When does the worshiper catch up a rak'ah; with the takbir or with the recitation of al-Fatihah?

The questioner: His EminenceThe Shaykh- May Allah preserve you - , when does the worshiper catch up a rak'ah; with the takbir or with the recitation of al-Fatihah?

The Shaykh: With the takbir or with the recitation of al-Fatihah? I mean the takbir of ruku'?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh: There was an old disagreement in this issue among some of the scholars, including some of the hadith scholars and others. The four Imams agreed that whoever catches up the ruku' with the imam has caught up the rak'ah. Others among the opponents in this issue from the majority (al-jumhur) held that one who catches up the ruku' does not catch up the rak'ah unless he recites the opening of the Book (al-Fatihah); based on the hadith narrated by the six Imams from 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . This person who caught up the imam while he was in ruku' did not recite the opening of the Book, and thus, according to this opponent to the majority's position, he did not catch up the rak'ah. However, the correct view in this issue is what the majority held, due to some authentic hadiths and athar from some of the great Companions. A hadith came in "Sunan Abu Dawud" with weakness and leniency in its chain, from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: = "If you catch up the imam while he is in ruku', count it as a rak'ah, and if" = . As we said, this hadith, in terms of Abu Dawud's narration of it, has a weak chain and cannot be relied upon alone. However, the hadith came through another route in "Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kubra," and then I found it through another authentic route in some of the manuscripts available in the Zahiriyyah Library. I have spoken about this specifically in some of my printed works. Then this hadith was supported by some authentic athar in "Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah" and "al-Sunan al-Kubra" by al-Bayhaqi and others, from Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, Zayd ibn Thabit, and 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, that they used to say: "Whoever catches up the ruku' has caught up the rak'ah." These pieces of evidence make the position of the majority of scholars, including the four Imams, more likely to be correct, as al-Bukhari held and some of the Imams of hadith and Sunnah followed him, such as Imam al-Shawkani. So the truth is what should be followed. We ask Allah (Mighty and Majestic) to show us the truth as truth and to grant us... .