Sajda al-sahw lapses when the congregation is large

Question

If a wajib is omitted in the Jumu‘a prayer or in tarawih, will sajda al-sahw (the prostration of forgetfulness) be wajib there too, or is it excused? Just as in the two Eid prayers sajda al-sahw is excused because of the great crowd; whereas in other prayers, [if], for example, one was sitting in the qa‘da and stood up, or stood silent for the length of three tasbihs, and so on, then sajda al-sahw is necessary (lazim) here.

Answer

In Jumu‘a, the two Eids and tarawih, if the congregation is large and the prevailing fear is of confusing the muqtadis (followers), it is better (awla) not to perform sajda al-sahw. But if there is no prevailing fear of confusing the muqtadis — for example, the congregation is small, so that everyone will know of the sajda al-sahw and there will be no confusion — then, in a…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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