Is it permissible for me to perform voluntary prayer behind an imam who is praying the obligatory Fajr prayer on the grounds that the time has not yet entered?

The questioner : Shaykh, you know that they call the adhan before the time of Fajr. So when the iqamah is called, it means the time for the true dawn adhan has arrived. I go down and pray with them with the intention of two rak'ahs, meaning voluntary prayer. Then I go back and pray the two rak'ahs of the Fajr sunnah, and I pray the obligatory prayer with my husband afterwards. Is this permissible?

The Shaykh : It is not permissible, may Allah reward you. For two reasons. The first, and the most important, is that when the prayer is established, there is no prayer except the obligatory one. So it is not permissible for you to perform voluntary prayer; you must pray the prayer that has been established, meaning the Fajr obligation. Do you understand?

The questioner : He is doing well.

The Shaykh : Now, the second reason: the sunnah that you missed because it occurred before the adhan, you do not pray it on the basis that it is the Fajr sunnah, because the time for Fajr had not yet arrived. Rather, you pray it as the greeting of the mosque. Do you understand? Then, after the obligatory prayer that you pray with the imam, you pray the Fajr sunnah, whether in the mosque or at home. If you know that they at home do not pray until you return, you return before you pray the Fajr sunnah after the obligatory prayer in the mosque, and you pray it at home while they are praying the obligatory prayer with you, which is voluntary for you. Is that clear?

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

The Shaykh : And you as well. Please.