Intention is a condition for leading the prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Q: Is intention required for leading the prayer? If a man enters and finds another man praying, may he follow him? And is it prescribed to follow a latecomer?
A: Intention is required for leading the prayer, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih al-Bukhari 1 If a man enters the mosque and has missed the congregation, and finds someone praying alone, there is no harm in praying with him as a follower; in fact, that is better. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he saw a man who had entered the mosque after the people had prayed: Sunan Abi Dawud 574Sahih (Al-Albani) By doing so, both of them obtain the reward of the congregational prayer, and it is a voluntary prayer for the one who has already prayed.
And Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray the 'Isha' prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as his obligatory prayer, then he would return to his people and pray that prayer with them. So it was a voluntary prayer for him and an obligatory prayer for them, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of that for him.
As for the one who joins the prayer late, there is no blame on him if the one who missed the congregational prayer prays with him, hoping to obtain the virtue of the congregation. When the one who joined late completes his prayer, the one who has not completed his prayer stands up and finishes it, due to the generality of the evidence. This ruling applies to all five prayers; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) when he mentioned to him the rulers who delay the prayer from its time: And success is from Allah.
A: Intention is required for leading the prayer, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.
إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوىIs there any man who may do good with this (man) and pray along with him.
ألا رجل يتصدق على هذا فيصلي معهAnd Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray the 'Isha' prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as his obligatory prayer, then he would return to his people and pray that prayer with them. So it was a voluntary prayer for him and an obligatory prayer for them, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of that for him.
As for the one who joins the prayer late, there is no blame on him if the one who missed the congregational prayer prays with him, hoping to obtain the virtue of the congregation. When the one who joined late completes his prayer, the one who has not completed his prayer stands up and finishes it, due to the generality of the evidence. This ruling applies to all five prayers; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) when he mentioned to him the rulers who delay the prayer from its time:
Pray the prayer at its time. If you catch up with them, pray with them, for it is a voluntary prayer for you. Do not say, "I have prayed, so I will not pray."
صل الصلاة لوقتها فإن أدركتها معهم فصل معهم فإنها لك نافلة ولا تقل صليت فلا أصلي
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.