The imam was slightly delayed, so the mu'adhdhin called the iqamah and led the people in prayer. Then the imam arrived, entered the mihrab, and said the takbir, and some of the people said the takbir with him.
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The questioner : He says: The imam was slightly delayed, so the mu'adhdhin called the iqamah and led the people in prayer. Then the imam arrived, entered the mihrab, and said the takbir, and some of the people said the takbir with him, while the others remained with their initial takbir. What is your opinion, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : And where did the mu'adhdhin go? Honestly, where did the mu'adhdhin go? Does that mean there were two imams in the mosque? In any case, the iqamah is the responsibility of the imam, and the adhan is the responsibility of the mu'adhdhin. The mu'adhdhin has no right to call the iqamah until the imam is present. If he does so, he is sinful. Also, the congregation should prevent him if they see that the mu'adhdhin is about to call the iqamah before the imam arrives, because the right to call the iqamah belongs to the imam. However, if the imam is delayed, if his place is nearby, the scholars say that he should be reminded, just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to go to the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to remind him when he was delayed, saying, "The prayer, O Messenger of Allah." If he is far away, they are excused if he is delayed in a way that is not customary. But I say: it is recommended for the imam, if he has work—let us say he has a job—and he fears he will be late for the Zuhr prayer, to tell them, "If I am delayed by ten minutes, call the iqamah for the prayer." This will be a relief for him and for them. And if he arrives while they are praying, he joins them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he came one day to fix something—I think it was in Banu Awf—and he found the people praying with 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). He joined them in the prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became a ma'mum. There is no harm in this, and there is no disgrace for a person in the imam being a ma'mum in such a situation. Yes.
The Shaykh : And where did the mu'adhdhin go? Honestly, where did the mu'adhdhin go? Does that mean there were two imams in the mosque? In any case, the iqamah is the responsibility of the imam, and the adhan is the responsibility of the mu'adhdhin. The mu'adhdhin has no right to call the iqamah until the imam is present. If he does so, he is sinful. Also, the congregation should prevent him if they see that the mu'adhdhin is about to call the iqamah before the imam arrives, because the right to call the iqamah belongs to the imam. However, if the imam is delayed, if his place is nearby, the scholars say that he should be reminded, just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to go to the house of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to remind him when he was delayed, saying, "The prayer, O Messenger of Allah." If he is far away, they are excused if he is delayed in a way that is not customary. But I say: it is recommended for the imam, if he has work—let us say he has a job—and he fears he will be late for the Zuhr prayer, to tell them, "If I am delayed by ten minutes, call the iqamah for the prayer." This will be a relief for him and for them. And if he arrives while they are praying, he joins them, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did when he came one day to fix something—I think it was in Banu Awf—and he found the people praying with 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with him). He joined them in the prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) became a ma'mum. There is no harm in this, and there is no disgrace for a person in the imam being a ma'mum in such a situation. Yes.