What Should I Do If I Cannot Remember the Next Verse During Prayer?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalam alaykum
If during the recitation of the passage in prayer I realize that I cannot remember a part of it, then I will stop the recitation of that passage, recite one of the short surahs, and then proceed with the prayer.
Is this considered acceptable?
Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,
No, it is not disliked to move to a different verse if you cannot remember the next verse in sequence. Rather, it would be disliked to unnecessarily encourage the congregation to remind you of the next verse by repetition or remaining silent.
But it is usually superior to bow and continue with the prayer if you have recited an amount sufficient for a sound prayer.
[Lacknawi, Qut al-Mughtadhin; Tahtawi, Hashiyat al-Tahtawi ‘ala Maraqi al-Falah]
Please also see: Can New Muslims Recite from a Copy of the Qur’an During Prayer?
And Allah Most High alone knows best.
wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.