If a man arrives while the imam is in the last rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer, how many prostrations does he perform after the prostration he performed with the imam?
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The questioner : We return to the message from the listener Ali Muhammad. In this question, he says: If a man arrives while the imam is in the last rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer, how many prostrations does he perform after the prostration he performed with the imam? And does he recite aloud in the two remaining rak'ahs? We ask for your guidance.
The Shaykh : It appears to me that he means by "prostration" the rak'ah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That is, if a person catches up with the imam in the third rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer, he has two rak'ahs remaining. When the imam concludes the prayer, he stands and performs a rak'ah in which he recites al-Fatihah and whatever is easy of the Qur'an. Then, when he prostrates, he sits for the first tashahhud. After reciting the first tashahhud, he stands and performs the third rak'ah, reciting only al-Fatihah. Some of the general public may misunderstand this issue and think that if he catches up with the imam in the last rak'ah of Maghrib, he stands and performs two rak'ahs without the first tashahhud. This is an error, because if he does that, he violates the order of the prayer, and the prayer is made up in its proper sequence. If he catches up with one rak'ah, then the rak'ah he performs after the imam's taslim becomes the second rak'ah. He then sits and performs the first tashahhud, then stands and performs the third rak'ah.
As for his question about whether he should recite aloud, we say that if he does not disturb anyone by reciting aloud, it is permissible for him to recite aloud in the first rak'ah he makes up. However, the second rak'ah he makes up is not a place for reciting aloud. And if he disturbs the people around him, he should not recite aloud, because reciting aloud is a recommended practice (sunnah), and causing disturbance is harmful to others, spoiling their remembrance and worship. Yes.
The Shaykh : It appears to me that he means by "prostration" the rak'ah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : That is, if a person catches up with the imam in the third rak'ah of the Maghrib prayer, he has two rak'ahs remaining. When the imam concludes the prayer, he stands and performs a rak'ah in which he recites al-Fatihah and whatever is easy of the Qur'an. Then, when he prostrates, he sits for the first tashahhud. After reciting the first tashahhud, he stands and performs the third rak'ah, reciting only al-Fatihah. Some of the general public may misunderstand this issue and think that if he catches up with the imam in the last rak'ah of Maghrib, he stands and performs two rak'ahs without the first tashahhud. This is an error, because if he does that, he violates the order of the prayer, and the prayer is made up in its proper sequence. If he catches up with one rak'ah, then the rak'ah he performs after the imam's taslim becomes the second rak'ah. He then sits and performs the first tashahhud, then stands and performs the third rak'ah.
As for his question about whether he should recite aloud, we say that if he does not disturb anyone by reciting aloud, it is permissible for him to recite aloud in the first rak'ah he makes up. However, the second rak'ah he makes up is not a place for reciting aloud. And if he disturbs the people around him, he should not recite aloud, because reciting aloud is a recommended practice (sunnah), and causing disturbance is harmful to others, spoiling their remembrance and worship. Yes.