With the intention of four rak‘as of nafl, two become wajib

Question

A person began a nafl prayer of four rak‘as, then gave the salam after only two rak‘as and joined the congregation. Will the qada’ of two rak‘as become binding (lazim)?

Answer

By intending four rak‘as of nafl, not all four became binding (lazim); only two became binding. Therefore, by giving the salam after two, the qada’ of the other two is not binding. If he prays them without regarding them as binding, he will receive reward.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.