If the ma'mum catches up with the imam during the tashahhud and does not know whether it is the first or the second, and if he joins him and it turns out to be the second, has he caught up with the virtue of the congregation?

The questioner : He says:The questioner : If you enter the mosque and find the imam sitting for the tashahhud, and you do not know whether it is the first or the second, and if you join him and it turns out to be the final tashahhud, have you caught up with the prayer in congregation or not?

The Shaykh : First: If the imam is one who knows the Sunnah and practices it, I do not think he would confuse the first tashahhud with the second. Why? Because the first is performed in the iftirash position, and the second in the tawruk position. However, if we assume that you cannot see the imam, or that the imam does not distinguish between the two sitting positions, or that the imam is excused and always sits in iftirash or always in tawruk, then we say: If you catch up with the tashahhud, you have not caught up with the reward of the congregation. The evidence for this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): The explicit meaning of the hadith is that catching up with a rak'ah means catching up with the prayer, and its implied meaning is that one who catches up with less than that has not caught up with the prayer. Yes.