A man arrives at the mosque while the imam is in the final tashahhud, so he calls for the iqamah and leads the people in a second congregation. Is this permissible?
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The questioner : A questioner says: I entered the mosque and the imam was in the final tashahhud, so I called for the iqamah to pray with another congregation, because in my understanding, the prayer is not caught unless one catches a rak'ah. What is the ruling on this matter?
The Shaykh : This is correct. If you enter the mosque and the imam is in the final tashahhud, and you have people with you, do not enter with the imam, because you will not catch the congregation. If you arrive and no one is with you, and the imam is in the tashahhud, enter with him, because catching part of the prayer is better than not catching it. If you have a group with you and you only catch the tashahhud, if the mosque is narrow, wait until the imam says the taslim so that you do not cause confusion. If it is spacious and you go to a part of it and pray, there is no harm.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : This is correct. If you enter the mosque and the imam is in the final tashahhud, and you have people with you, do not enter with the imam, because you will not catch the congregation. If you arrive and no one is with you, and the imam is in the tashahhud, enter with him, because catching part of the prayer is better than not catching it. If you have a group with you and you only catch the tashahhud, if the mosque is narrow, wait until the imam says the taslim so that you do not cause confusion. If it is spacious and you go to a part of it and pray, there is no harm.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.