Also, he has another question. The listener says: I see some people begin performing two rak'ahs before the prayer, which may be the greeting of the mosque, the sunnah of the midday prayer, or the sunnah of the dawn prayer.

The questioner : Also, he has another question. The listener says: I see some people begin performing two rak'ahs before the prayer, which may be the greeting of the mosque, the sunnah of the midday prayer, or the sunnah of the dawn prayer. When they begin, they at least recite al-Fatihah. Then the mu'adhdhin calls the iqamah for the prayer that follows this voluntary prayer. That person then proceeds to say the taslim immediately while still standing, and then joins the imam in the prayer. What is the ruling on this? Is it permissible? And is there anything required of him in this matter, or not?

The Shaykh : The scholars have differed on this issue: if a person is in a voluntary prayer and the iqamah is called, does he cut off that voluntary prayer and join them, or does he continue in his voluntary prayer, making it light and brief? The root of their disagreement is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as it is authentic from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah: So, regarding his saying: some people held that the meaning is: "There is no beginning of a prayer ."

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Because the iqamah is a notification to stand up for the prayer, it is as if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is saying: When the iqamah is called, do not begin a prayer after this iqamah, which was intended for the current prayer. Do not begin a prayer, but rather make the prayer the one for which the iqamah was called. For this reason, it is narrated in the hadith: .
And others held that his saying: means: "There is no prayer, whether beginning or continuing." According to the first opinion, what is prohibited is beginning the prayer.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : So, if he has already begun the prayer, he completes it lightly. And according to the second opinion, what is prohibited is the prayer, both beginning and continuing. So, if the iqamah is called while he is in a voluntary prayer, he must cut it off.
And in my view, and knowledge is with Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), if he is in the second rak'ah, and the iqamah is called while the person is in the second rak'ah of the voluntary prayer,

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : then he completes it lightly. And if the iqamah is called while he is in the first rak'ah, he cuts it off. I hold this view because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And the one who prayed a rak'ah of the voluntary prayer before the existence of the obstacle, which is the iqamah of the prayer, has caught it, so let him complete it. As for if he has not prayed a complete rak'ah, then the implication of his saying: is that he did not catch a time in which this prayer is permissible, so he cuts it off and joins the imam.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : And when he cuts it off for this reason or any other, when he cuts off the prayer for this reason or any other, he exits from it without saying the salam, because I do not know of a sunnah that a man, if he wants to exit his prayer before its completion, says the salam. For this reason, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, as narrated by Muslim: So the taslim is the conclusion of the prayer. And likewise, in the Sunan, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So, he has not reached the point where he is released from it, and he has not reached its conclusion, so the salam is not prescribed; rather, he turns away without saying the salam.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Thank you, may Allah reward you.