Matters Accepted From Salah (Prayer) of a Forgetful Person

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع إِنَّ عَمَّاراً السَّابَاطِيَّ رَوَى عَنْكَ رِوَايَةً قَالَ وَ مَا هِيَ قُلْتُ رَوَى أَنَّ السُّنَّةَ فَرِيضَةٌ فَقَالَ أَيْنَ يَذْهَبُ أَيْنَ‌ يَذْهَبُ لَيْسَ هَكَذَا حَدَّثْتُهُ إِنَّمَا قُلْتُ لَهُ مَنْ صَلَّى فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى صَلَاتِهِ لَمْ يُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَهُ فِيهَا أَوْ لَمْ يَسْهُ فِيهَا أَقْبَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ مَا أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَرُبَّمَا رُفِعَ نِصْفُهَا أَوْ رُبُعُهَا أ

“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), "Ammar al-Sabatiy has narrated from you a Hadith.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘What Hadith is it? 5 I then said, ‘He narrates that Sunnah is obligatory.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Where does he go! Where does he go! I did not speak to him as such. I only said to him that when performing Sala

إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيُرْفَعُ لَهُ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ نِصْفُهَا أَوْ ثُلُثُهَا أَوْ رُبُعُهَا أَوْ خُمُسُهَا فَمَا يُرْفَعُ لَهُ إِلَّا مَا أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ بِقَلْبِهِ وَ إِنَّمَا أَمَرْنَا بِالنَّافِلَةِ لِيَتِمَّ لَهُمْ بِهَا مَا نَقَصُوا مِنَ الْفَرِيضَةِ.

“Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), has said, ‘Of Salah (prayer) of a servant (of Allah) sometimes one-half, sometimes one-third, one-fourth or one-fifth is raised. Whatever is raised is only what one has performed with love from his heart. We only command to perform optional Salah (prayer) to complete what it is cut short of obligato

قَالَ رَجُلٌ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَ أَنَا أَسْمَعُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي كَثِيرُ السَّهْوِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ فَقَالَ وَ هَلْ يَسْلَمُ مِنْهُ أَحَدٌ فَقُلْتُ مَا أَظُنُّ أَحَداً أَكْثَرَ سَهْواً مِنِّي فَقَالَ لَهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَا أَبَا مُحَمَّدٍ إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ يُرْفَعُ لَهُ ثُلُثُ صَلَاتِهِ وَ نِصْفُهَا وَ ثَلَاثَةُ أَرْبَاعِهَا وَ أَقَلُّ وَ أَكْثَرُ عَلَى قَدْرِ سَهْوِهِ فِيهَا لَكِنَّهُ يَتِمُّ لَه

“Once, when I was present, a man said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, I make a great number of mistakes in my Salah (prayer).’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Has anyone remained safe thereby?’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘I think no one makes as many mistakes as I do.’ Abu ‘A

أَنَّهُمَا قَالا إِنَّمَا لَكَ مِنْ صَلَاتِكَ مَا أَقْبَلْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهَا فَإِنْ أَوْهَمَهَا كُلَّهَا أَوْ غَفَلَ عَنْ أَدَائِهَا لُفَّتْ فَضُرِبَ بِهَا وَجْهُ صَاحِبِهَا[1]

“Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, have said, ‘Of your Salah (prayer) only that much is for you which you have performed with love. If one instills delusion in Salah (prayer) or omits it altogether, then such Salah (prayer) is rolled up and is struck against the face of its owner.’”

فِي كِتَابِ حَرِيزٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: إِنِّي نَسِيتُ أَنِّي فِي صَلَاةٍ فَرِيضَةٍ حَتَّى رَكَعْتُ وَ أَنَا أَنْوِيهَا تَطَوُّعاً قَالَ فَقَالَ هِيَ الَّتِي قُمْتَ فِيهَا إِنْ كُنْتَ قُمْتَ وَ أَنْتَ تَنْوِي فَرِيضَةً ثُمَّ دَخَلَكَ الشَّكُّ فَأَنْتَ فِي الْفَرِيضَةِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ دَخَلْتَ فِي نَافِلَةٍ فَنَوَيْتَهَا فَرِيضَةً فَأَنْتَ فِي النَّافِلَةِ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ دَخَلْتَ فِي فَرِيضَةٍ ثُمَّ ذَكَرْتَ نَافِلَةً كَانَ

“It is in the book of Hariz who has said that once I forgot about my being in obligatory Salah (prayer) until Ruku‘ (bowing down on one’s knees). Can I make my intention for it to be an optional Salah (prayer)? He (the Imam) (a.s.), said, ‘It is what you had stood up for. If you stood up to perform an obligatory Salah