If you arrive and the imam is bowing, is one takbir of entering prayer sufficient, or is it necessary to have the takbir of entering prayer and the takbir of bowing? And how does one recite?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : If you arrive and the imam is bowing, is one takbir of entering prayer sufficient, or is it necessary to have the takbir of entering prayer and the takbir of bowing? And how does the praying person recite the opening supplication in this case? May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : If a person enters the prayer while the imam is bowing, he says the takbir of entering prayer, then he bows, and he does not recite the opening supplication. Is it obligatory for him to say the takbir for bowing, or is it not obligatory?
The jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned that it is not obligatory, and that the takbir for bowing in this case is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not obligatory. Accordingly, if he says the takbir for bowing, that is better, and if he leaves out the takbir, there is no blame on him.
However, in this case, a person should not rush in a way that is ugly and makes noise. Nor should he say, "Be patient" or "Be patient, for Allah is with the patient." Nor should he clear his throat in a way intended to alert the imam, because this was not the practice of the righteous predecessors. Rather, he should walk with calmness until he reaches the row, then say the takbir of entering prayer, and then bow.
In this case, either he is certain that he caught up with the imam while he was bowing, in which case he has caught up with the rak'ah. Or he is certain that the imam rose from bowing before he reached the bowing position, in which case he has missed the rak'ah. Or he is unsure whether the imam raised his head from bowing before he caught up with him or not. In this case, either he is inclined to believe that he caught up with him, or that he did not catch up with him. If he is inclined to believe that he caught up with him, then he has caught up with him, but he must perform the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam when he completes his prayer. Likewise, if he is inclined to believe that he did not catch up with him, then he disregards that rak'ah and rules that he did not catch up with it, so he performs a rak'ah in its place and performs the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam. Or he may be hesitant, with no inclination toward having caught up or not having caught up, in which case he disregards that rak'ah, performs a rak'ah in its place, and performs the prostration for forgetfulness before the salam.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : If a person enters the prayer while the imam is bowing, he says the takbir of entering prayer, then he bows, and he does not recite the opening supplication. Is it obligatory for him to say the takbir for bowing, or is it not obligatory?
The jurists (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned that it is not obligatory, and that the takbir for bowing in this case is a recommended practice (sunnah) and not obligatory. Accordingly, if he says the takbir for bowing, that is better, and if he leaves out the takbir, there is no blame on him.
However, in this case, a person should not rush in a way that is ugly and makes noise. Nor should he say, "Be patient" or "Be patient, for Allah is with the patient." Nor should he clear his throat in a way intended to alert the imam, because this was not the practice of the righteous predecessors. Rather, he should walk with calmness until he reaches the row, then say the takbir of entering prayer, and then bow.
In this case, either he is certain that he caught up with the imam while he was bowing, in which case he has caught up with the rak'ah. Or he is certain that the imam rose from bowing before he reached the bowing position, in which case he has missed the rak'ah. Or he is unsure whether the imam raised his head from bowing before he caught up with him or not. In this case, either he is inclined to believe that he caught up with him, or that he did not catch up with him. If he is inclined to believe that he caught up with him, then he has caught up with him, but he must perform the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam when he completes his prayer. Likewise, if he is inclined to believe that he did not catch up with him, then he disregards that rak'ah and rules that he did not catch up with it, so he performs a rak'ah in its place and performs the prostration for forgetfulness after the salam. Or he may be hesitant, with no inclination toward having caught up or not having caught up, in which case he disregards that rak'ah, performs a rak'ah in its place, and performs the prostration for forgetfulness before the salam.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.