844 - Abu Hisham narrated to us, saying: Hassan narrated to us, from Sufyan, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, who said: "He reads in the first two [rak'ahs] the Fatihah of the Book and a surah [each], and in the last two he performs tasbih."

845 - Ahmad ibn Yunus narrated to us, saying: Muhammad ibn Talhah narrated to us, saying: A man from the Sawad [region] wrote to Talhah asking him about the recitation, and he wrote back to him: "I do not read anything in the last two [rak'ahs], and Ibrahim and Khaythamah informed me that they do not read anything in the last two [rak'ahs]—neither as imams nor as non-imams."

Chapter: One who forgets to recite in the first [rak'ah], so he recites in the second

• Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked: [Regarding] the hadith of Damdam ibn Jaws, that 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, forgot to recite in the first [rak'ah], so he recited the Hamd [al-Fatihah] twice in the second? He said: "I do not adopt this." It was said: "Do you rely upon the hadith of 'Ubadah, from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him: 'There is no prayer except with the Fatihah of the Book'?" He said: "[The] hadith of Jabir: 'Except with the Fatihah of the Book in every rak'ah.'"

o The position of Ahmad is: If one forgets the recitation in a rak'ah, he must repeat that rak'ah.

• I heard Ahmad again saying—regarding every rak'ah in which one does not recite the Fatihah of the Book—: "It is not valid, and the one [praying] must repeat it," meaning: if the man is alone.

• I heard Ahmad again when he was asked about a man who forgot the recitation in the first two rak'ahs and remembered in the last two? He said: "He must repeat these two rak'ahs; he must repeat them."