A group of people entering after the congregational prayer has ended: what should they do?

Q: If several people enter the mosque and find a person praying alone, and part of his prayer has already passed, should they follow him as their imam, or should one of them step forward to lead them? Please inform us.

A: Praise be to Allah. It is prescribed for these people to pray in congregation; indeed, this is obligatory for them. If they see that the one who preceded them is qualified to be an imam, they may pray behind him, and there is no harm in that. They must make up whatever they missed after his taslim.