If a latecomer misses a unit of prayer, does he receive the reward for it?

The questioner : Regarding the latecomer, if he misses a unit of prayer, is it counted for him as a unit?

The Shaykh : Do you mean if he catches the imam while he is bowing? Yes, the one who catches the imam while he is bowing has that unit counted for him. This is the position of the four imams and the Rightly Guided Caliphs, such as Abu Bakr, and some of the other Companions, like Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn 'Umar, Zayd ibn Thabit, and others. It is established from all of them that one who catches the bowing has caught the unit of prayer. There are some marfu' hadiths that support the position held by these Companions and those who follow them. Those who disagree with them have no argument except the generality of the text, meaning: "There is no prayer for one who does not recite al-Fatihah." So, according to them, whoever does not recite al-Fatihah has no prayer. The answer is that this is a general hadith that has been specified. As we said regarding the greeting prayer in times of prohibition, there is no prayer in times of prohibition except for the greeting prayer; we excluded the lesser from the greater. Similarly, we say: There is no prayer for one who does not recite al-Fatihah, except for the latecomer. For him, catching the imam is sufficient, and the imam's recitation in this case counts as his recitation. May Allah reward you.