They said: We were praying the midday prayer in congregation, and after we had prostrated in the first prostration of the third unit, the imam stood up for the fourth unit and did not prostrate in the second prostration.
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The questioner : They said: We were praying the midday prayer in congregation, and after we had prostrated in the first prostration of the third unit, the imam stood up for the fourth unit and did not prostrate in the second prostration. As for the followers, they continued in their prostration because they did not hear the imam’s takbir, and they did not notice until the imam had reached the bowing position in the fourth unit. They then stood up and followed him in the rest of the prayer. After the imam concluded the prayer, some of them stood up and repeated the unit in its entirety, while some of them concluded the prayer with the imam, following his example. What is the ruling in such a case, and is the prayer of everyone valid or not?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, this question contains two problems. The first problem is that of the imam, who stood up for the fourth unit from a single prostration in the third unit. If such a situation occurs for a worshipper, and he stands up from a single prostration to the next unit, it is obligatory for him to return to perform the prostration, then continue in his prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He completes the prayer and concludes it, then prostrates two prostrations for forgetfulness after the conclusion, and concludes again. This is unless he does not remember that he forgot the prostration until he reaches the place from which he stood up. In that case, he cancels the last unit he performed, and it becomes the place of the unit from which he forgot the prostration. An example of this is a man who did what the aforementioned imam did: he stood up from the first prostration in the third unit to the fourth unit. When he began the recitation and continued, he remembered that he had not prostrated the second prostration, nor sat between the two prostrations. We would tell him: Return now, sit between the two prostrations, then prostrate the second prostration. With this, the third unit is completed. Then you stand up for the fourth unit, complete the prayer, and conclude it. Then you prostrate two prostrations for forgetfulness and conclude again. This is because the forgetfulness here involved an addition to the prayer, which is the standing up. When the cause of the prostration for forgetfulness is an addition, it is performed after the conclusion. This is regarding the problem of the imam. As for the problem of the followers who did not know that their imam had stood up because they did not hear the takbir until he bowed, the apparent indication of the question is that the followers also did not prostrate the second prostration. In that case, one unit remains for them in their prayer, because in one of the units they only prostrated once. Likewise, the imam must perform a unit because he only prostrated once in the third unit. Thus, one unit remains for each of them in their prayer. If they have already performed it, their prayer is complete. If they have not performed it until now, it is obligatory for them to repeat that prayer from the beginning. They should repeat it now when they hear this statement we are making, unless they had previously asked someone else who issued a ruling for them and they acted upon that ruling. In that case, they remain with what they were ruled, provided the mufti was qualified to issue rulings.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. As for what follows, this question contains two problems. The first problem is that of the imam, who stood up for the fourth unit from a single prostration in the third unit. If such a situation occurs for a worshipper, and he stands up from a single prostration to the next unit, it is obligatory for him to return to perform the prostration, then continue in his prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He completes the prayer and concludes it, then prostrates two prostrations for forgetfulness after the conclusion, and concludes again. This is unless he does not remember that he forgot the prostration until he reaches the place from which he stood up. In that case, he cancels the last unit he performed, and it becomes the place of the unit from which he forgot the prostration. An example of this is a man who did what the aforementioned imam did: he stood up from the first prostration in the third unit to the fourth unit. When he began the recitation and continued, he remembered that he had not prostrated the second prostration, nor sat between the two prostrations. We would tell him: Return now, sit between the two prostrations, then prostrate the second prostration. With this, the third unit is completed. Then you stand up for the fourth unit, complete the prayer, and conclude it. Then you prostrate two prostrations for forgetfulness and conclude again. This is because the forgetfulness here involved an addition to the prayer, which is the standing up. When the cause of the prostration for forgetfulness is an addition, it is performed after the conclusion. This is regarding the problem of the imam. As for the problem of the followers who did not know that their imam had stood up because they did not hear the takbir until he bowed, the apparent indication of the question is that the followers also did not prostrate the second prostration. In that case, one unit remains for them in their prayer, because in one of the units they only prostrated once. Likewise, the imam must perform a unit because he only prostrated once in the third unit. Thus, one unit remains for each of them in their prayer. If they have already performed it, their prayer is complete. If they have not performed it until now, it is obligatory for them to repeat that prayer from the beginning. They should repeat it now when they hear this statement we are making, unless they had previously asked someone else who issued a ruling for them and they acted upon that ruling. In that case, they remain with what they were ruled, provided the mufti was qualified to issue rulings.