Q: What should I do if I forget how many rakʿāt I’ve performed during prayer?
A: See what is the dominant feeling in your mind and follow that, e.g. in a four rakaat salaah, if you are doubting whether you performed three rakaats or four rakaats.
Then if the dominant feeling in your mind is that you only performed three rakaats, then add a fourth rakaat and complete your salaah. If the dominant feeling in your mind is that you performed four rakaat, then do not stand up for another rakaat but sit for qa'dah and complete your salaah. You will not have to make sajda sahw in these cases (i.e. when you follow the dominant feeling of your mind).
However, if there is no dominant feeling in your mind, then if this is the first time you are experiencing a doubt in your salaah, then break your salaah and restart it.
On the contrary, if you do experience these types of doubts in your salaah, then you should consider the lesser number to be the amount of rakaats you have performed, e.g. you are doubting whether you performed three rakaats or four rakaats, then regard it as three rakaats and if you are doubting whether you performed two rakaats or three rakaats, then regard it as two rakaats.
In these cases, you should sit after performing each rakaat and you will have to make sajda sahw at the end of the salaah.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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