire incident was narrated. Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, says that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, is informing that he was present with the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in that prayer in which this incident occurred. Therefore, how can this incident of Dhul-Yadayn be from before the prohibition of speaking in prayer by the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him? Whereas Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, is informing that when he greeted the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, (during prayer) upon his return from the land of Abyssinia, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, informed him that Allah Almighty had given a new command that those praying should not converse during prayer. And the return of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, from the land of Abyssinia was before the Battle of Badr, because Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, participated in the Battle of Badr and he also claimed that he killed Abu Jahl bin Hisham on that very day. I have mentioned this incident in the Book of Jihad, and Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, came to Madinah several years after the Battle of Badr. When he came to Madinah, the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was in Khaybar (for the Battle of Khaybar). And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had appointed Sayyiduna Siba’ bin ‘Arfatah Ghifari, may Allah be pleased with him, as his deputy in Madinah.

Iraq bin Malik narrates from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to Madinah at a time when the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in Khaybar—and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had appointed Sayyiduna Siba’ bin ‘Arfatah (may Allah be pleased with him) as his deputy in Madinah Munawwarah. (The author says:) I have mentioned this narration at another place as well, and regarding Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah’s (may Allah be pleased with him) presence in the noble service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at Khaybar, I have narrated it in the Book of Jihad.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I had the honor of accompanying the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for three years. Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) remained in the company of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during the Battle of Khaybar and the period after it. And he is stating that he performed this prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, whoever claims that the hadith of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) abrogates the story of Dhu’l-Yadayn, if this person reflects upon knowledge, abandons stubbornness, and does not give undue importance and greatness to his own intellect, he will realize the impossibility of this claim. Because it is not possible that a later ruling is abrogated and an earlier ruling is the abrogator. And the incident of Dhu’l-Yadayn occurred several years after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had prohibited speaking in prayer, so how can the later ruling be abrogated and the earlier ruling be the abrogator—while the incident of Dhu’l-Yadayn has no connection with the prohibition of speaking in prayer by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? And this issue is not even related to that category, because (the speech that was prohibited) was permissible speech which a praying person would deliberately do in prayer, and he would have certain knowledge that he was in the state of prayer. So this speech was abrogated and the worshippers were prevented from deliberately speaking during prayer, whereas previously it was permissible for them. It is not that it was made permissible for them to speak in prayer in case of forgetfulness, while they did not know that they were in the state of prayer, and then this ruling was abrogated. Is it permissible for any intelligent person, who has even a little scholarly understanding, to say that Allah Almighty has prohibited the worshipper from speaking when he does not even know that he is in the state of prayer, or to say that Allah Almighty has prohibited the worshipper from speaking in the state of prayer while he does not even know that Allah Almighty has prohibited speaking in prayer? Indeed, when the worshipper comes to know that Allah Almighty has prohibited speaking in prayer, then it is obligatory for him not to speak in prayer. Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) spoke (during prayer) even though he did not know that speaking in prayer was prohibited. Therefore, while praying behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he responded to someone who sneezed (by saying“Yarhamukallah”), and the worshippers began to stare at him, so he said,“May my mother weep for me, why are you staring at me?”Thus, when he spoke during prayer, not knowing that such speech was prohibited in the state of prayer, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him that speaking to people in prayer is prohibited and impermissible—but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order him to repeat the prayer in which he had spoken. Whereas in the incident of Dhu’l-Yadayn, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke on the basis that he thought he had completed the obligatory prayer and was not in the state of prayer. And Dhu’l-Yadayn spoke to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not knowing that some obligatory prayer was still remaining. Because, according to him, it was possible that the obligatory prayer had been reduced to two rak’ahs as it was in the beginning of Islam. Do you not hear him saying to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):“Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?”So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied,“I have neither forgotten nor has the prayer been shortened.”At that time, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was not certain that any part of the prayer was still remaining. Therefore, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) investigated from the Companions and asked them:“Is it as Dhu’l-Yadayn is saying?”Then, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became certain that two rak’ahs of his prayer were still remaining, he performed them. Thus, in this incident, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) became aware and certain that some of his prayer was still remaining, he did not speak further. However, the speech of the Companions was in response to the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) question, when he asked them:“Is it as Dhu’l-Yadayn is saying?”So they replied,“Yes.”(Upon the Prophet’s question) it was obligatory for them to answer, even though they were in the state of prayer, and they had full knowledge and certainty that they were in the state of prayer, because Allah Almighty, by His special grace and favor, has made a distinction between His chosen Prophet and other people. That is, Allah Almighty has made it obligatory for the worshippers to respond to the voice of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) even if they are praying. The command of Allah Almighty is: «‏‏‏‏يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الأنفال: 24 ] “O you who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ubayy bin Ka’b and Abu Sa’id bin Ma’la (may Allah be pleased with them both) when he called them separately while they were praying and they did not respond to his call until they finished their prayer:“Did you not hear the command that has been revealed to me?”—or the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said words to that effect. «‏‏‏‏يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَجِيبُوا لِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُمْ لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ» ‏‏‏‏“O you who believe, obey Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life.”I have narrated these two hadiths at another place besides this one. On the day of Dhu’l-Yadayn, there is a difference in the manner of speech of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them) and the speech of Dhu’l-Yadayn, and in some rulings regarding the speech of those who came after them. After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from this world, it is not permissible for anyone to speak as Dhu’l-Yadayn did at the beginning—because after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), every worshipper, when he says salam after two rak’ahs of Zuhr or Asr, will know with certainty that two rak’ahs of his prayer are still remaining, because after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the revelation has ceased, and it is impossible that after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) there should be any reduction in the obligatory prayer. Therefore, everyone knows that Zuhr and Asr are four obligatory rak’ahs. When he speaks after two rak’ahs, and two rak’ahs are still remaining, he will have complete certainty that this speech is forbidden and prohibited for him, and he is speaking before completing the obligatory prayer. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said salam after two rak’ahs, Dhu’l-Yadayn did not know, nor was he certain, that some of his prayer was still remaining; nor did he know that speaking in that state was prohibited for him, because, according to him, it was possible that at that time the obligation of prayer had reverted to two rak’ahs as it was at the beginning of Islam. His conversation with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is clear evidence of this. Do you not hear him saying to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him):“Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?”After the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to Dhu’l-Yadayn,“I have neither forgotten nor has the prayer been shortened,”I have already explained the reason and cause for the Companions’ speech. And I have explained that it was obligatory for the Companions to respond to the voice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) even if they were in the state of prayer. Today, this obligation has been lifted. It is not permissible for any Muslim to respond to someone by speaking while he is praying. Therefore, whoever, after the cessation of revelation, says to a worshipper who has said salam after two rak’ahs,“Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget?”—then it is obligatory for him to repeat that prayer if he knows that this prayer is four rak’ahs, not two. Similarly, anyone who spoke while being certain that he had not yet completed the obligatory prayer—then whether he spoke before saying salam after two rak’ahs or after saying salam after two rak’ahs, and anyone who spoke to another person in the state of prayer, it is obligatory for him to repeat that prayer. Because Allah Almighty has not permitted anyone to respond to another person in the state of prayer, except for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whom Allah Almighty has specifically permitted to be answered in that state. I have explained this lengthy issue completely, and I have also mentioned the arguments of the scholars who objected to our companions in this matter—I will also explain the flaws in the impossible and unreasonable arguments they have made against our companions in this matter, if Allah Almighty grants us success.

Al-Zuhri included his wording in the text of the hadith, so whoever has not mastered knowledge and has only written fragments of hadith imagined that Abu Huraira said that phrase which Al-Zuhri mentioned at the end of the report, and also imagined that this report in which Al-Zuhri added this phrase is contrary to the established reports that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, prostrated on the day of Dhu’l-Yadayn after he had completed his prayer.