When travelers come and shorten the prayer, and after they have lined up in their prayer, a man comes to pray with them, is that permissible for him or not? May Allah guide you.

The questioner : And this message reached us from Riyadh from the listener M. A. S. He says in it: When travelers come and shorten the prayer, and after they have lined up in their prayer, a man comes to pray with them, is that permissible for him or not? May Allah guide you?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible for the resident to pray behind the traveling imam. In this case, if the traveling imam completes his prayer and says the closing salam, the resident stands up and performs what remains of his prayer. The basis for this is what is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to pray with the people of Makkah in the Year of the Conquest and say to them: He used to pray two rak'ahs, and the people of Makkah would pray four behind him. This resident, when he stands up to make up what he missed, is like one who joins the prayer late in his prayer, just as if a person catches up with the imam who is praying the midday prayer and catches the last two rak'ahs with him; when he says the salam, he stands up and performs two rak'ahs. And so it is with the resident who prays behind the traveler.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : He stands up and performs the two remaining rak'ahs of his prayer.