If the imam stands for the fifth rak'ah because, for example, he forgot the pillar of al-Fatihah in one of the rak'ahs, do the ma'mum (those praying behind him) follow him?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you and bless you, O honorable Shaykh. If the imam stands for a fifth rak'ah in the prayer, and the reason for his standing is that he left a pillar of the prayer—whether he forgot to recite al-Fatihah in one of the rak'ahs or forgot one of the prostrations—what is the position of the ma'mum (one praying behind the imam) now? Is it obligatory for him to follow him, or after the imam concludes the fifth rak'ah, does the ma'mum complete a fifth rak'ah in that place?
The Shaykh : I say, may Allah bless you. Your example of leaving a pillar by leaving the prostration or the bowing does not hold, because if he leaves it, he will...
The questioner : ...be alerted.
The Shaykh : He will be alerted, but what is relevant is that the imam might forget to recite al-Fatihah and then perform a rak'ah after the completion of the four rak'ahs as a substitute for the rak'ah he left. Because if a person leaves al-Fatihah in the first rak'ah, the second rak'ah becomes, in his case, what? It becomes the first, the third becomes the second, and the fourth becomes the third. He needs to perform the fourth, and the ma'mum does not know this. So if the imam stands for the fifth and is alerted but does not return, do not say: "The man is stubborn and it is obligatory for him to leave him." Perhaps he forgot al-Fatihah and you do not know. So we say: You sit and wait until you conclude the prayer with the imam.
But by the way, I would like to say: Satan often afflicts the son of Adam and makes him doubt his prayer. So if doubts become frequent with him, he should not pay attention to them. For example, if this man doubts every time he prays, we say: Do not go to the doubts. When doubts become frequent, they become waswas (whispers) and it is not permissible to pay attention to them. Yes.
The questioner : ...does he make up?
The Shaykh : What does he make up? Did he not enter with the imam?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I said he waits. He sits and waits until he concludes the prayer with the imam.
The Shaykh : I say, may Allah bless you. Your example of leaving a pillar by leaving the prostration or the bowing does not hold, because if he leaves it, he will...
The questioner : ...be alerted.
The Shaykh : He will be alerted, but what is relevant is that the imam might forget to recite al-Fatihah and then perform a rak'ah after the completion of the four rak'ahs as a substitute for the rak'ah he left. Because if a person leaves al-Fatihah in the first rak'ah, the second rak'ah becomes, in his case, what? It becomes the first, the third becomes the second, and the fourth becomes the third. He needs to perform the fourth, and the ma'mum does not know this. So if the imam stands for the fifth and is alerted but does not return, do not say: "The man is stubborn and it is obligatory for him to leave him." Perhaps he forgot al-Fatihah and you do not know. So we say: You sit and wait until you conclude the prayer with the imam.
But by the way, I would like to say: Satan often afflicts the son of Adam and makes him doubt his prayer. So if doubts become frequent with him, he should not pay attention to them. For example, if this man doubts every time he prays, we say: Do not go to the doubts. When doubts become frequent, they become waswas (whispers) and it is not permissible to pay attention to them. Yes.
The questioner : ...does he make up?
The Shaykh : What does he make up? Did he not enter with the imam?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I said he waits. He sits and waits until he concludes the prayer with the imam.