How to pray in severe crowding? Especially if one is prevented from bowing?

The questioner : If a person is prevented from bowing in prayer, for example, in the Sacred Mosque, where there is sometimes such a crowd that a person is prevented from bowing, is he treated as one who joins the prayer late?

The Shaykh : Treated as one who joins the prayer late!

The questioner : Meaning he performs the unit of prayer that he missed?

The Shaykh : No, he prostrates to the extent of his ability, even if it is just a gesture.

The questioner : And bowing is the same?

The Shaykh : You asked about bowing.

The questioner : About bowing, yes. You said he prostrates here.

The Shaykh : So let us correct the question to correct the answer. What I understood is that in the Sacred Mosque, due to the severe crowding, he is unable to bow.

The questioner : A group might come, Shaykh, for example, and leave...

The Shaykh : What I understood is that. Did you mention bowing or prostrating?

The questioner : Bowing.

The Shaykh : Okay, so the answer, as you heard, is not that he considers himself to have missed a unit of prayer and makes it up because he missed the bowing. Rather, he must bow in any manner of bowing, even if it is just a gesture with his head, and no one can prevent him from doing that. Is that clear?

The questioner : Clear. May Allah reward you with good.