Prayer: How Do I Determine Whether to Pray One or Two Rak‘ahs of Caution (Iḥtiyāṭ) Prayer?
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei
Prayer: How Do I Determine Whether to Pray One or Two Rak‘ahs of Caution (Iḥtiyāṭ) Prayer?
English:
Question #520:
How can a person know the number of rak‘ahs of caution prayers he is liable to perform? (That is whether it is one rak‘ah or two).
Answer #520:
The number of rak‘ahs of caution prayers corresponds to the number of rak‘ahs that he may have missed in the obligatory prayer. So when it is doubted whether two rak‘ahs were performed or four, then it becomes necessary to perform a two-rak‘ah prayer of caution. However, if he doubts whether he prayed three or four rak‘ahs, then a one-rak‘ah prayer of caution must be done in standing position or a two-rak‘ah one in sitting position.
-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Prayer