The ruling on leaving the congregational prayer and returning to it

The questioner:
Peace be upon you. In his final question, he asks: In what cases does a worshipper leave the congregational prayer directly, and how does he return to the congregation? And if the prayer is still ongoing, does he enter directly or does he say the takbir?

The Shaykh:
Among the cases.

The questioner:
In which a worshipper leaves the congregational prayer directly, and how he returns to the congregation?

The Shaykh:
The cases in which a person leaves the congregational prayer, or any other prayer, are such as when an invalidator of prayer occurs. If an invalidator of prayer occurs, such as when he is certain that he has committed an act that breaks his wudu (ablution), he must leave. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) . If he is certain that he has committed an act that breaks his wudu, he must restart his prayer from the beginning. If he catches up with the congregation before they have finished the prayer, he joins them; otherwise, he starts the prayer anew. Likewise, he leaves the congregational prayer if an emergency arises that requires him to cut off the prayer, such as if he sees a person in danger of perishing. For example, if he sees a blind person who is in danger of falling into a well or a fire, he cuts off the prayer to save him from this peril. Or if a person falls into water and there is a fear of drowning, he cuts off the prayer and saves him. He cuts off the prayer and saves him, because this is a necessary emergency situation. Likewise, if an emergency arises that prevents him from continuing with the congregation, he intends to pray alone, completes his prayer, and goes to attend to his need. This is what the Companion did who prayed with Mu'adh ibn Jabal; Mu'adh prolonged the prayer, and this man had a need that required him to hurry. So he intended to pray alone, completed his prayer, and went to attend to his need. This was reported to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he did not disapprove of it.

The presenter:
May Allah do you good. He also asks: If the prayer is still ongoing, does he enter directly or does he say the takbir? He must enter with a new intention and a new takbir, the takbir for entering the state of ihram anew. Yes.