Sajda al-sahw for forgetting the first sitting and reciting aloud in the third rak‘a

Question

The imam, out of forgetfulness, stood up for the third rak‘a instead of the first sitting (al-qa‘da al-ula) and began reciting al-Fatiha aloud (bi-l-jahr); after some time he remembered that this was the third rak‘a, and therefore, instead of reciting aloud, he began reciting silently (bi-l-sirr), and he also performed sajda al-sahw. Is the prayer valid or not? Zayd says that it would have been better (afdal) to give the salam at the very moment he remembered. Is Zayd’s statement correct or not?

Answer

In the case asked about, the prayer is valid. The first sitting is wajib, and silent recitation (israr) in the third rak‘a is wajib. When two wajibs are omitted out of forgetfulness, one sajda al-sahw suffices.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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