Ruling on the Prayer When the First Sitting Is Omitted

Question

The imam of a mosque was leading a four-rak'a fard prayer; by mistake, after two rak'as, he rose and stood up without reciting the “al-tahiyyat”; despite being prompted he did not go back, completed the four-rak'a prayer, performed sajda al-sahw and gave the salam. In such a case, was the prayer valid by virtue of sajda al-sahw, or will the prayer have to be repeated? If the prayer was valid, on what proof, and if not, on what proof? Kindly give the answer in the light of the Book and the Sunna; I will be grateful.

Answer

The prayer was valid; there is no need to repeat it. Thus in al-Durr al-Mukhtar and Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 1, p. 163.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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