The imam raised his head from prostration and said the takbir, but the ma'mum did not hear his takbir, so they remained in prostration until he said the taslim

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. There is a question that has been on my mind. A short time ago, we prayed Fajr in congregation in the mosque. In the second rak'ah, during the second prostration, the worshippers were in prostration, and we believed the imam was in prostration; so we did not hear the takbir for rising from his prostration. We remained in prostration, but he was standing and recited the final tashahhud, then he said the taslim. We did not hear anything but his taslim while we were in prostration.

The Shaykh : ... .

The questioner : And all the worshippers, all the worshippers without exception [everyone laughs!], the mosque is on the street... cars during Fajr prayer. This is truly a case that happened.

Another questioner : The last rak'ah, in the last prostration.

The questioner : In the Uthman Mosque. So, of course, after the imam said the taslim, each person exerted his effort according to his understanding of the religion. Some said the taslim with the imam and then came to the tashahhud, and some left out the final tashahhud.

The Shaykh : And what did you do? You said the taslim with the imam.

The questioner : I said the taslim and left out the final tashahhud.

The Shaykh : Yes.

Another questioner : Did you rise from prostration and say the taslim?

The questioner : From his prostration, and I said the taslim with the imam without reciting the final tashahhud, of course, being ignorant of the ruling.

The Shaykh : I am very surprised by this incident because it is an abnormal matter. The incident reminds me of an incident that occurred in the time of the Messenger (peace be upon him). I think it was supposed to happen to some of the worshippers what happened to one of the worshippers behind the Messenger (peace be upon him). He (peace be upon him) led them in the 'Asr prayer one day, so he prostrated a prostration in the middle of his prayer and lengthened it. His prayer (peace be upon him), as we all know, is entirely long in standing, bowing, and prostration, and so on. But in that prayer, one prostration was lengthened more than usual. However, this lengthening, as it happened to you, should have attracted the attention of the worshippers, if they were, I mean, with their prayer and not distracted from it. So he would wonder in his heart: What is the matter with this imam? Why is he lengthening the prostration so much? That Companion wondered, saying that the Messenger (peace be upon him) does lengthen the prostration, but he lengthened it more than usual. So what did he do? He raised his head from prostration and looked this way toward the Messenger, fearing that the Messenger might have died from the length of the prostration. And then he saw a strange sight; he saw the Messenger in prostration with al-Hasan or al-Husayn on his back. After the prayer, yes, our friend, when he saw the sight, his heart was relieved that the Messenger was alive; especially when he was imagining the Messenger's prostration as the prostration of strong heroes, not slouching, leaning on his hands with his back straight like this; so he was alive. And especially what? His grandson al-Hasan or al-Husayn was on his back. He was reassured; he returned to his prostration. I imagine one of you should have had this attention and wondered: What is this? Our imam lengthened this prostration? No one noticed, as you say.
From some of the benefit, completing the benefit: After the Messenger (peace be upon him) finished this entire prayer and said the taslim, they said to him: O Messenger of Allah, you prostrated a prostration in the middle of your prayer and lengthened it. All of them were attentive, not just one, but one person dared; because raising the head from prostration before the imam raises his head in it involves some deviation from the principle. But this person seems to be one of those with unbridled emotions who could not control his nerves to not be reassured about his Prophet. He raised his head; when he was reassured, he went back to his prostration. As for the others, they were patient. When the Messenger said the taslim, they said to him: O Messenger of Allah, did you prostrate a prostration in the middle of your prayer and lengthen it? And that is all; meaning, as if they were saying: What is the reason, O Messenger of Allah? Our friend, that one who raised his head and returned to his prostration, no longer needed to ask; because he knew the reason, he saw it with his own eyes. As for the majority: You lengthened it, so for what? He (peace be upon him) said: , look at the expression of the Messenger (peace be upon him): ; meaning, he took me as a mount, meaning a camel he rode, , I did not like to disturb his comfort and mood and take him down from the prostration. I did not want to die while I was in prostration, until what? Until he was full and satisfied with the bowing and descended. So I am surprised that none of you in the mosque did what that Companion did, raising his head; what is his story? Is our imam dead? So that he might have collapsed - may Allah forbid - or something!!

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : They all were patient in that prostration, and we are not accustomed to long prostrations, whereas that group was accustomed to it with the Messenger (peace be upon him).
We always see problems in the evening, my brother... You lengthened it for us. My brother, the Messenger of Allah did not lengthen it for us... And there is the one who is excused, there is the old shaykh, and there is the one with urinary incontinence. My brother, all of this has its ruling. So, even though that group was accustomed to long prostrations, this friend raised his head to see what the matter was; because the prostration was not normal, not usual. As for you - what Allah willed - the entire tashahhud and the salutation upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) and you were in prostration, in prostration?! It is good that you did not slouch [everyone laughs!].
In any case, I consider this incident unlikely based on what happens. I say: The imam said the taslim, so it is not permissible for the congregation to say the taslim. They must perform the obligatory; they should sit for the tashahhud, recite the tashahhud, send blessings upon the Messenger (peace be upon him), and supplicate with the four supplications, seeking refuge from four: O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the Hellfire, and from the punishment of the grave, and from the trial of life and death, and from the evil of the trial of the Dajjal. Then each person says the taslim for himself; so whoever did this has hit the mark, and whoever did not has erred, but his prayer is valid; because he did not neglect a pillar, he only neglected an obligatory. But if this situation recurs, and I have not read or heard of it except at this hour; if this situation recurs, it is not permissible to say the taslim with the imam as long as he has not performed his obligatory.
And here a practical question arises, and we have been asked about it often; some imams of mosques read quickly, so one of us has not finished the completion of the salutation upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) except the imam has said the two taslims. So here comes the question: Do we say the taslim with him following him, or do we complete the tashahhud?
The answer: We complete the tashahhud with what is obligatory, not with what is recommended. It is obligatory to seek refuge from four. It is recommended to supplicate as he (peace be upon him) said at the end of the four seekings of refuge, and the hadith says: to the end of it. He (peace be upon him) said: , this is recommended. So if the imam says the taslim and the ma'mum have not yet sought refuge from the four, they complete it and say the taslim. Not also bringing voluntary supplications; because here it becomes a delay behind the imam more than necessary. The necessary is if the delay is only in performing the obligatory, and the addition to the seeking of refuge from the four is not obligatory. And thus it is obligatory if we fall into such a situation, a fortiori, that situation; meaning: The imam said the taslim in the tashahhud before we completed the salutation upon the Messenger (peace be upon him) and before we sought refuge in Allah from four; so we complete this and that, then we say the taslim.