Method of offering Namaz-e-Ihtiyat

1224. A person, for whom it is obligatory to offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, should make its niyyat immediately after the Salam of prayers, and pronounce takbir and recite Surah al-Hamd and then perform Ruku and two Sajdah. Now, if he has to perform only one Rak'at of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should recite tashahhud and Salam of the prayers after two Sajdah.
If it is obligatory for him to perform 2 Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should perform, after the 2 Sajdah, another Rak'at like the first one, and then complete with tashahhud and Salam.

1225. Namaz-e-Ihtiyat does not have other Surah and qunut, and this prayer should be offered silently; its niyyat should not be uttered; and the recommended precaution is that its 'Bismillah' should also be pronounced silently.

1226. If a person realises before starting Namaz-e-Ihtiyat that the prayer which he had offered was correct, he need not offer it, and if he realises this during Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he need not complete it.

1227. If a person becomes certain before starting Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, that the prayers which he had offered had lesser Rak'ats, and if he has still not performed an act which would invalidate prayers, he should complete those parts of the prayers which he had not performed, and as a precaution, also perform 2 Sajdatus Sahv for the extra Salam. And if he has performed an act which invalidates prayers, for example, if he has turned away from Qibla, he should repeat the prayers.

1228. If a person realises after Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, that the deficiency in his original prayers was equal to the Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, like, if he offers 1 Rak'at of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat in the case of doubt about 3 and 4 Rak'ats, and it transpires later that he had actually offered 3 Rak'ats in the original prayers, his prayers will be in order.

1229. If a person learns after Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, that the deficiency in his original prayers was lesser than the Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, like, if he offers 2 Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat for the doubt about 2 and 4 Rak'ats, and learns later that he had actually offered 3 Rak'ats, he should repeat his original prayers.

1230. If a person learns after Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, that the deficiency in his original prayers was more than Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, like, if he offers 1 Rak'at of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat for the doubt between 3 and 4 Rak'ats, and learns later that he actually offered 2 Rak'ats only, if he has performed any act, which invalidates the prayers like, if he turns away from Qibla, he should offer the prayers again. And even if he has not performed an act which invalidates prayers, the obligatory precaution is that he should repeat his prayers, and should not be content with simply adding the missing Rak'ats.

1231. If a person had a doubt as to whether it was his second, third or fourth Rak'at, and remembers after offering 2 Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat in standing position, that he had actually offered 2 Rak'ats of his original prayers, it will not be necessary for him to offer 2 Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat in the sitting position.

1232. If a person had a doubt whether it was his third or fourth Rak'at, and remembers while offering 1 Rak'at of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat in the standing position, that he had actually offered 3 Rak'ats in the original prayers, if he remembers before going to Ruku, he should abandon Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, and complete 1Rak'at as an addendum.
This way his prayers will be valid. But for one more Salam, he will perform two Sajdatus Sahv, as an obligatory precaution. But if he remembers this after having entered Ruku, he must pray again. As a precaution, he cannot content himself with just adding the remaining Rak'ats.

1233. If a person had a doubt about second, third and fourth Rak'ats, and while he was offering 2 Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat in the standing position, he remembered that he had actually offered 3 Rak'ats, he should act as guided in the above rule.

1234. If a person realises during Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, that the deficiency in his prayers was more or less than his Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, he should act according to rule no. 1232.

1235. If a person doubts whether he offered Namaz-e-Ihtiyat which was obligatory on him, and if the time of prayers has lapsed, he should ignore the doubt. And if he has time at his disposal, and if much time has not elapsed between the doubt and the prayers, and he has also not performed an act invalidating the prayers, like turning away from Qibla, he should offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat. But if he has performed an act which invalidates the prayers, or if a good deal of time has elapsed between the prayers and the doubt, he should, as an obligatory precaution, pray again.

1236. If a person increases a Rukn in Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, or if he prays 2 Rak'ats instead of 1, his Namaz-e-Ihtiyat will be void, and he will have to offer the original namaz again.

1237. If, during Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, a person doubts about any one of its acts, and if its stage has not passed, he should perform it. And if its stage has passed, he should ignore the doubt. For example,if he doubts whether or not he has recited Surah al-Hamd, and if he has not yet gone into Ruku, he should recite Surah al-Hamd, and if he has gone into Ruku, he should ignore his doubt.

1238. When a person doubts about the number of Rak'ats in Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, if he finds that by deciding on the higher side, Namaz-e-Ihtiyat will be void, he should decide on the lesser. But if he finds that deciding on the higher side would not invalidate Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, then he should decide on the higher side.
For example, if a person, who is offering 2 Rak'ats of Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, doubts whether he has offered 2 or 3 Rak'ats, since taking it on the higher side will invalidate the prayers, he should decide that it is second Rak'at. And if he doubts whether he has offered 1 or 2 Rak'ats, then since taking it on the higher side will not invalidate the prayers, he should consider that he has offered 2 Rak'ats.

1239. If an act which is not a Rukn, is omitted or added forgetfully in Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, it will not be necessary to perform sajdatus sahv for it.

1240. If the person offering Namaz-e-Ihtiyat doubts after Salam, whether or not he has performed one of the parts or conditions of the prayers, he should ignore his doubt.

1241. If a person forgets tashahhud or one Sajdah in Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, and if he is not able to perform it at once, the obligatory precaution is that he should perform the qadha for Sajdah after the Salam of the prayers.

1242. If a man has an obligation to perform Namaz-e-Ihtiyat, qadha of a Sajdah or two Sajdatus Sahv, he should first offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat.

1243. As far as Rak'ats of namaz are concerned, probability or strong feeling about it will be treated at the same level as certainty. For example, if a person does not know for certain whether he has offered 1 Rak'at or 2, and has a strong feeling that he has offered 2 Rak'ats, he should decide in its favour.
And if in a prayer of 4 Rak'ats, he strongly feels that he has offered 4 Rak'ats, he should not offer Namaz-e-Ihtiyat. But in the matter of acts of namaz, probability has the position of doubt. Hence, if he feels that probably he has performed Ruku, and if he has not yet entered Sajdah, he should perform the Ruku. And if he thinks that he has not recited Surah al-Hamd, and has already started the other Surah, he should ignore his doubt and his prayers are in order.

1244. There is no difference between the rules of doubt, forgetting, and probability or strong feeling, regardless of it occurring in the daily obligatory prayers or other Wajib namaz. For example, if one doubts in namaz of Ayaat, whether he has performed 1 Rak'at or 2, his namaz will be void because it is a doubt which has occurred in a namaz consisting of 2 Rak'ats. Similarly, if he has a strong feeling that it is his first or his second Rak'at, he will complete the prayers based on that feeling.