A man entered the mosque while the imam was bowing, so he bowed before the row, and before he reached the row, the imam rose. Does his bowing count as a rak'ah?

Al-Halabi : The hadith: Shaykh, you mentioned it in the first volume of the Da'if (weak) hadiths, and it contains Mahdi ibn al-Hajjari, about whom Abu Hatim said: unknown, and others said the same. But we would like to say that a group of people narrated from him. Yes, and the hadith is supported by the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) breaking of the fast, a general proof, I mean proof by the prohibition, meaning from the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).?

The Shaykh : I looked into the number of narrators.?
Al-Halabi : The number of narrators, you will find four or five.

The Shaykh : It is a beginning of a re-examination if that is the case.

The Shaykh : Yes, bring it, seize the time.

The questioner : The brother asks regarding if one enters and the imam is bowing, he bows before the row, even if he does not catch up, meaning even if the imam stands and he has not caught up to the row or reached the row, does it count as a rak'ah for him?

The Shaykh : Yes, he keeps moving until he joins the imam in bowing, if the imam raises his head, he raises with him, then he walks until he joins the row, clear?

The questioner : Yes, and it counts as a rak'ah for him.

The Shaykh : This is a settled matter, why all this effort, and this problem which is considered a problem by some people? It is for catching the rak'ah.

Another questioner : Shaykh, this is like what you mentioned once, that he takes a step then adds the second to it, and in this case...

The Shaykh : Yes, so that it is not thought that he is walking and not praying.

The questioner : My teacher, if the imam prostrates and he did not catch up, and he did not catch the imam's first prostration while he is walking, how does it become? Of course, he missed a pillar, so he comes with a rak'ah, and it does not count for him.

The Shaykh : How is this, and what did we say just now?

The questioner : I mean, is there a criterion in this issue?

The Shaykh : What did we say just now?

The questioner : We said if he caught him standing upright, it counts as a rak'ah for him.

The Shaykh : Standing upright?

The questioner : Bowing, and if he bowed from behind, it counts, it counts if he raises from bowing and he has not reached the row, the ma'mum (one praying behind) raises with him, so if he prostrates and he has not reached the row...

The Shaykh : He will prostrate with him.

The questioner : He prostrates before he reaches the row?

The Shaykh : Of course, what is the difference between prostration and bowing?

The questioner : Even if he completes his prayer, he completes it.

The Shaykh : Even what?

The questioner : If he completes his prayer, that imam, if he completes his prayer in the first row and he is in the back, he completes the prayer with him.

The Shaykh : The important thing is that he strives to join the row, so if he misses the imam, meaning the imam says the taslim, this is the narrowest of matters, meaning, so he has followed the imam and performed the sunnah.
Wafi: Okay, if he sits for the tashahhud, Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Be patient, let him finish.

The questioner : It does not fall under this category: ?

The Shaykh : This does not fall under it, how do you mean, do you want to use this hadith to refute the other hadith on which we based the ruling that the one who enters the mosque and finds the imam bowing, bows where he is, then moves slowly? Do you know this hadith?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Okay, does this contradict the hadith: ? It seems from your words that you also want to say that, and if Allah wills you will not say it, this is a specification of that hadith: which follows in the second row, the first row is the one who forms the second row alone, and he finds space in the first row to join it, so if he prays alone, his prayer is invalid; but if he strives with all his effort to join the first row, and we mentioned the first row as an example, let it be the tenth row, the important thing is that he strives to join the row in front of him, then he does not find space to join, so he prays alone, his prayer is valid, so the hadith negates the validity of the prayer of the one who prays alone, it is for the one who is negligent, not for the one who cannot join the row, and I think this point can be overlooked, it is what raised the problem I presented just now, perhaps the matter is so?

The questioner: Yes.

The questioner : My teacher, my question regarding the prayer for the one who prays alone behind the row...

The Shaykh : I asked him a question, so do not waste it, I say perhaps the matter is so? Say: Yes, say: No, according to what is in your heart.

The questioner : Yes, I said yes.

The Shaykh : Meaning you see the detail mentioned earlier, which is that the hadith: is like the hadith: so this and that is not in its generality and comprehensiveness, but it is excepted, so from the exception regarding the hadith: is what we are currently discussing, a man entered the row and bowed with the imam and had not read al-Fatihah, so did he catch the rak'ah or not?

The questioner : He caught it.

The Shaykh : He caught the rak'ah according to the most correct of the scholars' opinions on the issue; so what did we do with the hadith: ? We specified it, we said this is general, specified by the hadith: so what is the correct meaning then of the hadith: ? Then we combine the general and the specific, so we say: There is no prayer for one who does not read al-Fatihah of the Book except for the one who caught the imam bowing and was not able to read al-Fatihah; so the pillar of al-Fatihah is dropped from him because of his catching the bowing with the imam; is this clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : Good, now we return to the prayer behind the row alone, there is no prayer for him, this is also from the general that is specified, not in its comprehensiveness and generality, how? We know that all the rulings of the Shari'ah are built on the principle so the one who came to the mosque and did not find anyone to pray with him in the row he wants to pray in, so he looks to see if there is space for a gap to fill or not? If he finds a gap and nevertheless prays behind the row alone, then this is the one to whom the hadith applies; and if he does not find a gap, it is not said to him your prayer is invalid; because this is all he can do now, meaning he prays alone; is this second matter clear?

The questioner : Clear, but there is a question in that in this topic, which is the words of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) are general, so he did not say, meaning, there is no prayer for one who prays alone behind the row if he did not find a gap, for example?

The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, this was spoken about before, and he did not say there is no prayer for one who does not read al-Fatihah of the Book except for the one who caught the imam bowing, did he say that?

The questioner : He said that.

The Shaykh : No, he did not say that.

The questioner : I meant the combining of the two hadiths.

The Shaykh : And what you intended is what I intended in the second hadith, the combining of the hadith with the hadiths, with the Qur'an can the one who wants to pray alone in the row not pray alone in the row?

The questioner : He is unable.

The Shaykh : So what does he do?

The questioner : He waits for someone.

The Shaykh : He waits until the Day of Resurrection, meaning?

The questioner : If he does not find anyone, then this is applying the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

The Shaykh : My brother, every hadith, every legal ruling is restricted by ability, you do not doubt this in my opinion, pray in the row, if you cannot, pray alone; as for:

The questioner : Okay, if two pray, and there is a gap in the row...?

The Shaykh : The answer was given just now, regarding the mu'adhdhins in the Prophet's Mosque, and it does not appear you were with us?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah, is someone recording here? I hear him, my brother, I said, what I intended was that the answer was given before, I said those who pray in the Prophet's Mosque on the minbar, if a man prays alone, his prayer is invalid; because there is space in the mosque, but when they pray in congregation, their prayer is valid but they are sinful; so now you have a difference between two, between three, between four, between five, I do not think it makes a difference?

The questioner : Meaning it is invalid if they were...

The Shaykh : I am asking you a question, and this is the case with everyone; one person asks a question and it is not answered, and that is a problem. Is there a difference in your view between two people praying and five people praying?

The questioner: There is no difference.

The Shaykh : Okay, what is the ruling on the two who prayed, and what is the ruling on the five who prayed behind the row, with a gap in the row in front of them? What is their ruling?

The questioner : It is valid.

The Shaykh : This is what we said, and we said that the answer had already been given; but the difference is that I gave an example earlier where five or six people prayed, and you went back to saying if two people prayed, and finally you agreed with me.

The questioner : And there is a gap for two people.

The Shaykh : There is no power or strength, and I am telling you, my brother, is there not a gap in the Prophet’s Mosque for five or six people?

The questioner : Okay, do they repeat the prayer?

The Shaykh : No, they do not repeat the prayer, because the prayer is valid despite the sin.
Al-Halabi : There is a hadith: There is a hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : Was there a hadith?
Al-Halabi : What does this hadith cover?

The Shaykh : It covers what we are discussing, the one who found space and did not move to it.

The questioner : I have two observations, my Shaykh, and I want to ask about them.

The Shaykh : About what?
Wafi : About reciting al-Fatihah, the example you gave, and about the one who creeps forward while bowing.

The Shaykh : What is your question?

The questioner : Outside of the prayer.