An Imaam who Remains silent in the Third Rakaah of the Witr salaah

Q: salaah-727: what do the Ulema of Deen and the Muftis have to say about an Imaam who remained silent after standing up for the third Rakaah of the witr salaah? He only started to recite surah Faatiha and then a surah after the Muqtadis corrected him. Thereafter he proceeded to recite the Du?aa Qunoot and then completed the salaah. Does sajdah sahw become necessary for remaining silent? will the salaah be valid if sajdah sahw was not performed? will the witr salaah have to be repeated?

Answer: sajdah sahw will be necessary if he remained silent for the duration in which "subhaanallaah? be recited thrice. If the sajdah sahw was not performed, the salaah will have to be repeated. If the Imaam was not. Completely silent, but was reciting surah Faatiha silently, sajdah sahw will be necessary only if he started to recite audibly after three verses. And Allaah knows best what is most correct.

Fatawa Rahimiyyah vol.2