If one joins the 'Isha' prayer in congregation late and prays the third and fourth rak'ahs with them, does he complete the prayer with a silent recitation or a loud recitation?

The questioner : If one joins the 'Isha' prayer in congregation in the third rak'ah and prays two rak'ahs with them, the third and the fourth, does he complete the prayer with a silent recitation or a loud recitation?

The Shaykh : He completes the prayer with a silent recitation. This is because the stronger position is that what the latecomer makes up is the end of his prayer, not the beginning. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Accordingly, what the latecomer catches up with is the beginning of his prayer, and what he makes up is the end of his prayer. In that, he limits himself to reciting al-Fatihah and recites silently, unless he did not catch up with anything of the four-rak'ah prayer except one rak'ah. In that case, in the first of the rak'ahs he makes up, he recites al-Fatihah and a surah with it.