If the imam leaves the prayer for a valid legal excuse and then returns, does he continue from where he left off or repeat the prayer?

The questioner : If the imam completed the prayer in the first scenario, this imam who went to perform wudu and came back and completed his prayer, does he continue from what preceded, or is his prayer considered invalid?

The Shaykh : Otherwise, why did he detain them with this detention?

The questioner : I am not speaking about the first prayer, or the one where everyone was delegated and returned...

The Shaykh : That is, if we want to clarify your question: he was praying the first rak'ah with them, and in the second rak'ah he remembered that he was not in a state of wudu, for example while standing, and he went back. The ablution area was close to him, so he performed wudu. If he found the congregation, for example, in the second rak'ah just as he had left them, and he had delegated that person as his proxy, he says the taslim with the imam; is that clear?

The questioner : Is that clear?

The Shaykh : He counts that rak'ah; because this is how it happened with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). This is different from if he remembers his lack of purity after finishing the prayer. In that case, whether he is the imam or a follower, he must repeat it. But in the case of him being the imam, he repeats it and does not order them to repeat it; is that clear?

The questioner : Is that clear?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, regarding this, you said in the first case that the first rak'ah is counted, and he remembered that he was not in a state of wudu. Is there evidence for this action?

The Shaykh : No, yes, we learned from you. Are we speaking without evidence?

The questioner : I seek forgiveness from Allah.

The Shaykh : It is reported in Sunan Abu Dawud from the hadith of Abu Bakrah al-Thaqafi that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said the takbir one day in the Fajr prayer, then remembered that he was in a state of janabah. He gestured to them to remain as they were, and he entered the room, which was next to the mosque. He returned with his head dripping water and completed the prayer with them.

The questioner : In the hadith, it is not stated that he completed a rak'ah or any part of the prayer, because you are saying he said the takbir.

The Shaykh : As for if you stick to your first wording that he did not complete a rak'ah, we would say you were correct and truthful. But saying he did not pray anything is an error, because the first pillar of the prayer is the takbirat al-ihram. So he counted the takbirat al-ihram. If not, the narrator would have said what he said at the beginning. What did he say at the beginning? He said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said the takbir in the Fajr prayer, then gestured to them to remain. When he returned, he said: He did not say "so he said the takbir," meaning he counted the first takbir which he had said, and it is a pillar.

The questioner : So he prayed with them. Does this not imply that he did not perform the takbirat al-ihram?

The Shaykh : No, are you speaking about yourself?

The questioner : This is my understanding.

The Shaykh : Yes, you are speaking about yourself. But generalizing that everyone is with you in this is a problem.

The questioner : Is it not possible that he said the takbir?

The Shaykh : No, it is not possible.

Another questioner : In my understanding, he prayed with them...

The Shaykh : No problem, someone here is supporting you, no problem. But this is a possibility, as they say in poetry: "It has a share of consideration..."?
Al-Halabi : Not every disagreement is considered *** except a disagreement that has a share of consideration.

The Shaykh : I am going to explain something to you that you will be convinced of, if Allah wills. It is not just a claim. Otherwise, claims, unless you establish evidence for them, are merely assertions.The questioner : This scenario...

The Shaykh : Wait, wait, we do not want to answer the group. Either we say that the Messenger of Allah counted the takbirat al-ihram, or he did not count it. The one who says the possibility you raised, does he count this takbir or not?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : No, just as he said, you have a saying with him. Fine, you understand it, and that is your reward.

The questioner : He says that the prayer began with the takbir. He renewed the ghusl. Does he count this takbir or not? The fact that the Prophet went to perform ghusl?

Another questioner : I say it began...

The questioner : does he count it or not?

The Shaykh : Yes, yes, that is how we learned. He said it that way, correct? You said "just as he said" because he said "just as you said." Fine, the second question: if this incident happened to one of you, or both of you, in two incidents, would he gesture to the congregation, not speak, to remain as they are? You speak first, he second?

The questioner : If he wants to invalidate it, he speaks.

The Shaykh : No, I am not saying he speaks or he speaks. Does he burden these people by saying: "Stay standing, stay bowing, stay prostrating until I return to you"?

The questioner : He starts from the beginning.

The Shaykh : Yes, he does it? What would he say to them? He would say: "Please, rest, and do not hold me accountable. I remembered that I was what? Not in a state of purity; correct?"

The questioner : The first method is better.

The Shaykh : But in this, you did well, Professor. Look, now there is another story similar to this. And since this is not in al-Sahih or in either of the two Sahihs, but rather in Sunan Abu Dawud, some scholars, due to the strangeness of the story, interpreted Abu Dawud's story according to al-Bukhari's story, which is in al-Bukhari. What is it? It says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque one morning and remembered before saying the takbir that he was in a state of janabah. He said to them: "Remain," and he went and performed ghusl, and came and said the takbir and prayed. Here, the takbir is the takbirat al-ihram. In the first instance, it was not mentioned, exactly the opposite of that one. Look, the takbir was mentioned when the Prophet returned after the ghusl. This is a difference between Abu Dawud's story and al-Bukhari's story. A second difference... stay in your place. In al-Bukhari's story, he said to them because he was not in prayer. But there, he was in prayer, so it is not valid for him to do anything that contradicts the prayer, except what relates to correcting the prayer, which is purity. So, due to the strangeness of the first story, they said they interpreted it according to the other story of al-Bukhari, even though there is a great difference between the two stories, which indicates that they are two completely different incidents. There, the story...