Entering the congregational prayer when the imam is bowing, and you entered the mosque and said the takbir, and when you began to bow, the imam was about to rise from bowing, is it...
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The questioner : When entering the congregational prayer and the imam is bowing, and you entered the mosque and said the takbir, and when you began to bow, the imam was about to rise from bowing, do I continue until I complete the bowing and then follow the imam, or do I return to standing without completing the bowing? And is the rak'ah counted in this case or not?
The Shaykh : If a person enters while the imam is bowing, then says the takbir for entering the state of consecration, let him bow immediately. His takbir for bowing at that time is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not obligatory. If he says the takbir for bowing, that is better, and if he leaves it, there is no blame on him. Then, after that, he is not free from three situations:
Either he is certain that he reached the bowing before the imam rose from it, in which case he has caught up with the rak'ah, and the recitation of al-Fatihah is dropped from him in this case.
Or he is certain that the imam rose from the bowing before he reached the bowing, in which case the rak'ah has been missed by him, and it is obligatory for him to make it up. These are two situations.
The third situation is that he hesitates and doubts whether he caught up with the imam in his bowing, or whether the imam rose before he caught up with him in the bowing. In this case, he builds upon his predominant suspicion. If it is more likely in his view that he caught up with the imam in the bowing, then he has caught up with the rak'ah. If it is more likely in his view that he did not catch up with the imam in the bowing, then the rak'ah has been missed by him. In this case, if he has missed something of the prayer, he prostrates for forgetfulness after the salam. If he has not missed anything of the prayer, such as if the rak'ah in doubt is the first rak'ah and it is predominant in his suspicion that he caught up with it, then the prostration for forgetfulness is dropped from him in this case because his prayer is linked to the imam's prayer, and the imam bears the prostration for forgetfulness for the follower if the follower has not missed anything of the prayer.
And there is another situation in the case of doubt where the person is hesitant about catching up with the imam while bowing without any predominance of one side over the other. In this case, he builds upon the certainty, which is not catching up, because that is the original state. He performs a rak'ah, or in this case, he builds upon the certainty, which is not catching up, and this rak'ah has been missed by him, and he prostrates for forgetfulness before the salam.
And here is a matter I would like to point out on this occasion, which is that many people, when they enter the mosque and the imam is bowing, start clearing their throats loudly and repeatedly, and perhaps they speak: "Indeed, Allah is with the patient," and perhaps they kick with their feet. All of this is contrary to the Sunnah, and it causes disturbance to the imam and the followers. And some people, when they enter and the imam is bowing, rush in with an ugly haste. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that and said (peace and blessings be upon him):Bulugh al-Maram 2:329.
The Shaykh : If a person enters while the imam is bowing, then says the takbir for entering the state of consecration, let him bow immediately. His takbir for bowing at that time is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not obligatory. If he says the takbir for bowing, that is better, and if he leaves it, there is no blame on him. Then, after that, he is not free from three situations:
Either he is certain that he reached the bowing before the imam rose from it, in which case he has caught up with the rak'ah, and the recitation of al-Fatihah is dropped from him in this case.
Or he is certain that the imam rose from the bowing before he reached the bowing, in which case the rak'ah has been missed by him, and it is obligatory for him to make it up. These are two situations.
The third situation is that he hesitates and doubts whether he caught up with the imam in his bowing, or whether the imam rose before he caught up with him in the bowing. In this case, he builds upon his predominant suspicion. If it is more likely in his view that he caught up with the imam in the bowing, then he has caught up with the rak'ah. If it is more likely in his view that he did not catch up with the imam in the bowing, then the rak'ah has been missed by him. In this case, if he has missed something of the prayer, he prostrates for forgetfulness after the salam. If he has not missed anything of the prayer, such as if the rak'ah in doubt is the first rak'ah and it is predominant in his suspicion that he caught up with it, then the prostration for forgetfulness is dropped from him in this case because his prayer is linked to the imam's prayer, and the imam bears the prostration for forgetfulness for the follower if the follower has not missed anything of the prayer.
And there is another situation in the case of doubt where the person is hesitant about catching up with the imam while bowing without any predominance of one side over the other. In this case, he builds upon the certainty, which is not catching up, because that is the original state. He performs a rak'ah, or in this case, he builds upon the certainty, which is not catching up, and this rak'ah has been missed by him, and he prostrates for forgetfulness before the salam.
And here is a matter I would like to point out on this occasion, which is that many people, when they enter the mosque and the imam is bowing, start clearing their throats loudly and repeatedly, and perhaps they speak: "Indeed, Allah is with the patient," and perhaps they kick with their feet. All of this is contrary to the Sunnah, and it causes disturbance to the imam and the followers. And some people, when they enter and the imam is bowing, rush in with an ugly haste. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade that and said (peace and blessings be upon him):