Doubt regarding the number of rak'ahs in prayer
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O Shaykh! If a masbuq (one who joins the prayer late) doubts the number of rak'ahs, and he knows that one of the ma'mums (those praying behind the imam) entered the prayer with him, so that both of them entered as masbuqs, and he doubts how many rak'ahs there are, is it permissible for him to follow the ma'mum who entered with him, or should he refrain from following that ma'mum, or should he restart his prayer from where they began, for example, if he is certain that this is the fourth rak'ah?
If a person doubts in his prayer while he is a masbuq, and another person entered with him, so that both entered the prayer together, and nothing is more probable to him, and he doubts with an equal doubt, then the action of the one who entered with him will undoubtedly make one of the two possibilities more probable. So if one of the two possibilities becomes more probable, he may act upon it. Sometimes, however, it does not become more probable, as in the case where he knows that the man who entered with him is not a trustworthy person. In that case, he acts upon certainty if nothing is more probable to him, and he takes the lesser number, then performs sujud al-sahw (the prostration for forgetfulness) before the taslim (the closing salam of prayer).And if he acts upon the preponderance of probability, that is: If one of the two possibilities becomes more probable to him due to the action of the one who entered with him, then in this case he performs sujud al-sahw after the taslim; because whenever the basis is the preponderance of probability in the matter of doubt, then sujud al-sahw is after the taslim.
If a person doubts in his prayer while he is a masbuq, and another person entered with him, so that both entered the prayer together, and nothing is more probable to him, and he doubts with an equal doubt, then the action of the one who entered with him will undoubtedly make one of the two possibilities more probable. So if one of the two possibilities becomes more probable, he may act upon it. Sometimes, however, it does not become more probable, as in the case where he knows that the man who entered with him is not a trustworthy person. In that case, he acts upon certainty if nothing is more probable to him, and he takes the lesser number, then performs sujud al-sahw (the prostration for forgetfulness) before the taslim (the closing salam of prayer).And if he acts upon the preponderance of probability, that is: If one of the two possibilities becomes more probable to him due to the action of the one who entered with him, then in this case he performs sujud al-sahw after the taslim; because whenever the basis is the preponderance of probability in the matter of doubt, then sujud al-sahw is after the taslim.