A man prayed the obligatory prayer and entered a mosque where they are praying the obligatory prayer; should he pray with them? And if he entered a mosque for the funeral prayer and found them praying the obligatory prayer, what is required of him?
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The questioner : Regarding, O Shaykh, repeating the congregational prayer: if a person enters the mosque after having already prayed Maghrib, should he pray with them? Likewise, regarding entering the mosque specifically for the funeral prayer, only to find the congregation praying the obligatory prayer, should he join the prayer and then break it off with the imam, meaning he concludes his prayer with the imam? I hope you will clarify this.
The Shaykh : Yes, if he enters the mosque after having already prayed Maghrib and finds people praying, let him pray three rak'ahs with them, just as the imam prayed, because this is a repeated prayer and not the obligatory prayer itself. In this case, he will not have performed the witr prayer twice, for repeating a prayer is not the same as starting it anew.
And if he comes to a mosque for the funeral prayer and finds them praying, he should join them as well, unless it is the last rak'ah and he fears that if he stands to make up the remaining rak'ah, the funeral prayer will be performed. In that case, there is no harm in waiting until the imam says the taslim, and then he prays over the funeral. However, if it is the third rak'ah, let him join them, and there is no harm in saying the taslim with the imam if he fears that the funeral will be taken away, because he has already prayed two rak'ahs.
The Shaykh : Yes, if he enters the mosque after having already prayed Maghrib and finds people praying, let him pray three rak'ahs with them, just as the imam prayed, because this is a repeated prayer and not the obligatory prayer itself. In this case, he will not have performed the witr prayer twice, for repeating a prayer is not the same as starting it anew.
And if he comes to a mosque for the funeral prayer and finds them praying, he should join them as well, unless it is the last rak'ah and he fears that if he stands to make up the remaining rak'ah, the funeral prayer will be performed. In that case, there is no harm in waiting until the imam says the taslim, and then he prays over the funeral. However, if it is the third rak'ah, let him join them, and there is no harm in saying the taslim with the imam if he fears that the funeral will be taken away, because he has already prayed two rak'ahs.