The regular voluntary prayer suffices in place of the greeting of the mosque

Q: If a man enters the mosque intending to pray the Fajr prayer after the dawn has appeared, is it prescribed for him to pray the greeting of the mosque and then the regular voluntary prayer, or does one of them suffice in place of the other?

A: What is prescribed in such a case is to pray the regular voluntary prayer, and it suffices in place of the greeting. This is like if a man enters the mosque while the obligatory prayer is being prepared; he joins the imam, and the obligatory prayer suffices for him in place of the greeting of the mosque. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): , which Muslim recorded in his Sahih. It is also because the objective is that a Muslim should not sit in the mosque until he has prayed whatever is easy for him to pray. So if he finds something that takes the place of the greeting, that is sufficient, such as the obligatory prayer, the regular voluntary prayer, the eclipse prayer, and the like.