One day, we missed the 'Asr prayer in its time and did not remember it until after hearing the adhan for Maghrib, so we stood up and prayed Maghrib with the congregation, then we prayed 'Asr.
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The questioner : One day, we missed the 'Asr prayer in its time and did not remember it until after hearing the adhan for Maghrib, so we stood up and prayed Maghrib with the congregation, then we prayed 'Asr afterwards. One of the brothers saw us and said, "You were supposed to pray Maghrib first, then 'Asr, and then pray Maghrib again." Is his statement correct or not? And if it is not correct, what is the ruling in such a case? And what is obligatory upon us?
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. The answer to this question is that if a person forgets a prayer or sleeps through it, and he has no one to wake him or remind him until its time has passed, then it is as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 442Sahih (Al-Albani).
In this matter that occurred to the questioner, he should begin first with the 'Asr prayer, then the Maghrib prayer, so that the order is according to what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has made obligatory, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when prayers were missed by him on one of the days during the Battle of the Trench, made them up in order. And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sahih al-Bukhari 6008. Based on this, if you had come to the mosque when they were praying Maghrib, you would have joined them with the intention of 'Asr, and then when the imam finished the Maghrib prayer, you would have completed the rest of your 'Asr prayer. Thus, the prayer would be Maghrib for the congregation and 'Asr for you, and this causes no harm. I mean: the difference in intention between the imam and the follower, because the actions are the same. And what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade regarding differing from the imam is the actions, not the intention. The evidence for this is that when he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and then mentioned bowing and prostrating, his saying: is an explanation of his saying: . As for the intention, its matter is internal, and no difference from the imam appears in it. For this reason, the stronger opinion in this matter is: if the imam's intention differs from the follower's intention, there is no harm in it, and the prayer of the one praying 'Asr behind the one praying Dhuhr is valid, and vice versa. Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) explicitly stated regarding a man who comes on the nights of Ramadan while the imam is praying tarawih, that there is no harm in joining the imam with the intention of the 'Isha' prayer; it would be a voluntary prayer for the imam because it is tarawih, and it would be an obligatory prayer for the one entering because it is the 'Isha' prayer.
However, what happened from your side, based on the fact that it occurred out of ignorance, where you prioritized Maghrib over the 'Asr prayer, there is no blame on you for that, and you are not required to repeat Maghrib after the 'Asr prayer, because the order was violated out of ignorance. And if it was out of ignorance, there is no blame on you for that. In fact, some of the scholars say: the order is dropped due to the fear of missing the congregation. Based on this opinion, it is valid for you and permissible to join the imam with the intention of Maghrib, and then when he finishes, you come afterwards with the 'Asr prayer in order to preserve catching the congregational prayer. And Allah knows best.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
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. The answer to this question is that if a person forgets a prayer or sleeps through it, and he has no one to wake him or remind him until its time has passed, then it is as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
he should observe it when he remembers it ; there is no expiation for it except that.
يصليها إذا ذكرها لا كفارة لها إلا ذلكIn this matter that occurred to the questioner, he should begin first with the 'Asr prayer, then the Maghrib prayer, so that the order is according to what Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has made obligatory, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when prayers were missed by him on one of the days during the Battle of the Trench, made them up in order. And it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
offer your prayers in the way you saw me offering my prayers
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصليThe imam was made to be followed, so do not differ from him. He said: When he says takbir, you say takbir, and do not say takbir until he says it.
إنما جعل الإمام ليؤتم به فلا تختلفوا عليه، قال: فإذا كبر فكبروا ولا تكبروا حتى يكبرWhen he says takbir, you say takbir.
فإذا كبر فكبرواSo do not differ from him.
فلا تختلفوا عليهHowever, what happened from your side, based on the fact that it occurred out of ignorance, where you prioritized Maghrib over the 'Asr prayer, there is no blame on you for that, and you are not required to repeat Maghrib after the 'Asr prayer, because the order was violated out of ignorance. And if it was out of ignorance, there is no blame on you for that. In fact, some of the scholars say: the order is dropped due to the fear of missing the congregation. Based on this opinion, it is valid for you and permissible to join the imam with the intention of Maghrib, and then when he finishes, you come afterwards with the 'Asr prayer in order to preserve catching the congregational prayer. And Allah knows best.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.