Doubts which are valid
1208. There are nine situations in which a person can have doubts about the number of Rak'ats in the namaz consisting of four Rak'ats. In those situations, one should pause to think, and if he arrives at any decision or probability, he should act accordingly. If doubt persists, he should follow these rules:
1209. When a person has any of the above valid doubts, he should not break the prayers, if the time for namaz is very short. He should act according to the rules given above. In fact, even if there be ample time for namaz, it is a recommended precaution that namaz should not be broken, and the rules of redressing the situations of doubt be followed.
1210. If a person has one of those doubts for which offering of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat is obligatory, as a recommended precaution, he should offer the Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, and without doing so, he should not start praying again. And before any such act occurs which invalidates namaz, if he starts the namaz afresh, without having performed Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, it will be void. Of course, if in the meantime, an act occurred which renders namaz void, and he prayed without having offered Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, this namaz will be in order.
1211. When a person has any of those doubts which invalidate the prayers,
and if he feels that by continuing to the next act, he may acquire certainty,
or form a strong idea about the actual situation, he is not allowed to continue
with that namaz if the doubt has occurred in the first 2 Rak'ats.
For example, if he doubts while standing, whether he has offered one Rak'at
or more, and feels that if he goes into Ruku, the doubt may be allayed, it is
not permissible to go to Ruku. But in all situations other than this, he can
continue with the namaz if he feels that it would help him acquire certainty.
1212. If initially the feeling of a person is inclined on one side, and later both the sides become equally strong, he should act according to the rules of doubt. And if initially both sides are equally strong, and he decides to act according to his obligation, but later his feeling inclines to the other side, he should adopt it, and complete the prayers.
1213. If a person does not know whether his feeling is inclined on one side, or is equal on both sides, he should act according to the rules of doubt.
1214. If a person learns after prayers, that while in namaz, he was in a state of doubt as to whether, he offered 2 Rak'ats or 3 and that he decided in favour of 3 Rak'ats, but does not know whether his strong feeling favoured offering three Rak'ats, or whether it favoured both sides equally, he does not have to offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat.
1215. If a person doubts after standing up, whether or not he has performed
the 2 Sajdah, and simultaneously, has a type of doubt which would only be valid
if it occurred after two Sajdah, like if he doubts whether he has performed
two or three Rak'ats, his namaz will be valid if he acts according to the rule
prescribed for that doubt.
But while in tashahhud, if he falls into a type of doubt which would be valid
only if it occurred after two sajdah, assuming that he has done two Sajdah,
if the remedy of that doubt was to decide upon a Rak'at which has no tashahhud,
his namaz will be void. For example, if that doubt was between 2 or 3 Rak'ats.
And if the remedy of the doubt was to decide upon a Rak'at which has tashahhud,
his namaz will be valid, like if the doubt is between 2 and 4 Rak'ats.
1216. If a person doubts before he begins tashahhud, or before standing (Qiyam) in the Rak'ats which do not have tashahhud, whether he has performed one or both the Sajdah, and right at that moment, a doubt occurs which would only be valid if it occurred after two Sajdah, the prayers will be void.
1217. If a person doubts while standing, whether he is in third or fourth Rak'at, or whether it is third, fourth or fifth Rak'at, and at that time he remembers to have omitted one or both Sajdah of the preceding Rak'at, his prayers will be void.
1218. If one doubt of a person is allayed and another doubt takes its place, like, if he doubted first whether he had offered 2 or 3 Rak'ats, and later he doubts whether he has offered 3 or 4 Rak'ats, he should act according to the rules of the second doubt.
1219. If a person doubts after prayers, whether while in namaz, his doubt was about 2 and 4 Rak'ats or about 3 and 4 Rak'ats, he may act according to the rules of both the doubts; and also, he may break the namaz and after committing an act which invalidates namaz, he can repeat the prayers.
1220. If a person realises after prayers, that while he was in namaz, he had a doubt, but does not know whether it was a valid or unsound doubt, and further, if it was one of the valid doubts, he does not know to which type it belonged, in such a case, it is permissible for him to treat the prayers as void, and offer it again.
1221. If a person who prays in the sitting position has a doubt, which would oblige him to perform either 1 Rak'at Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing or 2 Rak'ats in the sitting position, he should offer 1 Rak'at sitting. And if he has a doubt for which his obligation is to offer two Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat standing, he should offer 2 Rak'ats sitting.
1222. If a person, who normally offered prayers in the standing position, becomes unable to stand while offering Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should offer it as one who offers prayers in the sitting position. Rules of these have been detailed above.
1223. If a person, who normally sat when offering prayers, becomes capable of standing for offering Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should act according to the obligation of one who offers prayers standing.