I caught up with the imam for the 'Asr prayer, then he bowed, but I did not bow until I finished al-Fatihah. When I bowed, the imam raised his head!

The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, I prayed behind an imam in the 'Asr prayer, then he bowed, and I had not finished al-Fatihah, so I finished it. Then the imam rose from the bowing, so I bowed and followed him after that.

The Shaykh:
You made a mistake in this. You made a mistake in this. If he bows, you bow. If he prostrates, you prostrate, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said. Al-Fatihah is dropped from him in this case due to the impossibility of completing it. Yes.

The questioner:
And he says, may Allah preserve you, do I have to perform a rak'ah now?

The Shaykh:
He bowed, but he did so after the imam, after the imam had raised his head. But we say his prayer is valid, and he does not need to repeat it for something like this. If the imam bows, he bows with him, even if he has not finished al-Fatihah. Yes.