The Remedy for Whispering (of Shaytan) in the Prayer

Question

When I begin to pray, I am afflicted by a kind of whispering and thoughts, and sometimes I do not know what I have recited, nor how many Rak’ah I have prayed. Please tell me what I should do?

Answer

It is prescribed for the worshiper- man or woman- to approach the prayer with humility towards Allah and to call to mind that he stands before his Lord, so that Satan will stay away from him and the whispering will be reduced, in implementation of Allah's Words:

"Successful indeed are the believers. Those who offers their prayers with all solemnity and full submission." (Surah Al-Mu’minun 23:1-2)

If the whispering become frequent, it is prescribed to seek refuge with Allah, from Satan, as the Prophet (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) ordered Uthman Ibn Abi al-As when he informed him (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam) that Satan had confused his prayers. And when the worshiper becomes confused as to the number of Rak’ah he has prayed, he should assume the minimum, base his estimation upon what he is sure of, and then complete his prayer. Afterwards, he performs two prostration of forgetfulness before making the Taslim, based upon the narration of Abu Said (Sallallahu 'Alayhi wa Sallam) from the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi wa Sallam)in which he said:

"If any of you is in doubt regarding his prayer, and he does not know how much he has prayed, three or four (Rak’ah) then let him cast aside doubt and base his estimation upon what he is sure of. Then prostrate twice before making the Taslim; if he has prayed five, his prayer will be an intercessor for him, and if he has completed the prayer correctly, it will be a humiliation for Satan." [Sahih Muslim 571]

And Allah is the Grantor of success.


Shaikh ibn Baz (Rahimahullah)


Reference: Fatawa Islamiyah Volume 2 Pages 182-183