Praise be to Allaah.
If a person forgets something in his recitation or makes a
mistake in it whilst praying, if it is in al-Faatihah then he has to
correct his recitation, because there is no prayer for the one who does
not recite it (al-Faatihah). If he forgets something or makes a mistake in
it that changes the meaning, his prayer is not valid until he corrects
it.
If the mistake is not in al-Faatihah, then his prayer is
valid, because recitation after al-Faatihah is Sunnah and is not
obligatory.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas
stated:
If a person forgets the soorah after al-Faatihah, he does not
have to do anything further, whether he is leading the prayer, praying
behind an imam or praying on his own, and whether the prayer is obligatory
or naafil. This is according to the more correct of the two scholarly
opinions. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
7/146
If a person makes a mistake when reciting the soorah or he
forgets anything of it, it is not prescribed for him to say istighfaar (ask
for forgiveness); rather he should try to correct the mistake and remember
what he forgot, but if he cannot do that then he may move on to the verse
that comes after it, or he may leave this soorah and start reciting another,
or he may bow. If he does any of these things, there is nothing wrong with
that.
The scholars of the Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas
stated:
If the worshipper becomes confused when reciting a verse and
he cannot remember it, there is no reason why he cannot recite the following
verse, but it is prescribed for him not to recite in prayer anything but
that which he has memorised well, so that he will not get confused a great
deal. End quote.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah,
5/337
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:
If the imam recites in prayer what he can of the Qur’aan,
then he forgets the end of the verse, and none of the worshippers behind him
knows it, so they cannot prompt him, should he say takbeer and bow, or
should he recite another soorah?
He replied:
He has the choice: if he wishes he may end the recitation and
say takbeer or if he wishes he may recite a verse or verses from another
soorah, so long as that is not in al-Faatihah. In the case of al-Faatihah,
it is essential to recite it in full, because reciting it is one of the
pillars or essential parts of the prayer. End quote.
Majmoo‘ Fataawa Ibn Baaz,
12/129
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was
asked:
If I am praying on my own and I make a mistake in the
recitation of the verse, and I am not able to complete it and I am confusing
it with another verse, what should I do when I am praying?
He replied: You can do one of two things: you can either move
on to the verse that follows it, or you can bow, because the matter in this
case is broad in scope. End quote.
Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb by Ibn
‘Uthaymeen, 24/141
And Allah knows best.