The Detail on the Follower Delaying to Follow His Imam
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Question:
Our brother asks and says: What is obligatory for an individual if he is in congregational prayer, and he prolongs his prostration, and the imam stands up, and he descends for the next unit while he is still in his prostration?
Answer:
This is not permissible if he does it intentionally; his prayer becomes invalid. However, if he is dozing off, or if he did not hear the imam’s voice, he stands up and follows the imam, and it does not harm him. But if he does it intentionally until he misses standing up, his prayer becomes invalid. We ask Allah for safety. But if he did not hear the imam’s voice, or if he is dozing off, he follows the imam, and his prayer is valid.
The presenter : Those who do not follow the imam with sufficient precision, Your Eminence the Shaykh, so they lag behind him, or they may precede him, or they may coincide with him.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory to follow him; they should not precede him, nor coincide with him. It is obligatory to be behind him, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 603Sahih (Al-Albani) the hadith.
So it is obligatory for them to be behind him, but connected, not lagging behind, not racing ahead of him, and not coinciding with him, but rather being behind him and connected to him. This is what is prescribed, and this is what is obligatory.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Our brother asks and says: What is obligatory for an individual if he is in congregational prayer, and he prolongs his prostration, and the imam stands up, and he descends for the next unit while he is still in his prostration?
Answer:
This is not permissible if he does it intentionally; his prayer becomes invalid. However, if he is dozing off, or if he did not hear the imam’s voice, he stands up and follows the imam, and it does not harm him. But if he does it intentionally until he misses standing up, his prayer becomes invalid. We ask Allah for safety. But if he did not hear the imam’s voice, or if he is dozing off, he follows the imam, and his prayer is valid.
The presenter : Those who do not follow the imam with sufficient precision, Your Eminence the Shaykh, so they lag behind him, or they may precede him, or they may coincide with him.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory to follow him; they should not precede him, nor coincide with him. It is obligatory to be behind him, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The imam is appointed only to be followed; when he says "Allah is most great," say "Allah is most great" and do not say "Allah is most great" until he says "Allah is most great." When he bows; bow; and do not bow until he bows.
إنما جعل الإمام ليؤتم به، فلا تختلفوا عليه، فإذا كبر؛ فكبروا، ولا تكبروا حتى يكبر، وإذا ركع فاركعوا، ولا تركعوا حتى يركع ..So it is obligatory for them to be behind him, but connected, not lagging behind, not racing ahead of him, and not coinciding with him, but rather being behind him and connected to him. This is what is prescribed, and this is what is obligatory.
The presenter : May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.