Clarification that what the latecomer catches up with is considered the beginning of his prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A man entered the mosque to pray Maghrib and caught up with the imam for two rak'ahs, then he prayed the last rak'ah alone. Does he recite aloud in this rak'ah and recite Surat al-Fatihah, considering that he prayed the last rak'ah with the imam? Is the rak'ah he prayed with the imam considered the second one?
Answer:
The rak'ah that he makes up after his imam has finished is considered the last rak'ah, so it is not prescribed for him to recite aloud in it. This is because the correct of the two opinions of the scholars is that what the latecomer catches up with of the prayer is considered the beginning of his prayer, and what he makes up is the end of it. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 602c agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim.
A man entered the mosque to pray Maghrib and caught up with the imam for two rak'ahs, then he prayed the last rak'ah alone. Does he recite aloud in this rak'ah and recite Surat al-Fatihah, considering that he prayed the last rak'ah with the imam? Is the rak'ah he prayed with the imam considered the second one?
Answer:
The rak'ah that he makes up after his imam has finished is considered the last rak'ah, so it is not prescribed for him to recite aloud in it. This is because the correct of the two opinions of the scholars is that what the latecomer catches up with of the prayer is considered the beginning of his prayer, and what he makes up is the end of it. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
When the call is made for prayer come to it walking with tranquillity, and pray what you are in time for, and complete what you have missed.
إذا أتيتم الصلاة فامشوا وعليكم السكينة، فما أدركتم فصلوا وما فاتكم فأتموا
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.