The first sitting in sunna prayers: fard or wajib?

Question

Question: (1) In the four rak'as of emphasized sunna, non-emphasized sunna and nafl prayers, is the middle sitting fard or not? (2) If someone makes the niyya for the four rak'as of the sunna of Zuhr or the sunna of Jumu'a and gives the salam after two rak'as, should he then pray two rak'as or four? And is praying the two or the four wajib? (3) If someone makes the niyya for four rak'as of nafl and gives the salam after two rak'as, are two rak'as wajib from the outset or not?

Answer

There are two views of the jurists on this: some hold that it is fard, while others say that once he has stood up for the third rak'a, the sitting, [having been] fard, has become wajib. (2) He should pray four, and praying them is a sunna, not wajib. (3) No.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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