If one catches up with the imam after he has risen from the final bowing, does he join the imam or wait for another congregation?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner asks: What is the best course of action for one who arrives for the congregational prayer after the imam has risen from the final bowing? Does he join the congregation, or does he wait for another congregation to pray with them after the imam has concluded the prayer?

Answer:
The stronger position is that the congregation is not considered caught up unless one catches up with a unit of prayer. So if you miss the final unit of prayer, if you know that people will come and you will pray as a congregation, wait for them. And if you do not know that anyone is coming, join the imam in what remains, so you gain the reward and the recompense, and the reward is not lost to you, nor is the congregation lost to you. Yes.