If the imam adds a rak'ah, should the ma'mum follow him?
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The questioner : This is a matter discussed in Jeddah: following the imam when he adds a fifth rak'ah. They cited the action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as evidence for this. Then the Companions stood up, and he said: It is not permissible to delay clarification until the time of need. If this were blameworthy, would not this Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) have clarified it?
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, what Allah wills. What the Shaykh al-Islam said just now applies exactly to these people. I tell you, this is a half-scholar. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his prayer, they asked him: Did we add to the prayer? He said:. What would he say to them, since they were in the period of legislation where this extra rak'ah might have been prescribed? It is possible, so they are excused. But now, is it possible to add to the Zuhr prayer so that it becomes five? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), by Allah, did not delay clarification until the time of need. He said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 1243Sahih (Darussalam). He did not leave the clarification. But how can they be compelled to repeat their prayer, for example, when they are doing what they were commanded to do, which is following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)? No, convey the message to them, may Allah reward you with good. Convey it to them. Tell them: It is forbidden for you. You are saying about Allah what you do not know.
The questioner : Shaykh, they are insisting on their opinion. May Allah guide us and them.
The Shaykh : Well, if they insist, the matter should be referred to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs so that they can arrange a course for these people to teach them what they do not know. Or, if Allah wills, you will become a scholar and you will refute them with what you have heard. This matter is not a game. But if he stands up for a fifth rak'ah and we alert him, do we sit down separately—meaning we intend to separate and say the taslim—or do we sit and wait? In any case, the principle is that we sit separately, because we believe this addition invalidates the prayer. However, if there is a possibility that this imam forgot the al-Fatihah in one of the rak'ahs and performed this rak'ah as a substitute for it, or that the sequence shifted so that the second became the first, the third became the second, and so on, then this is a plausible possibility. In fact, some imams, when they finished the prayer and were told about it, said: I forgot the al-Fatihah in one of the rak'ahs. When this possibility is present, we said they should sit and wait.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed, what Allah wills. What the Shaykh al-Islam said just now applies exactly to these people. I tell you, this is a half-scholar. When the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) finished his prayer, they asked him: Did we add to the prayer? He said:
If anything were added to the prayer, I would inform you. I am only a human being like you.
أما إنه لو زيد في الصلاة لأنبأتكم، إنما أنا بشر مثلكمIf there had been some change concerning the prayer I would have told you
أما إنه لو حدث في الصلاة شيء لأنبأتكم بهThe questioner : Shaykh, they are insisting on their opinion. May Allah guide us and them.
The Shaykh : Well, if they insist, the matter should be referred to the Ministry of Islamic Affairs so that they can arrange a course for these people to teach them what they do not know. Or, if Allah wills, you will become a scholar and you will refute them with what you have heard. This matter is not a game. But if he stands up for a fifth rak'ah and we alert him, do we sit down separately—meaning we intend to separate and say the taslim—or do we sit and wait? In any case, the principle is that we sit separately, because we believe this addition invalidates the prayer. However, if there is a possibility that this imam forgot the al-Fatihah in one of the rak'ahs and performed this rak'ah as a substitute for it, or that the sequence shifted so that the second became the first, the third became the second, and so on, then this is a plausible possibility. In fact, some imams, when they finished the prayer and were told about it, said: I forgot the al-Fatihah in one of the rak'ahs. When this possibility is present, we said they should sit and wait.