The ruling on one who doubts about his imam in the mosque between shortening and completing the prayer

The questioner : A man is at the airport. You are the one who extended your hand. I am just asking you: a man is at the airport and finds a man praying in congregation, and he doubts whether he is one of the travelers or one of the residents. Is he required to complete the prayer, or is it permissible for him to shorten it?

The Shaykh : We say that if there are people there, such as soldiers, for example, then if he is a traveler, and if his imam is from the people of the airport, but it may be that his imam completed the prayer while he did not. If he prays, we mentioned that it falls into three categories. That there is a sign of travel on him, that there is a sign of residence on him. So here, if he finds a sign of residence on him, he completes; or a sign of travel, he shortens. If he finds neither this nor that,

The questioner : If your imam completed the prayer.

The Shaykh : There is no harm if he says, “If you shortened, and if you completed,” if he did not specify. If it was not like this.

The questioner : If he came to the city, he came to Basra.

The Shaykh : And what do you know about the issue now? He caught up with him, and the imam said the closing salam. He does not know whether he prayed two rak'ahs before joining him, or whether he caught up with him in the first rak'ah? If he completed, what is the problem? But he may have caught up with him in the third rak'ah. And that third rak'ah may be the first. Ahmad. He is required to complete the prayer. Because he is in doubt, meaning he is in doubt about the cause that permits shortening, so he is required to complete it. All right.