Issue: A man prayed the midday prayer, and when the prayer was finished, he said the closing salam with the imam, but he had missed a unit of prayer, so he wanted to ask what he should do but did not find anyone.

The questioner : My teacher, we have a person who prayed the midday prayer, and when the prayer was finished, he said the closing salam with the imam, and he was inside... of the prayer.

The Shaykh : Meaning he missed a unit of prayer?

The questioner : He missed a unit of prayer, so he started looking... asking what to do? He did not find anyone, but he left the mosque and went out to another place, and he met some young men there and asked him: What did you do? What is the reason for doing this? Why did you leave the place, the mosque? Meaning, teacher, if this person were still in the mosque, we would tell him: Pray the unit immediately with the prostration for forgetfulness, but he left this mosque and moved to a second place, so what is the ruling, our teacher?

The Shaykh : If he did that for the sake of rectification, he did not err in it, so the matter is permissible, just as if he did that in the place of his prayer. But if he went to his work and then a person became available to ask him.

The questioner : Yes, this one?

The Shaykh : Yes, this one has to repeat his prayer.

The questioner : He has to repeat his prayer.

The Shaykh : Did the difference between the two cases become clear to you?

The questioner : Yes, but we pray immediately, but because he left this place?

The Shaykh : No, it is not just that. If he left the place where he prayed and forgot the first unit of prayer, and he left to ask to correct his situation, to know what to do, and no one became available to him except outside the mosque or outside the house.
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Do you see what the difference is?