The ruling on one who catches the imam while he is bowing

Question:
What is the ruling on one who catches the imam while he is bowing? Does he catch the prayer or not? Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The prayer is not complete without the recitation of al-Fatihah." Please inform us, may Allah reward you.

Answer:
The correct view is that if one catches the bowing, he is considered to have caught the rak'ah. This is because when Abu Bakrah al-Thaqafi (may Allah be pleased with him) entered while the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was bowing, he bowed with him outside the row, then entered the row with him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and he did not order him to make up the rak'ah. This indicates that he was excused. This specifies the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): This is general for the imam and the one praying alone. So whenever the imam or the one praying alone leaves it, he must repeat the prayer if the interval is long. If the interval is not long, he performs one rak'ah in place of the rak'ah in which he left the recitation of al-Fatihah, and he prostrates for forgetfulness in it if that was due to forgetfulness. If it was intentional, he must repeat it in all cases, because it is invalid.