Does a traveler complete the prayer if he prays behind a resident in a four-rak'ah prayer?
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The questioner : Questions are frequent, O Shaykh, regarding these matters concerning prayer while traveling. This person says: I prayed the Zuhr prayer while I was a traveler with a resident imam, and I caught up with him in the last two rak'ahs of the prayer. Do I complete it as four, or do I shorten it because I am a traveler?
The Shaykh : Whoever does this must repeat his prayer as four. The evidence is that when you join the imam, your prayer becomes linked to his, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 960. See the linkage. The imam's sutrah is the sutrah for those behind him. If the imam stands up from the tashahhud out of forgetfulness, it is obligatory for the ma'mums to stand up. If you join the imam in the second rak'ah of Zuhr, for example, it is obligatory for you to sit in the first rak'ah relative to you. And you must not recite the tashahhud in the second rak'ah relative to you. What does this indicate? It indicates the linkage of the ma'mum's prayer to the imam's prayer. Accordingly, if a traveler prays behind a resident, it is obligatory for him to complete the prayer, whether he catches up with the prayer from its beginning or from its middle? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 635. This man joined the imam and caught up with two rak'ahs. What is obligatory for him? It is obligatory that he complete . And Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) was asked: What is the matter with a man who prays two rak'ahs and prays four with the imam, meaning a traveler? He said: Sahih Muslim 1244a. I know that there is scholarly disagreement on this issue. But [An-Nisa 4:59] to whom? [An-Nisa 4:59]. And you have now learned from my words that the ma'mum's prayer is linked to the imam's prayer. We have an imam who prays sitting, and we are able to stand. He prayed Zuhr for us sitting. What do we do? We pray sitting. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once prayed with his Companions while he was suffering from an ailment, so he prayed sitting, and they prayed standing. Meaning, they were healthy. So he gestured to them to sit, then clarified that if the imam prays standing, you pray standing. And if he prays sitting, you pray sitting. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : And another, or the same questioner, says: I entered the mosque.
The Shaykh : No, not the same questioner. We do not take two questions unless the questions are finished.
The questioner : He says:The questioner : When we visit the graves.
The Shaykh : The questioner says.
The questioner : The questioner says.
The Shaykh : Say, a questioner says, because I understand the "al" refers to the first one.
The Shaykh : Whoever does this must repeat his prayer as four. The evidence is that when you join the imam, your prayer becomes linked to his, to the extent that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When the Imam prays sitting, then pray sitting
إذا صلى الإمام قاعدا فصلوا قعوداand pray whatever you get (with the people) and complete the rest which you have missed
ما أدركتم فصلوا وما فاتكم فأتمواComplete what you missed.
ما فاتكم فأتمواAbu Hassan al-A'raj reported that a person from Bani Hujaim said to Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them): What is this religious verdict of yours which has engaged the attention of the people or which has become a matter of dispute among them that he who circumambulated the House can be free from Ihram? Thereupon he said: That is the Sunnah of your Apostle (ﷺ), even though you may not approve of it.
سنة نبيكم صلى الله عليه وسلمif you disagree over anything, refer it to
إن تنازعتم في شيء فردوه إلىto Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
إلى الله والرسول إن كنتم تؤمنون بالله واليوم الآخر ذلك خير وأحسن تأويلاThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The questioner : And another, or the same questioner, says: I entered the mosque.
The Shaykh : No, not the same questioner. We do not take two questions unless the questions are finished.
The questioner : He says:The questioner : When we visit the graves.
The Shaykh : The questioner says.
The questioner : The questioner says.
The Shaykh : Say, a questioner says, because I understand the "al" refers to the first one.