The ruling on one who doubts the number of rak'ahs and then follows the person next to him
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Q: From (A. M. G.) in Al-Bahah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he says: I entered the mosque to perform the Zuhr prayer, and I had missed some of the rak'ahs. After the imam finished the prayer and I stood to make up what I had missed, I doubted the number of rak'ahs I had missed. So I followed and continued with the ma'mum next to me, because I had entered the mosque with him. I would bow after him and prostrate after him until I finished what I had missed, and I did not perform the prostration for forgetfulness. What is the ruling in the Shari'ah regarding what I did? And is there anything required of me? I ask you to be kind and provide the answer. May Allah reward you with good.
A: It is obligatory for the Muslim in such a situation to build on certainty. If he doubts whether he caught one or two rak'ahs with the imam, he should count it as one, then complete the prayer and perform two prostrations for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. If he doubts whether he caught two or three rak'ahs, he should count it as two, then complete the prayer and perform two prostrations for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. This is based on what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:Sahih Muslim 571a It was narrated by Muslim in his Sahih.
Based on this, you must repeat the aforementioned prayer, because you did not perform it in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah, and following the person who entered with you is not to be relied upon. May Allah grant success to all in what pleases Him.
A: It is obligatory for the Muslim in such a situation to build on certainty. If he doubts whether he caught one or two rak'ahs with the imam, he should count it as one, then complete the prayer and perform two prostrations for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. If he doubts whether he caught two or three rak'ahs, he should count it as two, then complete the prayer and perform two prostrations for forgetfulness before he says the taslim. This is based on what is established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the hadith of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
When any one of you is in doubt about his prayer and he does Dot know how much he has prayed, three or four (rak'ahs). he should cast aside his doubt and base his prayer on what he is sure of. then perform two prostrations before giving salutations. If he has prayed five rak'ahs, they will make his prayer an even number for him, and if he has prayed exactly four, they will be humiliation for the devil.
إذا شكَّ أحدُكم في صلاته فلم يَدْرِ كم صلَّى ثلاثًا أم أربعًا؟ فليطرح الشك وليبن على ما استيقن، ثم يسجد سجدتين قبل أن يُسلِّم، فإن كان صلَّى خمسًا شفعن له صلاته، وإن كان صلى إتمامًا لأربع كانتا ترغيمًا للشيطانBased on this, you must repeat the aforementioned prayer, because you did not perform it in the manner prescribed by the Shari'ah, and following the person who entered with you is not to be relied upon. May Allah grant success to all in what pleases Him.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.